Six F-16 fighter pilots were presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross last week for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, last year’s strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities
Gen.Adrian Spain, head of Air Combat Command, presented the honors — the highest award for valor during flight — on May 5, although the Air Force did not announce the awards until Friday, May 8. The pilots were part of a massive force of 125 planes that took part in the June 21-22 strikes on three Iranian facilities. The mission saw the aerial armada drive into Iranian airspace, where B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on two sites; the Navy fired cruise missiles to damage a third.
The six pilots honored were: Lt. Col. Christopher M. Beckett, the squadron’s command; Maj. Matthew J. Croghan; Maj. Alexander J. Trembly; Capt. Abigail D. Maio; Capt. Megan C. Langas; and Capt. Daniel J. Dodson. All were noted as receiving it for “the heroism and bravery” they exemplified during the mission.
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“Operation Midnight Hammer, the strike that helped end the 12-day war, doesn’t happen without these six Airmen,” Spain said, referring to the 2025 war between Iran and Israel. “That mission reminded every adversary watching that American airpower can be delivered anywhere, anytime, and for better or worse, make it look easy. But we know it’s not easy.”
The operation was expansive, with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers flying across the Atlantic from their home at Whiteman Air Force Base, refueling along the way. They were joined by a number of F-15s, F-16s, F-22s and F-35s, which escorted them into Iranian airspace and were prepared to intercept any surface-to-air munitions.
The 55th Fighter Squadron’s release did not go into details about what the six F-16s specifically did during the operation, only saying in its release that the mission involved “high-risk flights into heavily defended airspace” and “direct combat with adversaries.”
Although the three nuclear sites were initially reported by defense officials as “obliterated,” intelligence analysis after the attack found they were heavily damaged but not destroyed.
The 55th Fighter Squadron is based out of Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina and operates the F-16. Several of its fighters took part in training and combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility throughout 2025.
The six awards are the latest honors that the Air Force has presented to airmen in recent weeks for Midnight Hammer. At the end of March, KC-135 crews from the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron were presented with Distinguished Flying Crosses for their role in helping. Several were awarded DFCs with a “V” device for valor and others were presented with DFCs with a “C” device for being in combat or exposed to “grave danger.” One KC-135 boom operator earned both.
