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U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
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| IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
No. 170-95
April 04, 1995 |
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AWARD OF THE PURPLE HEART
The Secretaries of the Army and Air Force, Togo D. West Jr., and Sheila E.
Widnall, announced today they are awarding posthumously the Purple Heart to the
Service members tragically killed in the accidental downing of two Army
Blackhawk helicopters by U.S. Air Force F-15s in Northern Iraq's "no fly" zone
in April 1994.
The Purple Heart is being awarded because the incident took place in a
geographic area where the presence of hostile forces was anticipated and the
Army Blackhawk helicopters carrying these Service members were misidentified as
a hostile force. The two Air Force F-15 aircraft involved were on a mission
patrolling for hostile forces at the time of the incident.
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