MCAS New River Marine receives Bronze Star for heroic actions during Kabul airport evacuation

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston

Published January 23, 2023 at 11:26 AM EST

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Robert D. Barbaree III, left, commanding officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station New River, pins the Bronze Star Medal onto Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild, right, a senior air traffic controller with H&HS, MCAS New River. Haunschild received the Bronze Star medal for his actions during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.

A Marine stationed at MCAS New River has received a Bronze Star for heroic actions in Afghanistan.

Master Sgt. Kevin Haunschild supported the evacuation operation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in August of 2021, and contributed to the evacuation of military personnel and 144,000 civilians.

Officials say Sgt. Kevin Haunschild ran onto the runway under enemy fire to remove an obstruction, allowing the evacuation flights to continue.

Sgt. Haunschild ran onto the runway under enemy fire to remove an obstruction, allowing the evacuation flights to continue. Officials say an Afghan Cessna with a blown tire had to abort its takeoff, which obstructed the airport's runway.

"A Marine, two Army Special Operation soldiers, and I jumped into a pickup truck while Afghans were running out of the aircraft back into the hangar," said Haunschild. "We managed to attach ratchet straps to the aircraft and tow it off of the runway."

Haunschild also went outside the wire to recover radio equipment from a stranded Afghan air traffic controller and as he was returning Haunschild started receiving enemy small arms fire. Still, he arrived safely with the critical radio equipment.