On the night of April 13, Iran launched more than 300 ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, an attack in response to a missile strike on Damascus, Syria, that had killed a top Iranian commander. US military aircraft and naval ships went to work that night in Israel’s defense, knocking down 99% of the weapons fired by Iran.
American airborne mission commanders directed fighters to the drones, ABC News reports, until they’d used all their air-to-air missiles. Then they fired their fighter’s Gatling guns to bring down drones themselves. One of the commanders was Air Force Capt. Lacie Hester. This week, at a base in England, she became the first female airman to ever be awarded the Silver Star by the Air Force.
The event was called the largest air-to-air enemy engagement involving US forces in over 50 years.
“Although intelligence provided the numbers of how many drones we could expect to see, it was still surprising to see them all,” Hester said in an Air Force interview. An F-15E instructor weapons systems officer in the 494th Fighter Squadron, Hester is the 10th female service member ever to receive the award. Maj. Benjamin Coffey, the pilot of their two-seat fighter who worked with Hester to coordinate the shootdowns, also received the Silver Star, per ABC.
The Silver Star is the nation’s third-highest award for valor. Multiple men and women involved in the operation were decorated on Tuesday at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, including airmen who worked on the ground to keep the fighters flying in and out. Air & Space Forces Magazine interviewed nine airmen involved in the defense to piece together how it unfolded.
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