Friday, May 24, 2013

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JBER Airmen Honored with Bronze Stars
The fourth highest combat award in the armed forces is the Bronze Star
By Alexis Fernandez


ANCHORAGE – After several tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, two Alaska airmen were honored with the Bronze Star Medal - the fourth highest combat award in the armed forces.

Air Force Staff Sergeant Wesley Kory, from California was honored for his work as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Kory has served for nearly ten years in the Air Force and has been deployed twice to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He and his team are responsible for destroying 11 improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.

The second airman honored was Air Force Master Sergeant Gerald Davis, originally from Ohio.

He has served for 23 years in the Air Force, with eight overseas deployments, including two in Iraq and three in Afghanistan.

“I look back and will miss the time, whether it's these guys here, or 27 EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] techs, I will miss that closeness and miss that sense of accomplishment that we've done something good,” he said.

He said he plans to retire in the next six months.

Staff Sergeant Kory said he’s trying to get stationed closer to his family in the Lower 48.

According to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson officials, only about a handful of Bronze Star medals are given to soldiers stationed at JBER.