Hailed as a war hero, Ronen flew 350 combat missions over 27 years—from the Sinai Campaign in 1956, to the Six Day War in 1967, to the Yom Kippur War in 1973 when he served as commander of the famed Tel Nof Air Force base in the Negev Desert. He is credited with downing seven enemy aircraft.

Generations of IAF pilots consider Pecker-Ronen a model to be emulated. Throughout his life, he took a particular interest in helping young people; after retiring from the Air Force, he founded the Zahala Project which works with at-risk teenagers to instill the values of Zionism, good citizenship and social responsibility in Israeli youth. Today the project has 700 students.