Air National Guardsmen awarded Purple Hearts for Tower 22 attack

Three airmen who were injured in a deadly drone attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan earlier this year were recently awarded Purple Hearts, the Air Force recently announced.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Byrne, Senior Airman Herland Antezana, and Staff Sgt. Dustin Dinkelacker received the award during an Oct. 5 ceremony at Moffett Air National Guard Base in California. All three airmen are assigned to the 129th Rescue Wing.

“I hope you all wear this with great pride and honor,” said Maj. Gen. Steven Butow, commander of the California Air National Guard, who pinned the Purple Hearts on the three airmen during the ceremony.

Byrne, Antezana and Dinkelacker were among 41 National Guardsmen who were injured in the Jan. 28 drone attack on the base, known as Tower 22. Three Army Reserve soldiers were killed in the attack: Sgt. Kennedy L. Sanders, Sgt. Breonna Moffett, and Staff Sgt. William Rivers.