Six F-16 pilots decorated for Iran nuclear strikes

Six F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the 55th Fighter Squadron have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for their roles in Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites carried out in June 2025, during a ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, on 5 May, the UK Defence Journal understands.

The decorations were presented by General Adrian Spain, commander of Air Combat Command, who presided over the ceremony. The recipients were Lieutenant Colonel Christopher M. Beckett, commander of the 55th Fighter Squadron, Majors Alexander J. Trembly and Matthew J. Croghan, and Captains Abigail D. Maio and Megan C. Langas, along with a sixth pilot. Their missions involved flights into heavily defended airspace during the operation.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism while in aerial flight and ranks among the United States’ highest military decorations. It has been awarded since the Second World War and has been presented to aviators including Charles Lindbergh and numerous combat pilots across subsequent conflicts.

Spain used the ceremony to reflect on both the rarity of the award and the significance of what the pilots had achieved. “Operation Midnight Hammer, the strike that helped end the 12-day war, doesn’t happen without these six Airmen,” he said. “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.”

He was direct about what the award represented and how it was earned. “These results don’t happen by accident. It was a product of years of discipline, training and a refusal to accept anything less than excellence from themselves and from each other.”

Spain also drew attention to the broader team behind the mission, making clear the decoration reflected collective effort as much as individual bravery. “To the maintainers, the ops team, the intel professionals, the logisticians who launched those jets — make no mistake. Valor like this is forged by the formation. These six were the tip of the spear, but the spear was sharpened by every one of you. That’s what readiness looks like.”