Zachary Rhyner

Zachary James Rhyner (born June 21, 1986) is a medically retired Combat Controller (CCT) in the United States Air Force who received the Air Force Cross for his actions in the Battle of Shok Valley on 6 April 2008 in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. He was the first living, and second ever, Combat Controller to receive the Air Force Cross after Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman was posthumously awarded the medal in 2002 for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar. Rhyner has deployed six times, including to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has assisted in humanitarian operations and was a part of Operation Unified Response in Haiti during the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.