Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff Honors 5 Servicemen At Dinner

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace has awarded five American servicemembers with awards at a dinner hosted by the Center for Security Policy.

According to the Pentagon, Army Sgt. Micheaux Sanders was awarded the Silver Star when he responded with his tank crew to aid a patrol caught in an ambush by insurgents in Iraq. Despite being low on ammunition, Sanders repeatedly exposed himself to danger, firing whatever he could find and eventually throwing rocks at the enemy, all the while ignoring a bullet wound in his arm.

Marine Capt. Brian Chontosh, was awarded the Navy Cross after his platoon encountered a coordinated ambush in a blocked road. Chontosh single-handedly cleared more than 200 meters of an enemy trench, using his own weapons and discarded enemy weapons to kill more than 20 enemy soldiers and disable many more.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Luis Fonseca, a hospital corpsman, raced through mortar, rocket-propelled-grenade and small-arms fire, tending to wounded Marines, even carrying a 200-pound injured Marine on his back for more than 200 yards to safety. Fonseca flagged down a vehicle to evacuate his patients and then returned to the fight after briefing battalion aid station personnel. For his actions, Fonseca was awarded the Navy Cross.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Stephen Achey, was awarded the Silver Star after his team was ambushed by enemy fire in Afghanistan. In the attack, Achey's radio was damaged by a mortar blast. To salvage this vital piece of equipment, Achey ran across the fully exposed battlefield and retrieved the gear amid a hail of enemy fire.

Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Bradley Middleton, was awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal with Operational Distinguishing Device after he spent more than 5,000 hours under way in Iraqi waters and completed more than 100 vessel boardings to ensure the safety of coalition forces off the coast of Iraq.

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