U.S Air Force Lt. Col. John Campion, executive officer for U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, prepares to begin a Distinguished Flying Cross ceremony at Voas-Lackey Roundabout, Hurlburt Field, Fla. , May 16, 2024. U.S. Air Force Maj. Randell Voas, a CV-22B Osprey pilot, and Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, a CV-22B flight engineer, were awarded the DFC for actions taken during a combat mission near Qalat, Afghanista, April 9, 2010. (Jason Huddleson/U.S. Air Force)

The commander of Air Force Special Operations Command has posthumously presented Distinguished Flying Cross medals to two air commandos 14 years after they were killed in a CV-22 Osprey crash on April 9, 2010, during a mission near Qalat, Afghanistan.

Maj. Randell Voas and Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey helped save the lives of two crew members and 14 passengers on board after a series of incidents, including mechanical failure, caused the crash. Two passengers, as well as Voas and Lackey, were killed.

The Air Force presented the awards Thursday at Hurlburt Field in Florida with family, friends and fellow air commandos in attendance at the Voas-Lackey Roundabout, named in honor of the two men, who were members of the 8th Special Operations Squadron here.

Accepting the medals were the widows of the airman, Jill Voas and Cassie Lackey.

“Randy and JB did not have the option to sit back and let the situation unfold around them. They recognized the danger and through their expertise and their professionalism took action to lessen the impact of a compounding situation,” Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said. “Every day that we put on our uniform, we stand on the shoulders of giants those who came before us paved the path we walk, including Randy and JB.”

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the Distinguished Flying Cross to the family of U.S. Air Force Maj. Randell Voas, a CV-22B Osprey pilot, on his behalf at the Voas-Lackey Roundabout at Hurlburt Field, Florida, May 16, 2024. Voas posthumously received the DFC for actions taken during a combat mission near Qalat, Afghanistan, April 9, 2010. (Raul Mercado/U.S. Air Force)

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the Distinguished Flying Cross to the family of U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, a CV-22B Osprey flight engineer, on his behalf at the Voas-Lackey Roundabout at Hurlburt Field, Florida, May 16, 2024. Lackey posthumously received the DFC for his actions taken during a combat mission near Qalat, Afghanistan, April 9, 2010. (Jason Huddleston/U.S. Air Force)

Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey and Maj. Randell Voas were killed in a CV-22 Osprey crash on April 9, 2010, during a mission near Qalat, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force)

Voas, a CV-22B pilot and flight lead, and Lackey, a CV-22B flight engineer, were assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla.

The crash was the first fatal accident in the Air Force’s Osprey variant, the CV-22, since the special operations aircraft became operational in 2006, according to the Air Force Times.

An Air Force investigation listed 10 contributing factors to the cause of the mysterious crash, including weather, environmental conditions and aircraft performance.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to any officer or enlisted person of the U.S. armed forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.

“We are honored to recognize their exemplary airmanship, calmness during duress and dedication to our Joint Force. Maj. Voas’s and Senior Master Sgt. Lackey’s heroism and courage in the face of disaster is a shining example of the spirit and determination that we ask of all air commandos,” Bauernfeind said. “They are loved, greatly missed, and will never be forgotten.”

A memorial dedication was held at Hurlburt Field, Fla., March 16, 2018. The traffic circle that holds the fallen CV-22 Osprey replica was dedicated to U.S. Air Force Maj. Randell Voas, evaluator pilot with the 8th Special Operations Squadron, and Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, an evaluator flight engineer with the 8th SOS, (Rachel Yates/U.S. Air Force)