Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh will present the Silver Star to two Vietnam veterans on Dec. 17, the Air Force announced. CMSgt. Ronald Brodeur and Sgt. Eric Roberts II were part of a helicopter crew shot down in Duc Lap, Vietnam, on Feb. 20, 1969. While rescuing a six-man, long-range reconnaissance patrol, their crew was surrounded and in danger of being overrun by a larger enemy force, according to the Air Force. Welsh will award the medals to Brodeur and Roberts for their gallantry and devotion to duty during a ceremony at the Pentagon.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
