April 08, 2021
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, a strategic studies and defense analysis student at Norwich, receives Air Force Cross for lifesaving bravery in Afghanistan
Alaxey Germanovich, a Special Tactics combat controller, joined the U.S. Air Force for its action and challenges few other jobs would let him see the world, train as he’d trained, do what he’d do. In April 2017, attached to 7th Special Forces Group, he deployed for the first time, heading to Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, serving as the team’s joint terminal attack controller. He went right into the firing line, facing more than two weeks straight of constant gunfire, bombs and danger.
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As we prepare for the peaceful transition of presidential power to reflect the will of the voters, it is appropriate to reflect for a moment on the men and women of the armed forces – from the first shots of the American Revolution to this very hour – who have fought and died to protect our democratic way of life.
The United States has about 1.3 million active-duty personnel serving around the world in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines Corps, Coast Guard and Space Force – a buffer against those who would seek to dominate and do us harm. Today, we recognize two with New Mexico ties – one of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. Snapped awake by the sound of belt-fed machine gun fire, then-Senior Airman Alaxey Germanovich, a 26th Special Tactics Squadron combat controller, surveys the compound he had dozed off in after several sleepless days of combat.
âI look around and I donât see any of my American teammates,â Germanovich said. â(At that moment I said to myself) I need to find my friends right now.â
Grabbing his helmet and rifle, Germanovich bolted out of the compound and into the fight, where he saw several of the Army special forces Soldiers he was embedded with huddling for cover from behind a small rock.
Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, 26th Special Tactics Squadron combat controller, leads U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Special Tactics service members as they perform memorial pushups following an Air Force Cross ceremony Dec. 10, 2020, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett presented the medal to Germanovich for his actions during a firefight in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, April 8, 2017. Germanovich’s efforts saved more than 150 friendly forces and destroyed 11 separate fighting positions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Washburn)
‘A tribute to persistence:’ SecAF presents Air Force Cross to special tactics Airman
‘Raw bravery’: Barrett awards special tactics airman the Air Force Cross for valor in firefight
Uncommon Valor Staff Sgt Alaxey Germanovich, a combat controller, was attached to the 7th Special Forces Group and coalition partner forces in Nangahar province, Afghanistan, April 8, 2017, when they were overrun by the enemy. The team fought for their lives in a grueling eight-hour battle. The events of that day led to Germanovich receiving the Air Force Cross. (Staff Sgt. Candin Muniz/Air Force) Air Force Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich was awarded the Air Force Cross Thursday for his actions during a “ferocious firefight” in Afghanistan in April 2017 including exposing himself to enemy fire on numerous occasions, coordinating close-air support and facilitating a medical evacuation for the wounded.