AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  GWOT
MODEL:  C-17

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross(with C Device) to Captain Stephen Cromp for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while engaged in military operati6ns involving conflict against an opposing foreign force as Officer in Charge, Phoenix Raven, C-17 A, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, 385th Air Expeditionary Group, Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar at Hamid Karzai International Airport on 30 August 2021. On that date, Captain Cromp was a Phoenix Raven for one of the five aircraft that departed Al Udeid Airbase, Qatar on the final flight into Afghanistan to land at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Upon arrival into the airspace surrounding Hamid Karzai International Airport, he observed air defense artillery, flares, and heavy machine gun fire on the approach, with further reports placing rooftop snipers in the area. These threats, along with deteriorating weather and high terrain, required the aircrews to maximize the capabilities of their aircraft to tactically ingress the unsecured airfield. Each crew precisely landed their aircraft and conducted a set of pre briefed ground maneuvers. In just under 60 minutes, Captain Cromp secured the area, loaded the remaining U.S. personnel and their highly sensitive equipment. Assuming the risk for a departure with no controllers and a compromised airfield, his aircrew was one of the last five aircraft to depart Hamid Karzai International Airport. The leadership, courage, and decisiveness of Captain Cromp directly ensured the culmination of Allies Refuge, an operation that ultimately airlifted 124,000 individuals. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Cromp reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.