Army Commendation Medal - Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert J. Arnholter has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal. The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service. Arnholter is a cavalry scout-platoon sergeant-instructor with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 5th Battalion, 15th Cavalry at Fort Knox, Ky. Jan 03

Maj. Martin Pennock receives U.S. Army Commendation Medal Army Maj. Martin T. Pennock has completed his second deployment to Iraq and has been decorated with the Army Commendation Medal. zwire.com 21 Jan 05

Brewer graduate honored for bravery in Iraq The U.S. Army has honored a soldier for saving a soldier injured when a roadside bomb tore through a vehicle, killing two others in a convoy traveling south toward Baghdad. Already a Purple Heart recipient, 20-yer-old Spc. Bianca Henderson, a medic in the 411th Military Police Company, received a Commendation Medal for valor in a Dec. 22 ceremony. The Army described her action as "inherently notable" because her first concern was the safety of her fellow soldiers even though she was in danger herself. According to the Army, the eight-vehicle convoy was traveling on an Iraq roadway July 27 when the bomb exploded, knocking the second vehicle carrying three soldiers on its side. Henderson, who was in the fifth vehicle, raced to the scene and pulled an injured soldier to safety. An incendiary grenade from the bomb ignited a fire inside the vehicle filled with ammunition and weapons, the Army said. Henderson, 20, treated the injured soldier for a chest wound and an exit wound on his side as they waited for the air medivac helicopter. ledger-enquirer.com 5 Jan 06

Gaston soldier Bryan Marsh earns Army award for valor Bryan Mitchell Marsh was patrolling with five other soldiers in an APC 113, a vehicle smaller than a Bradley tank with a machine gunner on top. They were hit with a rocket grenade, and all were knocked out. Marsh and another soldier, whose eardrums had been blown out, were the first to wake up. Marsh's helmet, goggles, and one earplug were knocked off, but he and the other soldiers kept fighting. The Gaston soldier helped the soldier whose eardrums had burst into a Medivac. That soldier was flown to Germany for surgery and was medically discharged from the Army. For his bravery, Marsh earned a U.S. Army commendation medal with a "V" device for valor, and may get a Purple Heart medal as well, since he was wounded. He has hearing loss in both ears and suffers headaches and ear pain. oregonlive.com 6 May 04

United States - SF soldiers recognized for valor in battle Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner, commanding general of Army Special Operations Command, presented a host of awards, including two Silver Stars, one Soldier’s Medal and 11 Bronze Stars for valor.  Group Support Company, Seventh Special Forces Group, was recognized with the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Angel DeJesus and Staff Sgt. Erasmo Espino Jr. from 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, were awarded the Silver Star for their actions during a May 19 ambush. The Silver Star is the Army’s third-highest medal for combat valor. When their detachment was attacked by as many as 200 enemy fighters, DeJesus and Espino orchestrated a fighting escape and saved many lives, the news release said. The Soldier’s Medal, the Army’s highest recognition for heroism unrelated to combat, was presented to Staff Sgt. Gary Wedemann, who earned the award for his actions on a combat rescue operation in May 2005.

Wagner also presented Bronze Stars for valor to:

• Sgt. 1st Class Michael A. Bergstrom

• Staff Sgt. Elisha R. Bremmer

• Warrant Officer Luis Chamorro

• Staff Sgt. Jose A. Guitierrez

• Sgt. 1st Class Carl F. Harris

• Staff Sgt. Mark R. Hawver

• Staff Sgt. Craig G. Kubala II

• Sgt. 1st Class Antonio D. Pastor

• Staff Sgt. Brandon B. Pechette

• Staff Sgt. James H. Sanchez

• Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. Serna

Seventeen soldiers received Purple Hearts:

• Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Binney

• Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Candelario

• Sgt. 1st Class John Fishetti

• Warrant Officer Luis Chamorro

• Staff Sgt. Craig G. Kubala II

• Staff Sgt. James H. Sanchez

• Sgt. 1st Class Eric C. Horton

• Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. Serna

• Sgt. 1st Class John C. Hunnings

• Capt. Matthew N. Johnsen

• Sgt. 1st Class Richard Lopez

• Sgt. 1st Class Darren S. Markwick

• Warrant Officer James A. Mayernik

• Sgt. 1st Class Sean D. Mullins

• Sgt. Joshua S. Parton

• Sgt. Jimmie L. Russel

• Sgt. 1st Class Oscar B. Wynne

Sanchez and Johnsen received double awards of the Purple Heart.

