A Purple Heart From WWII

Nov. 13, 2008

Former Army Air Forces Cpl. Hilario L. Riojas of Karnes City, Tex., received the Purple Heart he was due for wounds received during World War II at a special ceremony Nov. 10 at Randolph AFB, Tex. Col. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph, presented the medal to Riojas in the base’s historic “Taj Mahal” rotunda before friends, family, and present-day airmen. Riojas was wounded by artillery fire in late 1945 and separated from the service in fall 1946 but never received his Purple Heart. (Randolph report by Gabriel Myers)

Related Content

B-21 Bomber Shelter May Reveal Size of Secret Jet

March 3, 2021
The Air Force may have inadvertently revealed the size of the secret B-21 bomber with the release of an image of a temporary shelter for the airplane. The service is evaluating several designs for temporary shelters for everyday use and deployment to temporary operating locations. If the B-21 fully fits…

GAO Turns Down Anduril’s ABMS Protest

March 3, 2021
The Government Accountability Office recently turned down a protest by California-based Anduril Industries, which challenged how the Air Force is running aspects of its Advanced Battle Management System acquisition. Anduril filed the protest in November to push back on a solicitation for contractors to participate in ABMS that it felt…

Virtual Events: Mitchell Institute Hosts Live ‘Aerospace Nation’ Event

March 3, 2021
On March 4 at 11 a.m. EST, the Air Force Association's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies will host a special live, virtual edition of its “Aerospace Nation” series featuring a discussion with the authors of the think tank's latest policy paper, entitled “Aerospace Vectors for the Incoming Biden Defense Team.”…

No One-Size-Fits-All Response to Space Attacks, Raymond Says

March 3, 2021
U.S. officials are trying to hash out the ground rules for extraterrestrial combat more than a year after standing up a Space Force to fend off threats on orbit. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for what actions by a satellite could be considered an act of war. Proportional response in a…

Al-Asad Air Base Comes Under Rocket Attack, Pentagon Confirms

March 3, 2021
About 10 rockets struck Al-Asad Air Base, Iraq, on the morning of March 3, just over a year after Iranian ballistic missiles ravaged the installation and left more than a hundred U.S. troops with traumatic brain injuries, the Pentagon confirmed. An American contractor suffered “a cardiac episode while sheltering” and…

USAFA Boss Defends School’s Discipline Approach Amid Cheating Investigation

March 2, 2021
The head of the U.S. Air Force Academy on March 2 defended the school’s disciplinary program for students who violate the honor code, as House lawmakers questioned service academy superintendents on a recent spate of cheating scandals. “We have a very robust honor education system that starts from the day…

New Threats Demand Nuclear Modernization

March 2, 2021
Deterrence isn't what it used to be, and the U.S. will be in trouble against an array of new nuclear weapons not covered by treaty if it doesn't move ahead with nuclear weapon modernization, senior U.S. military leaders warned at AFA's virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

BAE Systems Begins F-15 EPAWSS Low-Rate Production

March 2, 2021
Low-rate initial production of the EPAWSS electronic warfare suite for the F-15 has begun, under a $58 million contract from Boeing, BAE Systems reported. The system is designed to buy the F-15 more survivability in and near contested airspace. It will equip F-15C/D and F-15E aircraft in service, as well…

USAF Proves Strike Eagles Can Carry 15 JDAMs

March 2, 2021
The Air Force is testing new ways to use the F-15E Strike Eagle to deliver bombs. The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron recently flew an F-15E with six Joint Direct Attack Munitions on a single side, potentially expanding the number of the bombs the aircraft can carry to 15. Expanding…