Zachary Rhyner is a Combat Controller ( CCT ) in the United States Air Force . His hometown is Medford , Wisconsin . While still a Senior Airman , he 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 TSgt John A. Chapman was posthumously awarded the medal in 2002 for his actions during the Battle of Takur Ghar . In addition to his Air Force Cross Rhyner is the recipient of two Purple Hearts , a Bronze Star Medal and the Air Force Combat Action Medal among others . His first Purple Heart he received for the Battle of Shok Valley , while the second Purple Heart was from a deployment to northern Afghanistan in March 2013 where a gunshot wound shattered his right femur and hip . He has deployed six times , including Iraq and Afghanistan . He has also participated in humanitarian assistance operations as well and was a part of Operation Unified Response in Haiti during the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake . Rhyner medically retired in 2015 as a result of wounds sustained in combat that prevented mobility below the knee
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Zachary Rhyner