California Airmen Receive Purple Heart After Attack on Jordan > National Guard > Article View

MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. – Three Airmen injured in the January attack on Tower 22 in Jordan received the Purple Heart Oct. 5 at the 129th Rescue Squadron at Moffett Air National Guard Base in Mountain View.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Byrne, Senior Airman Herland Antezana and Staff Sgt. Dustin Dinkelacker, assigned to the 129th Rescue Squadron, were three of the 41 Guardsmen injured in the Jan. 28 unmanned airstrike Three army reserve soldiers were also killed.

Each of the airmen lost consciousness in the explosion. When they came to, they started looking for each other. Then her training began.

They knocked on doors, warned others of a possible attack and fled to a security bunker.
In the bunker, they began helping those in need and realized the severity of the damage.

“We ran into the middle of it all,” Byrne said. “At that point we realized this wasn’t a training thing. This is real life.”

The Guardsmen practiced emergency scenario training just days earlier, preparing Airmen and Soldiers for an attack and mass casualties with minimal medical supplies.

“When you go through a situation like that, you go back to training,” Byrne said.

Guardsmen worked together to provide medical care and begin evacuating the injured.

“There were people who took charge who wouldn’t normally be in the role of a supervisor and gave direct instructions about what to do, and then it happened,” Byrne said. “The people who were there did a great job.”

They went door to door, putting out fires and searching the rubble for other injured service members.

With few personnel on scene, Guardsmen waited to tend to their injuries until paramedics and additional medical personnel were available and the commotion subsided.

“That’s when we realized the effect the UAV was having on us as the adrenaline started to subside,” Antezana said. “We weren’t doing well at that point.”

The airmen were examined and treated for their injuries. They continued their mission until they returned home in May.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” said Maj. Gen. Steven Butow, commander of the California Air National Guard, who presented the heart-shaped medal to the recipients during a ceremony at the wing. “I hope you all carry this with great pride and honor.”

The Purple Heart is awarded to soldiers wounded, injured or killed in action against an enemy of the United States.

Byrne said he has received a lot of support since the incident but can’t help but think about the fallen soldiers and their families.

He said anyone interested in joining the military should view the incident as an opportunity to join the military and do good.

“For a long time I thought of myself as just a mechanic,” Byrne said. “Don’t downplay your job once you get in. Everyone is important.”