FORT KNOX, Ky. - Brig. Gen. David C. Petersen, Deputy Commanding General, 1st Infantry Division, will present the Silver Star Medal to Sgt. Zachary Reese at Sadowski Field House at Fort Knox, Ky., Monday, Oct. 18.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Reese is receiving the award for actions taken in April 2009 while assigned to a reconnaissance platoon of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment operating in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. The "Blue Spaders" are part of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, which was deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On April 10, 2009, Reese observed a large group of enemy fighters approaching his unit. Upon reporting the enemy force to his superiors, his unit was able to take precautions and set up a hasty ambush just in time to deal with the imminent threat. Because of Reese's actions, several enemy fighters died where they stood and the lives of his fellow Soldiers were likely saved as a result.
After the firefight, Reese went back and searched the enemy dead. An enemy fighter feigned death and lunged at Reese, who quickly dispatched the enemy in hand-to-hand combat by using his knife.
The Silver Star is the third-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy. The required gallantry must have been performed with marked distinction.
For more information, contact the brigade Public Affairs Office at (502) 624-0143, or e-mail the Public Affairs Officer, Maj. Travis Dettmer, at travis.p.dettmer@conus.army.mil.
The 3rd IBCT, stationed in Fort Knox, Ky., consists of more than 3,500 soldiers who live in the Fort Knox area when not deployed. The brigade plans to deploy to eastern Afghanistan in 2011 to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom.
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