Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Presents Silver Star to Illinois Soldiers

Quinn and Enyart Accompany Dempsey with Presentation to Two Illinois Army National Guardsmen

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Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awards Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern from Glen Ellyn, with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Silver Star.

CHICAGO, IL (05/20/2012)(readMedia)-- Gov. Pat Quinn today joined Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Illinois National Guard Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart to honor Illinois National Guardsmen Sgt. First Class Ryan Ahern of Glen Ellyn and Capt. Tom Bozzay of Wheaton with Silver Stars for valor. Gen. Dempsey presented the awards to Ahern and Bozzay, both with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Chicago, for their heroic actions in Afghanistan in December 2009 while protecting a French military unit.

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Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Christopher A. Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awards Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern from Glen Ellyn, with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Silver Star at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, May 19. Ahern was awarded the Silver Star for saving the lives of his injured teammates in Afghanistan in 2009. He thanked members of his unit and his family for the sacrifices they made during his deployment. "In the regular Army, you have a support structure that can deal with deployments, but in the Guard, one day you're out at work and the next you're shipping out to a warzone. It's tough for you and your family to deal with," he said. Ahern said it was nice to be recognized for his actions, but what mattered most were the people that surrounded him, the members

Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Christopher A. Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff presents a Silver Star medal, one of the highest distinctions in the Army, to Capt. Thomas Bozzay of Wheaton with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, May 19. Bozzay was awarded the medal for his actions in Afghanistan in 2009, which saved the lives of five Soldiers in his unit. "It's an honor to be in the presence of Governor Pat Quinn, General Dempsey and Major General Enyart," said Bozzay. "It's an even greater honor to have served with my men defending our great country."

Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Christopher A. Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern of Glen Ellyn and Capt. Thomas Bozzay of Wheaton with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) stand alongside their families, Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gov. Pat Quinn, and Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart, Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard after being awarded the Silver Star at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, May 19. Bozzay and Ahern thanked their families for their sacrifice and for the other members in their units who they've fought alongside in Afghanistan. "I want people in America to know that there is a corps of men that are willing to get the job done without question to keep them safe," said Ahern.

Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Christopher A. Garibay, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/Gov. Pat Quinn holds a press conference alongside Silver Star recipients Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Ahern of Glen Ellyn, Capt. Thomas Bozzay of Wheaton with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne), as well and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, May 19. Ahern and Bozzay said they were humbled to have been recognized by both Dempsey and Quinn and thanked them for their support. "People always ask me why I'm so confident in the future of America, and it's because of men like Ahern and Bozzay – two of our newest heroes in a long history of heroes – that make me so hopeful for the future," said Dempsey. Quinn also stated that the word 'hero' is over-used, but men like Ahern and Bozzay certainly embodied what it was to be a hero through their actions for defending America's democracy.