At Mogadishu, Somalia, where 18 American Rangers were killed and 80 wounded, Air Force Special Operations air commandos play a major role in helping the wounded and beating back the attack. Air Force pararescueman TSgt. Timothy A. Wilkinson will be awarded the Air Force Cross for his actions. MSgt. Scott Fales and Sgt. Jeffrey Bray will be awarded the Silver Star.
After a long period in which munitions were almost an afterthought and sacrificed to pay for other priorities, the Air Force needs to focus on them in order to have the right “package” of capabilities for future conflicts, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said June 7.