Air Commandos receive 2017 Cheney Award

The 2017 Cheney Award sits on a work station July 12, 2019, at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The award was presented to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Mills, 15th Special Operations Squadron MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft commander for extraordinary heroism while providing humanitarian relief after Hurricane Maria left a path of devastation in the Caribbean island of Dominica in September 2017. The Cheney Award is an aviation award presented to an Airman for an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest, performed in connection with an aircraft, but not necessarily of a military nature. The Cheney Award is an aviation award presented in memory of 1st Lt. William H. Cheney, who was killed in an air collision over Foggia, Italy, Jan. 20, 1918. It was established in 1927. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen)