Pfc. Steve Egoavil awarded Soldier's Medal for heroic actions

101st CAB members awarded Soldier's Medal, other honors
November 9, 2008


Highlights of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade's deployment to Afghanistan, compiled from 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs reports.

Army Soldier's Medal
Sept. 20, 2008, BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Smoke rose in thick, dark wisps as bricks, wood and stones lay scattered around a darkened crevice.

A charred shell that was once a small vehicle lay nearby and an enormous hole exposed the bare insides of the targeted building.

Inside, a humvee turret was lying beside the cabinets of what was once a kitchen, evidence of the deadly force of the explosion.

When a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated 15 meters from the Sabari District Center just before 4 p.m., on March 3, 2008, the blast leveled the building's entire southern wall and destroyed a nearby humvee.

"We received the emergency call during a fast-roping exercise," said Pfc. Steve Egoavil, F Company, 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade as he recalled the emergency mission his unit responded to Khost province, in early March.

For his heroic actions recovering, treating and evacuating trapped and wounded soldiers during an emergency personnel recovery mission, Egoavil was awarded the Army Soldier's Medal during a ceremony, Sept. 19, 2008, at Forward Operating Base Salerno. He was presented the award by Brig. Gen. James McConville, deputy commanding general-support for Combined Joint Task Force-101.
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