Silver Star
Master Sgt. Roger Sparks (right), and Maj. Joseph Conroy, both with the 212th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, hold an award citation during a ceremony on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, July 11. Sparks was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor, for his role in a firefight with insurgents during Operation Bulldog Bite in Afghanistan’s Watapur Valley on Nov. 14, 2010. His actions during the combat operation resulted in four American lives being saved and four casualties being returned to their families with honor and dignity. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Edward Eagerton/released)