A rescue mission in Afghanistan detailed in a best-selling book has earned an Air Force major the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Maj. Keith Wolak of the 74th Fighter Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C., received the honor Friday in a ceremony at the base.
On July 2, 2005, Wolak, then a captain and flying with the call sign “Sandy 02,” was part of a task force assigned to rescue Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell from the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. Luttrell was the only survivor of a four-man SEAL team that was attacked while on a reconnaissance mission. The first attempt to rescue the team June 28 ended with the crash of an Army MH-47 Chinook helicopter and the deaths of 16 soldiers and SEALs onboard....
