Photo By Master Sgt. Grant Matthes | U.S. Army Spc. James D. Story, an automated field artillery tactical data specialist...... read more read more
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PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Spc. James D. Story was awarded the Soldier’s Medal during a ceremony at Bagram Air Field Feb. 24 for heroic actions he took last spring.
At the time of the incident, Story, a native of Wytheville, Va., was an automated field artillery tactical data specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“I am very honored to receive this award,” said Story. “I would do it again if I came across another situation like that.”
Story was his cousin while running an errand for his mother when he saw a fire off a highway in Bedford, Va.
“At first I thought it was a bonfire, but when we got closer, I saw that it wasn’t,” said Story. He said they quickly realized it was a house on fire.
Story and his cousin rushed to house, woke its three residents and evacuated them. “It took about five minutes to get them out of the house,” he said.
Story is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Airborne Div.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James L. Huggins, 82nd Airborne Div. commander and native of Savannah, Ga., was in Afghanistan to conduct a pre-deployment site survey and presented the award to Story during his stay.
“It is who we are and that to me means more than a medal, a citation or anything else,” said Huggins. “... the fact that we have a Soldier in our ranks who really does live the Army values ... really is the epitome of professionalism.”
The Soldier's Medal is a military award of the U.S. Army and was introduced by a law passed by U.S. Congress on July 2, 1926. According to Army regulation 600-8-22, "The Soldier's Medal is awarded to any person of the armed forces of the United States or of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in any capacity with the Army of the United States, distinguished himself or herself by heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy."
“If this single act doesn’t demonstrate that we have those Army values, that the warrior ethos is deeply engraved, then I don’t know what else to do,” Huggins said.
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2011 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 66017 |
| Location: | PARWAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 237 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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