Soldiers assigned to Team Delta, Task Force 1-293rd Infantry Battalion receive awards 

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - On Thursday, Team Delta Soldiers were recognized in an awards ceremony held on base.
Lt. Col. Gerald Hadley, commander, Task Force 1-293rd Infantry Battalion and Capt. Doug Rapp, commander, Team Delta presented multiple awards to Soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Of the 36 awards, two were Purple Hearts; three were Army Achievement Medals, 18 Combat Infantry Badges, 12 Combat Action Badges and one Combat Medical badge.

Soldiers who received purple hearts on Thursday were Spc. Jonathan Rogers, North Manchester, Ind. and Spc. Jason Deyarmin, Crown Point, Ind.
 

In July 2008, Rogers, Deyarmin and Cpl. James Miller were in the lead vehicle traveling on a convoy logistics patrol headed from Forward Operating Base Speicher to Joint Base Balad when their vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device.
Thursday, these two Soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for injuries they received during this incident. Miller’s award is pending presentation.

“It's an honor to be down here,” said Hadley. “Presenting two purple hearts to outstanding Soldiers in an outstanding company; (it’s) not an award as a commander you want to give out, but in our job, what we are doing here, it was kind of inevitable.”

“You know the number one thing is to find the IEDs, but you can't always find them; we know that. Take care of each other and remember everyone is a safety officer. Keep up the good work,” Hadley added.

"Still going out on mission; still happy," said Rogers. “Proper PMCS on the trucks; make sure you’re ready to go. (We) can’t catch all the IEDs so we might as well make sure the truck’s going to work."

“We were in the scout position,” said Deyramin. “Most of the time we find it; this time we found it, but it hit us as we were looking at it. That's the risk we take.”
"When you guys go outside the wire in this type of war, you are on the front line all time,” said Col. Courtney Carr, commander, 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. “Your courage and attention to detail is what keeps each other safe and I appreciate what you're doing.”

“You guys are doing just a great job,” said Carr.

Soldiers who received the Army Achievement Medal include Sgt. Michael Buck, Kankakee, Ill., Spc. Joseph France, Wabash, Ind., and Spc. Jason Kochensparger, Huntington, Ind.

The AAM was awarded for meritorious service during Operation Iraqi Freedom for their outstanding vigilance and attention to detail which was vital in the successful location of an improvised explosive device resulting in the safe passage of the entire convoy.

The unit also awarded combat badges to more than 30 Soldiers. For Soldiers to be awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, a recipient must be personally present and under hostile fire while serving in an assigned infantry or Special Forces primary duty, in a unit actively engaged in ground combat with the enemy.

Similar to the CIB, the Combat Action Badge may be awarded to Soldiers of any military occupation. A Soldier must be personally present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, and performing satisfactorily in accordance with the prescribed rules of engagement. The Soldier must be assigned or attached to a unit that would qualify the Soldier for the CIB/CMB-Combat Medical Badge.

The Combat Medical Badge may be awarded to service members assigned or attached to an infantry brigade sized unit or smaller or to a medical company or smaller that is organic to an infantry unit, during any period the unit is engaged in actual ground combat with the enemy. The badge is awarded to medical personnel who satisfactorily perform medical duties while the unit is engaged in active ground combat, provided they are personally present and under fire.

Photos and story by Capt. Lisa Kopczynski