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Distinguished Service Cross

Oct-22-2008 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

The Olympian is reporting that 3/2 SBCT soldier, Spc. