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STAR IN THE SKY Local Air Force pilot earns Distinguished Flying Cross
HHHHH 4.9 Stars from 1,000+ Reviews
John Poimiroo Special to Village Life
T
ensions arose among more than 450 Afghan refugees aboard Reach 651 (the callsign of a US Air Force C-17 cargo plane) as the 292-ton transport circled above Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Aug. 22, 2021. With more than 100 of these massive cargo planes evacuating 114,000 refugees from Afghanistan that day, transports were stacked high above Qatar as they awaited clearance to land. Each had its own in-air crisis, but conditions on Reach 651 were particularly critical. The huge cargo plane had been aloft for hours, had only one small toilet and no air conditioning as it flew through stifling subtropic air ... and it was running out of gas. Efforts to explain what was happening to a cabin packed with anxious passengers were complicated by language and cultural barriers. Commanding the air transport was Maj. Drew Dela Cruz, a 2007 graduate of El Dorado Hills’ Oak Ridge High School and in 2012, the U.S. Air Force Academy. He knew inflight refueling procedures by heart as he’d piloted Air Force KC-135 tankers previ-
Village Life photo by Sel Richard
Competitive sports supporters and players pack the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors meeting Feb. 9 to protest proposed fee increases.
Sports clubs call foul on rate hike Sel Richard Staff writer
Courtesy photo
Maj. Drew Dela Cruz, a former El Dorado Hills resident, received the Distinguished Flying Cross late last year for his life-saving decisions during the Afghan evacuation. ously, but now he was on the thirsty end of the hose and he had an emergency on board. The crew of Reach
651 had been briefed earlier that day that saboteurs planned to attack Hamid Karzai International Airport
in Kabul, possibly in the form of suicide bombers. So, they’d
Spirited EDH Soccer Club and EDH Little League supporters packed last week’s El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors meeting to protest recently proposed field rate increases, at times turning unruly. EDHSC, in particular, balked at a rate hike of 150%, from last year’s $81,917 to $201,263. The issue was initially broached in August 2022 when a youth athletic working group comprising local youth sports clubs was formed to make recommendations regarding field fee changes. However, by November no consensus was obtained. In December, EDHSC and EDHLL leadership stated that any type of fee increase would be unacceptable to their clubs. CSD staff
■ See CROSS, page A2
■ See RATES, page A5
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