Bronze stars prove Ellsworth Airmen shine

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kimberly Moore Limrick
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Ellsworth Airmen gathered April 16, to witness three of their own receive the fourth-highest combat award of the Armed Forces.

The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration and is awarded for bravery, acts of merit or meritorious service.

During deployments to various regions of Iraq, the actions of three 28th Security Forces Squadron Airmen, Maj. Erik Bruce, Senior Master Sgt. Gregory Williams and Master Sgt. Clarence Barry Jr., warranted the award of the bronze star.

"I was honored to be nominated for such a prestigious award," said Sergeant Barry, 28 SFS operations section chief. "I don't feel this award is based on my merit alone. I believe it was based on a team effort and reflects on all the personnel I served with."

As a logistics NCO in charge and a first sergeant in Tikrit, Iraq, Sergeant Barry was instrumental in identifying safety hazards to his unit, maintaining a 98 percent mission-capable rate, developing and executing budgetary goals and responding to crisis management; these efforts directly contributed to his award.

Though he recognizes his own efforts, Sergeant Barry also gives much credit to a fallen Airman whom he served with.

"Representative of these efforts of combat [veterans] and the sacrifices they made is Senior Airman Jason Nathan. He gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country when he lost his life to an [improvised explosive device] blast," said Sergeant Barry. "Let's never forget that he is truly the hero and will always be remembered by the men and women who served with him."

The threat of possible death is very real for deployers, but focus on the mission is paramount; Sergeant Williams, 28 SFS operations superintendent, understands the importance of that focus.

After receiving his first bronze star, he was previously featured in Portraits of Courage, a book highlighting servicemembers Air Force-wide. In this feature they spoke of his experience during a 2005 summer attack in Iraq.

According to the Portraits in Courage feature, "While mortar fire rained down around [Sergeant Williams], he administered first aid to two victims until medical help arrived. Sergeant Williams rushed back to the center of attack, where he located two impact points and found a wounded soldier suffering serious internal injuries."

"Sergeant Williams kept the soldier calm and immobilized to prevent further injury. Medical staff credited him with a life-saving effort."

Sergeant Williams earned his first oak leaf cluster for his efforts from November 2006 to November 2007.

Among his credits, he served as a police transitions team operations superintendent, managing more than 200 military and civilian members, helping to develop the Iraqi police service, scripting standard operating procedures and directing almost 1,900 off-base patrol missions.

During his tour in Iraq, Major Bruce served as the team chief of the Salah ad Din Povincial Police Transition Team and the commander of a detached unit. He earned his award by conducting convoys of more than 9,000 total miles, working directly with Iraqi counterparts, reestablishing security at critical points, thwarting success of terrorist attacks and training of more than 12,000 Iraqi policemen, which he was directly responsible for.

As a leader of a team, Major Bruce, 28 SFS commander, shared credit of his award, "As the commander, I'm extremely proud of the combined efforts of my team and the amazing progress we achieved with our Iraqi police counterparts."

"To be recognized with a Bronze Star medal is truly a humbling experience," said Major Bruce, "particularly when considering the heroic and meritorious acts of combat veterans who preceded us in this and previous wars."

Col. Scott Vander Hamm, 28th Bomb Wing commander, recognized the risks Ellsworth's Airmen face and shared his appreciation for the actions these three men executed to be awarded bronze stars.

"This truly represents a pinnacle of selfless service," Colonel Vander Hamm said. "[Their actions are examples of] what sets the military and first responders apart from their counterparts in the civilian community. The fact that they are willing to lay down their life for people with whom they serve and people they will never meet is truly inspiring."

Colonel Vander Hamm presented the three with their medals and said, "It is a tremendous honor and, at the same time, humbling to stand here next to these Airmen and present them with the bronze star."