Close air support
Senior Airman Zachary Rhyner was the first living recipient of the Air Force Cross in the Global War on Terror. He was awarded the Air Force Cross for his actions during the Battle of Shok Valley on 6 April 2008 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. According to the citation, during the battle he directed Close air support and Airstrikes totalling 4,570 cannon rounds, nine Hellfire missiles, 162 rockets, a dozen 500-pound bombs and one 2,000-pound bomb. As a result of the same battle ten U.S. Army soldiers, nine Special Forces and one Combat Cameraman, received the Silver Star. Ronald J. Shurer, a Special Forces medic, was awarded the Medal of Honor from his actions in this battle after a later review. In 2019, Matthew O. Williams, a Special Forces weapons sergeant also had his Silver Star upgraded to the Medal of Honor.