Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, the former commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, was inducted into the Order of the Sword during a Nov. 18 ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The Order of the Sword is the highest honor the enlisted force can bestow upon an officer. “You have served our command and specifically our enlisted corps greatly in the most challenging times in our history,” said AFSOC command chief CMSgt. Gregory Smith. “You have led us to a point where we can look into the future, we can see the challenges ahead of us, and yet know we can meet any challenge and win any fight because we’ve had you as a leader.” Heithold led the command from July 2014 until this past July.
The 45th Space Operations Group's Detachment 3 is training to rescue a new generation of astronauts as the U.S. returns to manned space launch. But the niche organization is small and can feel misunderstood in the vast Pentagon bureaucracy, even as it takes on new importance in the modern space…