When then-Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher C. Palumbo found out he couldn't get back to a battle in Afghanistan, he was so mad that he drop-kicked his flight helmet.
Palumbo, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, received the Distinguished Service Cross Award on Thursday for his actions during that battle on April 11, 2005. The award is the Army's second highest for valor.
Master Sgt. Larry Hawks, a retired engineer sergeant who served with 3rd Special Forces Group, is being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on Friday for "valorous actions" in Afghanistan in 2005.
An Army recruiter who previously served as a medic in Afghanistan had his Silver Star upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross after he saved the lives of three of his fellow soldiers while under enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2008.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Distinguished Service Cross was awarded posthumously to Army Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis in a ceremony marked by pomp and circumstance, poignant speeches, applause and even a few tears in Oakwood, New York on Saturday afternoon.
Military brass, politicians, veterans, family members and friends turned out in force for the standing-room-only dedication that was held on the lawn of the VFW Post that bears the Ollis name.
Vice Chief of Staff of the Army General James C. McConville bestowed the honor that symbolizes the extraordinary heroism of the infantryman to his parents, Robert and Linda Ollis, in a spiritually charged ceremony under brilliant sunshine.
A soldier's Silver Star — which he originally believed to be "too much recognition" despite receiving it for playing hot potato with a live grenade and saving at least six others — has been upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.
In March 2010, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason W. Myers rushed into enemy fire to rescue two Afghanistan police officers.
A little more than a year later, in November of 2011, Myers repeatedly went into a building under enemy attack, surrounded by grenade blasts to help rescue 15 hostages in Afghanistan.
About 3:15 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2011, Myers' unit noticed insurgent weapon fire in a civilian compound distribution center, a Special Forces major said at a ceremony Wednesday where Myers was presented with his second Distinguished Service Cross Award in the John F. Kennedy auditorium at Fort Bragg.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the nation's second-highest military award for valor. According to the Army, Myers is presently the only active duty soldier with two Distinguished Service Crosses.
