LEBANON, N.H. (AP) – An Army helicopter gunship pilot from Lebanon has received one of the military’s highest medals for bravery.

Capt. Ryan Welch, 30, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for leading a rescue of two American fliers wounded in a deadly helicopter crash south of Baghdad last fall.

During the risky night mission, Welch helped lift one of the injured men into a two-seat Apache helicopter, then strapped himself and the other flier to the outside.

The pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Justin Taylor, flew the helicopter to an Army combat support hospital.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is the military’s fourth highest medal in wartime, behind the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star.