Two officers receive Bronze Stars at LeMay Center Published Nov. 20, 2009 By Capt. Jenny Lovett LeMay Center MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Two officers were awarded bronze stars at Air University's LeMay Center for Doctrine Development for Education and Wargaming Nov. 13 for exceptional meritorious achievement during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lt. Col. Duston Ashton and Maj. Nichole Oliver were presented their medals by Maj. Gen. Stephen Miller, LeMay Center commander, during a commander's call. Colonel Ashton, who is an instructor in the LeMay Center's Warfighting Education Directorate, was deployed to Baghdad as a training program manager on a Coalition Air Force Training Team for Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq for a year. His efforts resulted in Iraq's first three student pilot training classes and the commissioning of 275 cadets. He also taught the LeMay Center's Joint Air Operations Planning Course to Iraqis from the Iraqi Air Operations Center. He then led this group in writing the first Iraqi Air Operations Plan to help guide the Iraqi Air Force into the future. "When Colonel Ashton took the JAOP course from LeMay to the Iraqis last summer, it was a big hit," said Col. Jeff Dunn, Warfighting Education director. "His ingenuity directly assisted the Iraqis in rebuilding their Air Force processes and providing stability. We couldn't be prouder of his efforts." Major Oliver is the joint Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance doctrine branch chief in the Doctrine Development Directorate at the LeMay Center where she is currently leading Air Force efforts to develop current, relevant ISR and information operations doctrine. She was deployed to a joint task force in Iraq as the intelligence directorate's chief of operations, where her intelligence support led to decisive combat operations against key enemy leadership targets. "Due to the sensitive nature of Nichole's work, we can't talk a whole lot about specifics," said Col. Russ "Rudder" Smith, DD director. "But her outstanding leadership and unsurpassed ability to organize, prioritize, focus and supervise intel in an extraordinarily demanding combat environment was absolutely pivotal in disrupting the enemy's operations strategy. I'm very happy to see her awarded this medal. She certainly deserves it."