Soldiers who received double Commendation Medals for Valor were:

• Master Sgt. Keith Fedo

• Sgt. 1st Class Sean D. Mullins

• Sgt. 1st Class Joseph A. Serna

Soldiers who received the Army Commendation Medal for valor were:

• Staff Sgt. Ariel Aponte

• Capt. James D. Ballard

• Staff Sgt. Elisha R. Bremmer

• Sgt. Dustin E. Davis

• Warrant Officer Luis Chamorro

• Capt. David W. Gunther

• Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Hankel

• Staff Sgt. Robert Martinez

• Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Moses

• Staff Sgt. David M. Nolan

• Sgt. 1st Class Donnie M. Ochiltree

• Sgt. 1st Class Eddy Rojas

• Staff Sgt. Rumaldo Rosas III

• Staff Sgt. James H. Sanchez armytimes.com 23 Feb 07

• Spc. Daniel Sweeney.
• Sgt. 1st Class 
Pedro Guevara.
• 1st Lt.
Jason Porter.
• Sgt.
Michael Parks.
• Spc. Brandon Hatchell.
• Spc.
Eric Fuehring.
• Spc.
Marcus Cooke.
Purple Heart
• Pvt.
Ernest Adams.
• Sgt.
Christopher Hieniger.
• Spc.
Clarice Smith.
Bronze Star
• Sgt. 1st Class
John Apostol.
• 1st Lt.
Charcillea Barrett.
• 1st Sgt.
Jeffrey Bishop.
• Capt.
Kimberly Elniff.
• Sgt. 1st Class Pedro Guevara.
• Staff Sgt. Adrian Muñoz.
• Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Page.
• 1st Lt. Jason Porter.
• Sgt. 1st Class
Patrick Quirk.
• 1st Lt. Robert Rogers.
• Sgt. 1st Class
Michael Weatherholt.
• Staff Sgt. Jaquell Williams. borderlandnews.com 6 Apr 04

Pierre sergeant receives Army valor medal Chad Larson, has received the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for his service in Iraq. Larson, a sergeant, belongs to the South Dakota National Guard's 200th Engineer Company. He got the medal for helping build a berm to keep a fire from spreading while his unit was under enemy fire 35 miles north of Baghdad in August 2003. aberdeennews.com 10 Dec 04

Local soldiers awarded medals for prompt action Staff Sgt. Eric Lee has received the Bronze Star Medal. Lee recently led a patrol that discovered a large cache of explosives and weapons, including a vehicle-borne bomb that could have killed many U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Soldiers who were in the raid and were awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Recipients of the Army Commendation Medal were Sgt. 1st Class Miguel Robles, Staff Sgt. Erik Alvarez, Sgt. Roger Allen, Sgt. Kip Cochran, Sgt. William Cook, Sgt. Dominick Torti, Sgt. Paul Trucinski, Spc. Chase Breed, Spc. William Cox, Spc. Trey Harold, Spc. Ryan Jacobsen, Spc. Justin Lowery, Spc. Alan Parker, Spc. Joshua Stapf and Spc. Lou Wetuski, and Spc. Craig Nelson. shreveporttimes.com 22 Dec 04

Augusta soldier wins medal for battlefield valor Sgt. Will Stover was on security duty when the attack happened. Part of the Army's Bravo Battery, 1st Infantry Division, 6th Field Artillery Unit, the 24-year-old soldier from Augusta and his five-man crew placed themselves around concrete blocks that already had been destroyed in an earlier artillery barrage. Their mission was to protect a road south of Baqubah, a city northeast of Baghdad. For his quick reactions in the face of that day's car bombing, Stover and the unit's gunner both received the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, on New Year's Eve. Stover, who has been in Baqubah for about a year, already has earned one Purple Heart and two others are pending -- all for shrapnel wounds. kennebercjournal.mainetoday.com 13 Jan 05

Grannis soldier awarded medals for valor in action Shilo Smith of Grannis was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation medal with "V" device on December 15, 2004 for valorous achievement while under direct fire in the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, according to officials with the 1st Battalion, Bravo Co., 3rd Special Forces at Fort Bragg, N.C. On March 24, 2004, Smith and his Special Forces "A" team were conducting a combat patrol when they were suddenly startled by a man riding a bicycle in front of their vehicle at a very slow pace. dequeen.com 14 Feb 05

State guardsmen recognized for bravery in Iraq Two Alabama National Guardsmen have been recognized for their bravery in battle after their convoy was hit by enemy fire while on its way to Camp Victory, Kuwait, the last leg on its journey before coming home to Alabama. Chief Warrant Officer Three Gary A. Clark of Lineville, received the Bronze Star Medal and Specialist William J. Johnson Junior, of Ohatchee, was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with "Valor". The 1151st Engineer team was attacked when some 60 insurgents fired at them in the town of Al Amarah in Iraq on May first, 2004. Clark, who received his award for his overall performance in maintaining utilities at the Al Asad Air Base, said the success at the air base was the result of team work. Johnson was recognized for shielding Clark with his body and giving him first aid for a wound he suffered in the neck. whnt19.com 4 Apr 05

