Air Force Cross Ceremony Today at Pope's CCS

POPE FIELD, N.C. - There will be a ceremony Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. to unveil an
Air Force Cross Memorial at the Combat Control School on Pope Field at Fort
Bragg, N.C. that memorializes current and former members of the Special
Tactics community who are the Air Force's Special Operations personnel.

The guest speaker will be Colonel Robert Armfield, Commander of the 24th
Special Operations Wing.  The event will honor and highlight four Special
Tactics Airmen that have been awarded the Air Force Cross. Attendees will
see Special Tactics Airmen, while wearing their full assault gear, recite
from memory the actions of the honored Airmen that earned them the Air Force
Cross.

Those being honored include Technical Sergeant John Chapman, from the 24th
Special Tactics Squadron, who was awarded the AF Cross for his actions in
March of 2003; Technical Sergeant  Zach Rhyner, from the 21st Special
Tactics Squadron, who was awarded the AF Cross for his actions in April of
2008; Technical Sergeant  Robert Gutierrez, from the 21st Special Tactics
Squadron who was awarded the AF Cross for his actions in October of 2009;
and  Captain Barry Crawford, from the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, who was
awarded the AF Cross for his actions in May of 2010.

The ceremony will be held at the Combat Control School heritage museum.  The
museum offers a visual history of the conflicts in which Special Tactics
Airmen have participated and played a pivotal role. Tours of the museum are
encouraged after the event.

For further information, media should contact the 440th Airlift Wing Public
Affairs office by noon Dec. 6 at (907) 244-4373.

---Media Release proided by 440th Airlift Wing Public Affairs