JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
Moments after 433rd Airlift Wing Commander Col. Douglas Jeffrey presented the Distinguished Flying Cross With “C” Device to Master Sgt. Raymond J. Johnson, a 433rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron aeromedical evacuation technician, he shared some reflections with his wingmen.
“You'll never know when that moment is going to come when you're actually going to feel like you're in the military,” Johnson said to more than 100 433rd AES Reserve Citizen Airmen gathered to witness the medal presentation and show their support during a ceremony on Sept. 12, 2024.
In an interview afterward, Johnson opened up about what happened in August 2021, while deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. Johnson was part of the first wave of service members mobilized in the response to the suicide bombings at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 60 Afghans.
“You're on call all the time,” Johnson recalled. “This was an ISS, meaning no one knew it was coming and you get the call in the middle of the night.”
“Nothing was really out of the ordinary until we were on our way there,” Johnson said. “Our job is usually not in the combat zone. We typically go in for the patients that are stable. Normally, in my experience, we're not going into anything that would put our aircraft at risk.”
Johnson remembered what caused him to feel something was amiss.
“This mission, just everything seemed weird,” he said. “The bomb just went off and we were on our way to the aircraft. Then on our way there, we found out there was another explosion. It was the most unordinary mission that I’ve participated in.”
Johnson, who has served in the Air Force since 2012 and joined the 433rd AES in 2022, also noted an unusually large number of Total Force medical personnel were present. That detail led to a significant change in Johnson’s role on the mission.
“We had so many additional people, but the Ravens were short,” Johnson said. “So we met as a crew and myself and another NCO... we were tasked to do Raven support, which was exciting, and not exciting, at the same time because we're… we're medics… most of the time, medical techs don't leave the aircraft. So, you're not putting on your helmet or your body armor. You're just waiting for the patients to get on the aircraft where it's safe. But this time, it was out into the fire.”
The experience led Johnson to reflect on many aspects of his military service.
“During UTAs, we're doing paperwork, we're doing vouchers,” he said. “I can’t say it enough… you never know when the day is going to come that you're going to have to experience what it's really like to be in the military.”
It made him realize the importance of readiness.
“Most days… we talk about where we're going for lunch,” Johnson said. “We're not talking about patients and explosions and security.”
The memory of the patients Johnson and his wingmen worked on that day has particularly stuck with him even three years after the mission.
“They were all children between seven and eight,” Johnson recalled before pausing for a moment. “We didn't lose anyone, but there's a difference between seeing an adult and a child…”
Following Johnson’s poignant comments at the medal ceremony, Col. Jeffrey emphasized the lessons all Airmen in attendance could draw from the story.
“You heard Sergeant Johnson… you never know when it’s going to come, so that means we have to be ready at all times,” Jeffrey said. “Especially AE… you are all going to be saving lives, getting our people back to their families and friends… particularly in the Pacific, with the distances involved and that type of environment, we are going to need you more than ever.”
Col. Sylvia Fernandez, 433rd AES commander, noted that beyond the individual credit this decoration brings for Johnson, it is a boon to the unit as well.
“Having NCOs like Sergeant Johnson in our formation is critical, because he’s gotten that first-hand experience and seen how the training translates to real-world missions,” Fernandez said. “Not only does the medal recognize his outstanding achievement, but it shows he can coach and mentor our Airmen who may not have that same level of experience, making our squadron that much more prepared for the next mission… whatever it may be.”
The Distinguished Flying Cross, authorized by an Act of Congress July 2, 1926, was first awarded to Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh, of the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, for his solo flight of 3,600 miles across the Atlantic in 1927, a feat which electrified the world and made Lindbergh one of America's most popular heroes.
This medal is awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the armed forces of the United States for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Both heroism and achievement must be entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine.
“I was a little more nervous about getting the medal than I think I was that day on mission,” Johnson admitted. “I had my crew with me... so you're a lot more relaxed when it’s just you and your crew.”