Hurlburt Field, FL - More than a dozen Airmen from the same unit were presented eighteen medals recently for meritorious actions in combat.

Fourteen special tactics Airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., were presented two Purple Hearts and 14 Bronze Stars, five of which were with Valor.

Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, hosted the ceremony, presenting the medals to 10 combat controllers and four tactical air control party members.

The Bronze Star is awarded in recognition of bravery, heroism and meritorious service during engagement with an armed enemy of the U.S. It is the fourth highest combat honor within the military. The Bronze Star recognizes meritorious service while the Bronze Star with Valor recognizes heroism.

The Purple Heart is awarded to those injured or killed in combat.

Fiel commended the Airmen for tirelessly and humbly sacrificing for their country.

"Whenever I speak with a recipient of one of these awards, I always get the response 'sir, I was just doing my job, just doing what I was trained to do,'" Fiel said. "But the reality is that all of you men do so much more than just 'what you were trained to do.'"

Training is a building block, but these Airmen are not merely being recognized for putting their training into play, he said.

They are being recognized for being leaders in their squadron and examples for the next generation of special tactics Airmen, he said.

They are being recognized for their belief in the mission and for the preparation put into planning their missions and executing them in theater.

They are being recognized because they have strong families standing behind them, Fiel said.

Between them, the Airmen have deployed at least 42 times. Their service resulted in the removal of more than 600 enemy combatants from 2009 to 2011, according to their award citations.

The medal recipients are:

Master Sgt. Christopher Grove - Bronze Star with Valor 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor 5th Oak Leaf Cluster

Master Sgt. Douglas Neville - Bronze Star with Valor

Staff Sgt. Tyler Britton - Bronze Star 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

Staff Sgt. Eric Galvan - Purple Heart, Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Mike Kurta - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Christopher Martin - Bronze Star with Valor 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with Valor 2nd Oak Leaf Cluster

Staff Sgt. Sean Mullins - Bronze Star with Valor 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

Staff Sgt. Michael Orlando - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Verne Patterson - Bronze Star with Valor

Staff Sgt. Matthew Riechers - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Jeffery Salazar - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Ryan Sjurson - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Nathan Vogle - Bronze Star

Staff Sgt. Michael Wilhelm - Purple Heart, Bronze Star 1st Oak Leaf Cluster

The following Airmen and civilians were honored at the 62nd Airlift Wing/Team McChord Quarterly Awards Luncheon on Jan. 20.

Civilian Quarter of the Year Category IA: Lori Brisson, 62nd Medical Squadron; Kathleen Wipple, 627th Force Support Squadron. Civilian of the Year Quarter Catergory IIA: Roy Osman, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; Robert Snyder, 627th FSS.

Civilian of the Year Category IIB: Kelly Williams, 62nd Maintenance Squadron.

Airman of the Quarter: Airman 1st Class Courtney Nicholas, 62nd Operations Support Squadron; Senior Airman Just Perran, 5th Air Support Operations Squadron.

Noncommissioned Officer: Staff Sgt. Brandon Hower, 62nd OSS; Staff Sgt. Andrew Cox, 5th ASOS.

Senior Noncommissioned Officer: Senior Master Sgt. Curtis Stanley, 62nd AMXS; Master Sgt. Shane Hobrecht, 5th ASOS.

Junior Company Grade Officer: 1st Lt. Marc Marmino, 62nd Operations Group; 1st Lt. Monica Carter, 22nd Special Tactics Squadron.

Company Grade Officer: Capt. Summer Kolcum, 62nd AMXS; Capt. Patrick Lamie, 5th ASOS.

Honor Guard Member of the Quarter: Senior Airman Michael Robinson, 62nd MXS.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.  -- Seven combat controllers assigned to the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron received several medals Wednesday for their accomplishments while engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan.

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If you see a handful of C-17 Globemaster IIIs filling the sky today, don't worry, it's all part of a special mission at McChord Field.

A large formation of C-17s took off this morning to train for their strategic airdrop mission. Seven C-17s will began taking off at about 10 a.m. and will fly throughout the local area.

Along with active-duty and reserve airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings, airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron and soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord are participating in the training exercise, according to McChord Field public affairs.

At different points in the training exercise, aircrews will air drop heavy equipment and personnel. C-17 Globemaster III transporters must be able to meet the Army's goal of airdropping a brigade's worth of troops and equipment within 30 minutes.   The strategic brigade airdrop capability resides only in the C-17 community, according to PA.