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6 airmen to get Combat Action Medal on Tuesday

The Air Force will present six airmen with the service’s first Combat Action Medals during a ceremony Tuesday at the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The six, who will receive the medal from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, are:

* Maj. Steven A. Raspet of New Braunfels, Texas, an A-10 pilot currently assigned to the 559th Flying Training Squadron, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas;

* Capt Allison K. Black of North Point, N.Y., an AC-130H gunship navigator with the 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.;

* Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez of Bridgeport, Conn., with the Air Force Pararescue/Combat Rescue Officer School, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.;

* Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen of Birmingham, Ala., MH-53 aerial gunner with the 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.;

* Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson of Detroit, Mich., and Ashland, Miss., a vehicle operator with 927th Logistical Readiness Squadron, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich.;

* Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton of Abingdon, Va., an aeromedical evacuation technician with the Air Force Aerospace Medical Center, Brooks City Base, Texas.

Also slated to attend the ceremony are relatives of legendary airman Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell, whose World War I aircraft — specifically a personal symbol from the plane — was the inspiration for the new medal’s design.

The Air Force created the medal in recognition of airmen taking on increasingly dangerous roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have performed missions, including ground combat, alongside soldiers and Marines.

Many airmen who have served with Army units have qualified for the Army’s Combat Action Badge. The Combat Action Medal is the Air Force’s answer to that badge and others offered by the sister services.