In this photo made on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, Lt. Andrew Bundermann, 25, with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry, poses for a portrait at Forward Operating Base Bostick in Kunar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. (Associated Press/Dusan Vranic)
With more than 300 Taliban fighters firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and heavy weapons at 54 soldiers trapped in a remote mountain outpost in Afghanistan, Andrew Bundermann quickly realized his platoon was in deep trouble.
"It's really happening. It's not a dream. It's not a movie," he thought to himself that October morning nearly 10 years ago. "It's actually happening."
Then, drawing on his training, the young U.S. Army 1st lieutenant from Bovey, Minn., got to work.
While under fire, Maj. Thomas Bostick placed himself in front of an overwhelming enemy force to provide covering fire to enable the paratroopers in his command post to displace to more defensible terrain in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army/Maj. Chris Bradley)
Editor's Note: This article by Matthew Cox originally appeared onMilitary.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
The Army will present the Distinguished Service Cross on Friday to family members of a paratrooper who sacrificed his life for his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, one of 12 upgrades to the nation's second-highest award for valor the service plans to make following a detailed award review.
Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, a 3rd Infantry Division Soldier who was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment and killed in action in Iraq in 2003, is depicted in a photo illustration alongside the Distinguished Service Cross medal, which he is slated to posthumously receive for his heroic actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, April 5, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pa. (U.S. Army)
Editor's Note: This article by Matthew Cox originally appeared onMilitary.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
The U.S. Army has announced it will upgrade a former 3rd Infantry Division soldier's Silver Star to a Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery during the unit's "Thunder Run" attack on Baghdad, Iraq, in 2003.
Army Sgt. Daniel Cowart gets a hug from then-Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty. Photo: Department of Defense
The Distinguished Service Cross was made for guys like Sgt. Daniel Cowart, who literally tackled and "engaged...in hand to hand combat" a man wearing a suicide vest while he was on patrol in Iraq.
So it's no wonder he's having his Silver Star upgraded to the second-highest military award.
Maj. Thomas Bostick. Photo: Maj. Chris Bradley/U.S. Army
On March 1st, Maj. Thomas Bostick will have his Silver Star award posthumously upgraded to the Army's second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross, according to the Pentagon.
