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Slingerlands resident awarded Air and Space Commendation medal for actions while deployed in Iraq

Master Sgt. Jonathan Corcoran, a member of the 109th Airlift Wing led Quick Reaction Force while assigned to Iraq air base

Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York (08/07/2025) — Master Sgt. Jonathan M. Corcoran, a Slingerlands resident, and a member of the 109th Airlift Wing's 139th Security Forces Squadron, was recently awarded the Air and Space Commendation Medal he earned for his actions while deployed in Iraq from October 2024 to April 2025.

Corcoran, a senior enlisted leader in the 139th Security Forces Squadron's training section, served with the 442nd Air Expeditionary Squadron, of the 387th Air Expeditionary Group assigned to Al Assad Air Base in Iraq.

During his deployment alongside other members of the 139th, Corcoran led a 40-member quick reaction force - QRF for short-- a military unit tasked with rapidly responding to developing threats or emergencies in combat.

"During this deployment the (security forces) job was different than the usual job that we do on deployments; our job was centered on the expeditionary skills portion of our training and allowed us to hone our skills," Corcoran said.

As non-commissioned officer in charge of the QRF, Corcoran was responsible for creating standard operating procedures for working with Army canine units when responding to threats on the base flight line.

He also worked on convoys with U.S. Army and Norwegian Army security teams.

According to the award citation, Airmen under Corcoran's leadership operated successfully against Iranian aligned militia groups while providing security for over 3,200 personnel as well as military infrastructure and assets valued over 1.2 billion dollars.

"All the deployed team members of the 109th security forces squadron worked very hard and did a great job adapting to the combat environment all while having a constant threat of indirect fire attacks," Corcoran said.

Corcoran enlisted in the Air National Guard in 2015 after serving in the Active Air Force for four years as a security forces Airman.

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Master Sgt. Jonathan M. Corcoran, a member of the 109th Airlift Wing’s 139th Security Forces Squadron, left, is pictured with members of the quick reaction force he led while stationed in Iraq from October 2024 to April 2025. Corcoran, a Slingerlands resident, was awarded the Air and Space Commendation Medal for his service.

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