Retired Brig. Gen. Frank Cardile (left) awards retired Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Richardson after presenting him with the Air Force Cross April 5 at the Francis S. Gabreski Airport in New York. Chief Richardson was awarded the Air Force’s second-highest honor for valor because of his actions during a March 1968 mission to rescue Airmen in Vietnam. During the mission, Richardson stood exposed in the door of an HH-53 Jolly Green Giant helicopter to fight off enemy forces attempting to board it. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. David J. Murphy)