Barbara Barrett, Secretary of the Air Force, places her hand over her heart while the audience salute the colors during an Air Force Cross ceremony Dec. 10, 2020, at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. Barrett presented the medal to Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, 26th Special Tactics Squadron combat controller, for his actions during a fierce firefight in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, April 8, 2017. Germanovich’s efforts were credited with saving over 150 friendly forces and destroying 11 separate fighting positions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Drew Cyburt)