4 at Hill win bronze stars

HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Four members of Hill's 729th Air Control Squadron have earned bronze star medals for actions during the Iraq war.

Lt. Gen. Randall M. Schmidt, commander of the 12th Air Force, was scheduled to present the medals to members of the "Angry Warriors" squadron late Monday. The squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing, stationed at Hill.

Receiving the medals are Lt. Col. Walter F. Tatum III, commander of the 729th; Lt. Col. Steven M. Robinson, the squadron's director of operations; Maj. Cindy D. Stephens, squadron chief of maintenance; and Maj.Trent R. Carpenter, the group's chief of weapons tactics.

"The bronze star recognizes acts of heroism performed in ground combat, if they are of a lesser degree than that required for the silver star," a Hill press statement said.

In the fall of 2002, the squadron deployed 129 men and women to support Operation Southern Watch, which enforced the non-fly zone in southern Iraq.

The "Angry Warriors" in Kuwait played an important role in the buildup.