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Hundreds of new medals -- including Distinguished Flying Crosses and Bronze Stars -- are being given to airmen who helped with the 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, and more awards are on the horizon.

The latest awards include a total of 229 Air Medals, 98 Meritorious Service Medals, eight Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Bronze Star Medals and are for "maintainers, loadmasters, Raven-trained security forces, aeromedical evacuation personnel and pilots" involved with one of the largest humanitarian evacuation efforts in military history, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command announced Wednesday.

"It is with great humility, gratitude and honor that I have the opportunity to recognize the actions of these mobility heroes," Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said in a statement. "This recognition is long overdue, but I hope everyone involved in this incredible operation knows our deepest appreciation for their sacrifice while saving more than 124,000 American and Afghan lives."

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Air Mobility Command played a crucial role in the evacuation, from loading up the first evacuee to boarding the last American soldier onto the final C-17 Globemaster III from Kabul on Aug. 30, 2021. More than 124,000 people ranging from government employees to Afghan refugees were flown to safety as more than two decades of U.S. military involvement in the country was left behind.

That military-led evacuation also came at a major cost. When a suicide bomber struck at the Kabul airport's Abbey Gate during the rescue mission on Aug. 26, 13 troops -- 11 Marines, a sailor and a soldier -- were killed, marking the final American casualties of the war in Afghanistan. More than 20 other troops were wounded, and about 170 Afghans were killed.

"Airmen proved, once again, that they can make the impossible possible," Minihan said. "But it came with great personal sacrifice and risk."

The latest announcement of medals connected to the mission, known as Operation Allies Refuge, marks the sixth awards board related to the evacuation. Last year, Air Mobility Command announced 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 12 Bronze Star Medals and a Gallant Unit Citation for the 621st Contingency Response Group.

More recognition is on the way for airmen involved with the operation, too. A seventh awards board is scheduled for Air Mobility Command next week.

In late August, on the two-year anniversary marking the chaos of the Afghanistan exit, the Pentagon announced that many of the Marine Corps and Army units involved in the effort would be honored with a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest distinction that a military unit can receive.

Members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command, and Joint Task Force 82 of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were recognized with the citation for their efforts during Operation Allies Refuge.

Besides the Army and Marine Corps units, elements of 20 other units, including active-duty and National Guard troops, were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

Minihan told reporters during a media roundtable at the Air and Space Force Association's conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September that he was also fighting for airmen involved to be honored with a Presidential Unit Citation.

"With a lot of hard work, there's been some exceptional recognition, including individually and in units, but it is not at all where I want it to be," Minihan said in response to a Military.com question. "So, there is lots of work that remains on units and individuals, including the Presidential Unit Citations ... but what I intend moving forward is to take those units, those individuals, and sponsor those all the way up."

Some of the latest awards will be given at a private ceremony during the 2023 Airlift/Tanker Association Convention in Grapevine, Texas, this week.

"We continue to reveal incredible actions taken to carry out this mission, and it is our duty to recognize each and every one of them," Minihan said.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: Air Force General Fighting to Get Airmen Presidential Unit Citation for Afghanistan Evacuation

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Hundreds of Airmen Will Receive New Medals for 2021 Afghanistan Evacuation - Military.com

On October 7, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck western Herat Province in Afghanistan, claiming thousands of lives, flattening entire villages, and leaving communities to live in tent cities after losing their homes. In the days that followed, two more devastating earthquakes hit the region, deepening the severity of this crisis along with multiple challenges the people of Afghanistan were already facing.

Over the last two years, the number of people across Afghanistan in need of humanitarian assistance has increased to 67% of the population. Three consecutive years of drought, spiking costs of basic necessities, and reductions in international funding have pushed millions of Afghans living on the edge further into crisis.

It is imperative that international attention and funds be urgently directed to this crisis, says Dayne Curry, Mercy Corps Country Director for Afghanistan. The support committed to the response thus far is simply not enough to address the long recovery ahead or prepare communities for potential future shocks.

Mercy Corps is responding to the recent earthquakes, working to address the urgent water and sanitation needs of earthquake-affected communities. Our team in Herat is providing clean water, sanitation kits, and cash assistance to help communities rebuild and recover.

