Tech. Sgt. Katherine Rosa Orellana, a critical care and trauma team nurse therapist by training, received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) medal earlier this month for her role in saving lives during a suicide bomber attack at Afghanistan’s Harmid Karzai Airport last August, which in addition to around 150 civilians, took the lives of 11 Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy corpsman – as well as two British nationals.
“Thanks for making my day,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, to Orellana and the nearly 1,000 airmen of the 375th Air Mobility Wing who gathered at a Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, hangar for the event. “Many of you were involved in the largest humanitarian airlift in the world, and you should be proud.”
Orellana, who was a staff sergeant at the time, was among the first to respond to the bombing. She had an active role in evacuating and saving the lives of 22 joint-service and multinational casualties – including five who were on ventilators – during an eight-hour stretch.
“It’s an amazing honor and I’m just taking it all in,” Orellana said. “I joined the team a week prior and had to trust they knew what they were doing. When we went in, we just did our jobs. And we did it really well.”
The Air Force additionally announced in a Tweet that another 51 airmen at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and elsewhere with Distinguished Flying Cross medals for their roles during a chaotic evacuation operation that would punctuate 20 years of US fighting and work in Afghanistan.
OPM’s Summary of New, Expanded FEHB Benefits for 2023
Settlement over OPM Database Breaches Approved; Deadline ahead for Filing Claims
Veterans Treatment Courts and Impacting the Veteran Community
How Divorce Impacts Your Military Benefits
TSP Investors Down $120 Billion for Year; Average Account Loses $30,000
PACT Act Passes for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits, Agent Orange, and Radiation
Congress Approves New VA Personnel Authorities in PACT Act; Survey Reveals Impact of Vacancies
Under Investigation? Know Your Rights and Don’t Engage the Enemy Alone
Will ‘Outside Activities’ Lead to a Security Review?
What Veterans and Service Members Need to Know About Military Discharge Upgrades