SSgt. Israel del Toro Jr., a Tactical Air Control Party operator in Afghanistan when he was severely wounded, received a Purple Heart from Gen. Michael Moseley, Air Force Chief of Staff, during a ceremony at Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, Tex. There were some 200 people attending the June 23 ceremony. Del Toro was on a patrol mission in December 2005 with the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Brigade, when an improvised explosive device exploded near him, burning him severely. Moseley praised del Toro for his accomplishments during his recovery, adding, “You represent everything good about the Air Force.”
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.