305th Pilot awarded by the Order of the Daedalians

A C-17A Globemaster III is set as the backdrop for the 305th Air Mobility Wing’s ceremony for the presentation of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force 2021 Exceptional Aviator Award on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Sept. 26, 2022. The CSAF 2021 Exceptional Aviator Award was presented to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Kut, 6th Airlift Squadron Chief of Group Standards and Evaluations, by the Order of the Daedalians for his actions as the aircraft commander of the REACH871 mission. This mission resulted in the ground evacuation of 823 Afghan civilians from Kabul while under enemy fire and allowed the Air Mobility Command commander to waive C-17 floor-load restrictions from 300 to 450 passengers, facilitating the evacuation of 124,000 personnel during the Air Force’s largest non-combatant evacuation operation in history. (U.S. Air Force photo by Daniel Barney)