Mercy Corps has worked alongside communities in Afghanistan since 1986, growing access to clean water and sanitation services as well as connecting people to agricultural and vocational training. In 2023, we reached more than 96,600 people across the country.

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The crisis in Afghanistan after series of devastating earthquakes - Mercy Corps

Published on November 09, 2023

Participation Supports the Morris County Veterans Compendium Project

In preparation for the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the War in Afghanistan coming up on October 7, 2026, the Morris County Office of Planning & Preservation is seeking information for its Veterans Compendium project and invites local soldiers and sailors to participate.

The basic information required is the name of the soldier/sailor, Morris County hometown and branch of service. Veterans who wish to share additional information may do so and are encouraged to mention the names of those with whom they served.

Listing on the Morris County Veterans Compendium requires that you were either born in Morris County or lived in the county for a minimum of ten years. If you meet the criteria, but relocated out of state, you are eligible for listing. The Veterans compendium is open to any branch of service and photographs are appreciated.'

After a draft biography is created, it is then sent back to the submitter for review and approval. The final drafts will be posted on-line October 7, 2026, under Moondust: Afghanistan 2001-2021.

To date the Office of Planning & Preservation has released veteran lists from the American Revolution, The War of 1812, The Spanish-American and Philippines Wars, WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The list of veterans from the Civil War is slated to be released in April of 2024.

For more information or to submit biographies, please email Jan Williams, Cultural and Historic Resources Specialist of the Morris County Office of Planning & Preservation, at [emailprotected]

To view all historical projects, visit the Office of Planning & Preservation webpage on the Official Website of Morris County, NJ.

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Image 1: Soldier in a sandstorm.

Image 2: Afghanistan Service Ribbon.

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Information Needed from Veterans of the War in Afghanistan - Morris County, NJ

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SALUTE TO VETERANS: After Iraq and Afghanistan, Sherwood ... - Sherwood Gazette

Pakistan Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan has done everything possible to maintain positive relations with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Pakistani media cited the spokesperson as saying that Pakistan's foreign policy has been consistent that we want to have friendly ties with our neighbor Afghanistan.

"Pakistan's policy regarding deportation of illegal immigrants is not a global issue, but this is a law. There is an immigration law all over the world, and there is an immigration law in Pakistan. Anyone who violates this immigration law will be punished according to the law of Pakistan, Baloch told Pakistani media.

In the meantime, Pakistan media reported that Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for distinguishing between terrorists and people.

According to the reports, the former foreign minister answered a question saying there was a lack of clarity in the caretaker governments policy about the repatriation of illegal Afghan immigrants.

"I don't see any clarity about the current policy. In my opinion, when we talk about Afghanistan, we should make it difficult for the Pakistani Taliban, we should make it difficult for terrorists who attack our office and our police stations, and we should go after them. We must distinguish between ordinary people and terrorists, Zardari noted.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate also called Pakistan's decision to deport Afghan immigrants from this country as hasty, saying that this decision is not acceptable to the people and political parties of Pakistan.

"I can confidently say that the hasty decision which has been made regarding immigrants in Pakistan, was not right for the people of Pakistan, and they were also upset, and it was not according to the will of its political parties and the general public of Pakistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews.

Regarding the deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan, Amnesty International once again asked the government of Pakistan to immediately halt the continued detentions, deportations and widespread harassment of Afghan refugees.

Amnesty International in a statement said that Pakistan uses the expulsion of Afghan immigrants from this country as a political tool.

If the Pakistani government doesnt halt the deportations immediately, it will be denying thousands of at-risk Afghans, especially women and girls, access to safety, education and livelihood ---thousands of Afghan refugees are being used as political pawns to be returned to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the statement reads.

"We call for an immediate stop to any forced deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan. A large number of those facing forced deportation are those who left this country after the fall of the previous Afghan government, Zaman Soltani, a researcher at Amnesty International's South Asia Department, said.

After eleven days of deportations of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway has called for the support of vulnerable Afghan immigrants in Afghanistan.

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Pakistan: Everything Possible Done for Positive Relations With ... - TOLOnews