'Go For Broke' unit wins 10 medals for bravery For displaying bravery under fire during an August ambush, 10 members of the "Go For Broke" 100th Battalion, six of them from Hawaii, will receive the Iraq-deployed unit's first Army Commendation medals with valor devices. The medals are for valor displayed by members of Charlie Company's 3rd Platoon, which survived a harrowing early-morning, three-hour ambush in which one Iraqi Army soldier was killed and two others were wounded. They are: Sgt. 1st Class Alfred Tachera, Sgt. Orlando Ulep, Spc. Michael Correa, Sgt. Lafaele Faatamalii, Spc. Harry Mahoe, Spc. James Inabnitt. Also honored were: Spc. Cameron Ortega, Spc. Christopher Panzier, Spc. Dustin Mendoza, and Spc. Daniel Weinland. Of the nearly 800 awards and citations given to the battalion since it was mobilized in August 2004, these were the first for heroism under fire. To date, at least 46 Purple Heart medals have been awarded. starbulletin.com 4 Dec 05

Mobile Security Squadron 2 Sailors Receive Army Awards An awards ceremony was held to honor Sailors from Mobile Security Squadron 2, who recently supported Army exercise Bright Star in the Egyptian desert. Army Maj. Efran Delacruz, from the 3rd Transportation Command Element, presented 14 Sailors with the Army Achievement Medal and Army Commendation Medal for “a job well done” while they were deployed to Dukaylah, Egypt, in support of exercise Bright Star. Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SW) John Brooks, a member of Mobile Security Detachment 27’s boat team. Gunner’s Mate 3rd Class John Joyce, a member of Detachment 21. Detachments 21 and 27's primary mission was to provide waterborne security to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) assets in Egypt. Chief Master-at-Arms (SW) Darryl Everett from Detachment 21. Lt. Todd Mills was presented the Army Commendation Medal. news.navy.mil 6 Dec 05

Rangers given award for valor Mention the 2003 Battle of Hadithah Dam to any Ranger and watch him swell with pride.The Army thinks so highly of the performance by the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment that it recently honored the outfit with the Valorous Unit Award, second in unit awards only to the Presidential Unit Citation. According to the award citation, the Fort Benning-based Rangers, then part of a joint task force engaged in an intense battle during the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, displayed extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy from March 30 through April 9, 2003. Their mission: Seize the enemy-occupied Hadithah Dam in Iraq to obtain a communication line across the Euphrates River and to prevent the enemy from destroying the dam. Previously, four Rangers received the Silver Star, 11 received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, five received the Purple Heart, 20 received Army Commendation Medals for Valor, 15 received the Bronze Star Medal and 71 received the Army Commendation Medal for this mission. The 3rd Battalion last received the Valorous Unit Award for actions while deployed to Somalia in 1993. ledger-enquirer.com 13 Dec 05

National Guard soldiers honored Complete list of recipients: 

Bronze Star with Valor
Spc. Jennifer Beck
Spc. Joshua Birkel
Spc. Richard DeLancey
Spc. Michael Sharples
Purple Heart
Staff Sgt. Jeremy Preister
Sgt. Terence Ricketts
Sgt. Matthew Rouse
Sgt. Chad Schroetlin
Spc. Richard DeLancey
Spc. Justin Diggins
Spc. Jacob Graff
Spc. John Harris
Spc. Kelsey Lamb
Spc. Fenton Phan
Spc. Rachelle Spors
Army Commendation Medal with Valor
Sgt. Eric Nesiba
Spc. Jacob Graff
Spc. Donald Harrer
Spc. Nathan Reitz    journalstar.com 24 Feb 06

Award: Security Forces officer receives Bronze Star, team earns medals The commander of the 66th Security Forces Squadron received the Bronze Star Medal for his service in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the 66th Air Base Wing commander's call Feb. 15. Maj. Michael E. Gimbrone, along with three noncommissioned officers from the 66th SFS, received awards for their efforts while deployed to Southwest Asia during the first half of 2005. The team stood up the first-ever purely U.S. Air Force unit responsible for law and order operations at a U.S. Army installation within Iraq. Among the NCOs who were recognized, Master Sgt. Jody L. Laffon received the Meritorious Service Medal for contraband sweeps, unit morale assurance, and personnel and equipment accountability. Sergeant Laffon seized two rifles, more than 100 bottles of alcohol and unauthorized cellular phones, military articles, ballistic vests and digital cameras. Seizing this contraband material prevented their use in future possible terrorist attacks. Staff Sgt. Jason R. Lussier earned the Army Commendation Medal for his services as noncommissioned officer in charge of the supply section, crime scene photographer and member of a contraband sweep team. Sergeant Lussier's efforts safeguarded $500,000 worth of military equipment, provided key photographic evidence to military investigations, and uncovered possible intelligence gathering equipment and weapons leading to investigations of six people. Staff Sgt. Theodore R. Yost II also received the Army Commendation Medal for his work in customs, victim response and investigation assistance. Sergeant Yost detained one suspect after an intelligence-based sweep of local national interpreters, which protected against possible bomb-making materials. He also assured no harmful materials were transported into the continental U.S. while working with the customs division. blackanthem.com 3 Mar 06

