Air University space chair awarded inaugural Colombian medal
Air University Space Chair Space Force Col. Galen Ojala displays the Colombian Ad Astra Medal at his office at Air War College, Aug. 16, 2022, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. The colonel, who is also an instructor in the Air War College Department of Leadership and Warfighting, received the inaugural medal for his service as U.S. Southern Command’s director of Space Forces within Air Forces Southern at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., between 2018 and 2021. Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez personally presented the medal to Ojala and several others on July 28, 2022, in Cali, Colombia, for their efforts in helping the country with its emerging national space program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Stai)