Nine Air Force Pilots Win Single-Event Air Medal for Navy Defense

Nine U.S. Air Force fighter pilots, including Korean American Andrew In, received the Single-Event Air Medal in June 2025 for missions protecting U.S. Navy ships in the Middle East.

According to military news outlet DVIDS, the Air Force honored the nine pilots from the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron after they completed their deployment under U.S. Central Command. The squadron was deployed to the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, where they carried out air defense missions to safeguard naval assets. During the deployment, the pilots logged 1,400 sorties totaling 8,000 hours.

Captain Andrew In said he was able to apply the skills he had trained on F-16 fighter jets for the past four to five years in real operations. “We also carried out missions to intercept cruise missiles heading toward Navy ships,” he stated.

The nine pilots also supported missions to protect civilian vessels and conduct operations in international waters. Lieutenant Colonel Brent Smith, commander of the 510th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, noted that the squadron, nicknamed “Buzzards,” carried out a wide range of missions. “The Buzzards conducted operations to defeat ISIS, safeguard coalition and civilian ships in the Red Sea, and perform multiple defensive and deterrence missions,” he explained.

BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]