Special Forces Soldiers receive medals for valor

By 7th SFG PAOOctober 7, 2011

Special Forces Soldiers receive medals for valor
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Fifty-eight Soldiers of the 7th Special Forces Group were honored in an awards ceremony at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Friday, for valorous actions during Operation Enduring Freedom.Aca,!A..Aca,!A..

Major Gen. Michael Repass, commanding general of U.S. Army Special Forces Command, presented 19 Bronze Stars for valor, 24 Army Commendations Medals for valor and 18 Purple Hearts at a formation viewed by fellow Soldiers, Family members and friends.Aca,!A..Aca,!A..

"They may not tell you about their exploits, but these are humble men of uncommon valor," said Repass. "Each Soldier in front of us, in addition to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, has distinguished himself as a true hero, unquestionably deserving of our nation's gratitude."Aca,!A..Aca,!A..

In Afghanistan, 7th SFG Soldiers were integrated into Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan to conduct operations during Operation Enduring Freedom. CJSOTF-A accumulated an extensive list of accomplishments from 2007 to 2010, including training of capable Afghan conventional and special operations units, conducting thousands of combat missions, bringing medical aid to countless civilians and neutralizing many thousands of enemy fighters.Aca,!A..Aca,!A..

The Soldiers agreed that their actions were not especially heroic, but rather were simply what was required to deal with the situations they faced and is an indicator as to the quality of the force as a whole.

"No one here considers themselves to be better than one another," said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Acosta, a 2nd Battalion, 7th SFG, Special Forces medic, who was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device for actions in support of his fellow Soldiers and against the enemy in Oruzgan, Afghanistan. "Medals we receive in the homeland reflect our actions as a whole in troubled parts of the world."

List of awardees -Aca,!A.. Bronze Star with "V" Device:Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Michael Anderson;Aca,!A..Master Sgt. David ArmstrongAca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Keith Batchelder;Aca,!A..Maj. Christopher Cole;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Martin FieldsAca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Steven Hill;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Kenkel;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Emmanuel LenauAca,!A..Staff Sgt. Hans Peterson;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Jacob Wilson;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Matthew AcostaAca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Jason Connors;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Anthony Dechristopher;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Spencer Evans;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Michael Eynon;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Michael Jones;Aca,!A..Capt. Ryan Kortze;Aca,!A..Master Sgt. Richard Rodriguez;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Joshua Wathen*.

Received both BSM W/Valor and Purple Heart Army Commendation Medal with "V" Device:Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Timothy Carroll;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Kenny Alicea;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Patrick Aragon;Aca,!A..Master Sgt. Deymos Borgen;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Nathaniel Bowers;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Victor Cota;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Juan Cruz;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Tovar Escalante;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Harold Garcia;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Juan GuzmanPerez;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Christopher Hall;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Harrison;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Ingram;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Ian Irvine;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Robert Larsen;Aca,!A..Capt. Thomas Ludwig;Aca,!A..Chief Warrant Officer 2 Albert Merino III;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Jose Montero;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Alejandro Perez;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Rodriguez;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Joshua Tarsky;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Emil Ulep;Aca,!A..Master Sgt. George Valdez;Aca,!A..Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jose Villareal.

Purple Heart:Aca,!A.. Staff Sgt. Romulo Barbecho;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Mario Barragan;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Matthew Bium;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Carlton;Aca,!A..Master Sgt. John Dupont;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Ignacio Estrada;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Gonzales;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Harris;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Amon Murry;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. David Pavlick;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Bryan Sykes;Aca,!A..Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Warner;Aca,!A..Staff Sgt. Jerry Edwards;Aca,!A..Chief Warrant Officer 2 Levi Rodgers.