Shot Airman Receives Army Medal A Barksdale Airman who survived three bullet wounds delivered by a California deputy, is now back at the base, where he just received a medal from the army. It was a chilling scene caught on tape back on January 29th, as a San Bernadino County deputy shot Barksdale Senior Airman Elio Carrion.  On the tape, it happens right after you hear the deputy, Ivory Webb, telling Carrion to get up.  Just before the shooting, Carrion had been a passenger in a high-speed chase.  That deputy is now awaiting trial on a charge of attempted 'voluntary' manslaughter.  But that's not where this story ends.  At an award ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base, Major Kevin Cullen, the Commander of the 2nd Security Forces Squadron handed Carrion the Army Commendation Medal for his achievements during his 6-months of service in Iraq, last year. ksla.com 4 Aug 06

Brown and Vallee awarded Army's Commendation Medal State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, and state Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, were awarded the Army's Commendation Medal on Nov. 5. This award is presented to servicemen and women for sustained acts of heroism and meritorious service, specifically in Brown and Vallee's case for their service in Homeland Security efforts following Sept. 11, 2001, and for their support in preparation for deployment of National Guard troops around the world.  "It is humbling to receive this recognition," said Brown, who is a major in the National Guard. "I am very proud to serve our country and it was a privilege to help our brave men and women as they readied for deployment." Brown has served for the past 27 years. "I am honored to have been a part of this process," said Vallee, also a major in the National Guard, with 14 years of service. "This award serves as a reminder to me of the great experience I had with helping prepare other soldiers for service." milforddailynews.com 13 Nov 06

Lexa soldier receives Medal of Valor in Iraq A Phillips County soldier, who will turn 21 on Dec. 2, has been awarded one of the Army's top honors. Specialist Kenneth Howie, of Lexa, who pulled his commanding officer out of a burning vehicle after it had been struck by rocket fire, was presented with the Medal of Valor. Specialist Howie was injured himself in the blast. Howie, of the A/3-67 Arkansas Unit, is serving in Rustamiah, Iraq, just south of Baghdad. He was the driver for Capt. Matt Holmes during a routine operation patrol. On Sept. 9 a vehicle borne explosive device struck the passenger side of the HUM-V and exploded. Smoke and debris engulfed the vehicle. Howie quickly dismounted and attempted to put out the fire. When he realized that Holmes was injured, he began to pull him from the vehicle. Howie's quick actions saved the life of his commander. The massive explosion injured all three passengers. Holmes, the truck and company commander, suffered a shattered right arm and a fractured pelvis. The gunner, Specialist Brent Whitten, also suffered a fractured pelvis. Howie sustained a deep laceration on his chin and was left dazed from the blast. For his brave actions, Howie received the Army's Commendation Medal for Valor, a Purple Heart, a Combat Infantry Badge and Hound Herald Hero award. helena-arkansas.com10 Nov 06

Wallace awarded Army Commendation Medal Capt. Michael L. Wallace was awarded the Army Commendation Medal  for his exceptional meritorious service during mobilization training.  “Capt. Wallace performed an unprecedented accomplishment by producing a comprehensive unit newspaper two or three times each week despite training with his unit for their overseas Operation Iraqi Freedom mission,” said Col. Robert J. Staiert, 635th Regional Support Group (RSG) Commander. Wallace is the Public Affairs Officer for the 635th Regional Support Command, headquartered in Hutchinson, Kansas, which is now deployed to Southwest Asia. His area of responsibility includes Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and parts of Africa, forcing him to travel to these areas and supervise operations in public affairs. “This newspaper was crucial to the unit, as it informed the many soldiers being deployed about their training, what to expect on their deployment, and it raised their morale. It was also crucial to the family members that they left behind, as it contained information they needed in case they required help during the deployment, and it was crucial for a major part of the Army, that of the historic value-keeping a record of the 635th RSG's deployment, and mission being accomplished. augustagazette.com 27 Dec 06