AFA Invites Airmen, Guardians to Apply for Pitsenbarger Awards

The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is inviting enlisted Airmen and Guardians to apply for its prestigious Pitsenbarger Awards. The standard Pitsenbarger Award provides a $750 cash grant to select USAF and USSF enlisted personnel who are graduating from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) and plan to pursue a baccalaureate degree.

Previous recipients of the Pitsenbarger Award are also eligible to apply for the A1C William Pitsenbarger “Full Measure Award” (FMA). AFA will present one FMA to an enlisted Airman or Guardian who has demonstrated a commitment to further education, excellence in military service, and dedication to AFA’s mission. The FMA provides the recipient with a $3,000 grant and an invitation to AFA’s Air, Space, & Cyber Conference.

Details, requirements, and applications are available here.

Applications for the Full Measure Award are due no later than April 30, 2026.

AFA’s Pitsenbarger Awards honor the legacy of Airman First Class William H. Pitsenbarger, whose extraordinary valor, heroism, and selfless service during the Vietnam War set a standard of courage that continues to inspire today’s Airmen and Guardians.

Pitsenbarger served as a pararescueman and flew on almost 300 rescue missions. In 1966, Pitsenbarger was dispatched to extract U.S. forces pinned down by an enemy ambush near Cam My, South Vietnam. He assisted with the rescue of six wounded Soldiers via helicopter and stayed on the ground with infantrymen after the helicopter was damaged by enemy fire, and was forced to wave it off. Pitsenbarger continued to tend to the wounded while under heavy enemy fire and took up arms to protect the remaining men. A1C Pitsenbarger was killed by an enemy sniper, but his actions allowed dozens to escape the ambush.

Pitsenbarger was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross in 1966. In 2000, he was awarded the Medal of Honor and promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Pitsenbarger is one of only seven enlisted Medal of Honor recipients from the Air Force and its predecessor organizations.

AFA established the A1C William Pitsenbarger Full Measure Award in 2025 to complement the long-running AFA Pitsenbarger Award and to continue recognizing past recipients.

“A1C William Pitsenbarger’s legacy demonstrates the warrior spirit and devotion to duty of all enlisted servicemembers, who form the backbone of the best Air Force and Space Force in the world,” said Lt. Gen. Burt Field, USAF (Ret.), AFA President & CEO. “This prestigious award was named for him to continue that legacy, and to support the continuing education of our outstanding enlisted force.”