By Nancy Gould
Hunter Public Affairs
Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. (USASOC News Service, Aug. 22, 2007) – Eight hundred Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stood quietly in formation as they were recognized by their battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bryan Rudicille, , for their combat actions at an awards ceremony, Aug. 17, at Hunter Army Airfield’s Truscott Air Terminal. The Rangers returned to Hunter last month, after their ninth deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
“These Rangers bring great credit on themselves and the U.S. Army,” said Rudicille. “They’re the finest in our nation’s arsenal.”
Seven Bronze Star Medals for Valor were awarded at the ceremony, along with 13 Joint Service Commendation Medals for Valor, and one Army Commendation Medal for Valor. Various other awards were presented at the ceremony, including volunteer awards to members of Family Readiness Groups.
Sgt 1st Class John Fader, an Infantry platoon sergeant and Bronze Star for Valor recipient with the Third Platoon, Alpha Company, said that training for the Iraq deployment was more difficult than actual combat. However, he wants no special recognition for his service as he was just doing his job.
“The award ceremonies are really for our families,” he said. “They give closure between deployments.
“Patches and badges are nice but when it comes to combat, they don’t stop the bullets or change our mission.”
Fader received the Bronze Star for Valor as a result of his actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He pulled two wounded Rangers in this platoon to safety after coming under enemy fire.
Fader’s actions reinforce the Rangers’ motto to leave no Soldiers behind in combat. Everybody comes home, he said, hopefully alive.
The regiment hasn’t lost a Soldier in combat since April 2002 when three Rangers died rescuing a Navy Seal in Afghanistan.
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Hunter Public Affairs
Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. (USASOC News Service, Aug. 22, 2007) – Eight hundred Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, stood quietly in formation as they were recognized by their battalion commander, Lt. Col. Bryan Rudicille, , for their combat actions at an awards ceremony, Aug. 17, at Hunter Army Airfield’s Truscott Air Terminal. The Rangers returned to Hunter last month, after their ninth deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
“These Rangers bring great credit on themselves and the U.S. Army,” said Rudicille. “They’re the finest in our nation’s arsenal.”
Seven Bronze Star Medals for Valor were awarded at the ceremony, along with 13 Joint Service Commendation Medals for Valor, and one Army Commendation Medal for Valor. Various other awards were presented at the ceremony, including volunteer awards to members of Family Readiness Groups.
Sgt 1st Class John Fader, an Infantry platoon sergeant and Bronze Star for Valor recipient with the Third Platoon, Alpha Company, said that training for the Iraq deployment was more difficult than actual combat. However, he wants no special recognition for his service as he was just doing his job.
“The award ceremonies are really for our families,” he said. “They give closure between deployments.
“Patches and badges are nice but when it comes to combat, they don’t stop the bullets or change our mission.”
Fader received the Bronze Star for Valor as a result of his actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He pulled two wounded Rangers in this platoon to safety after coming under enemy fire.
Fader’s actions reinforce the Rangers’ motto to leave no Soldiers behind in combat. Everybody comes home, he said, hopefully alive.
The regiment hasn’t lost a Soldier in combat since April 2002 when three Rangers died rescuing a Navy Seal in Afghanistan.
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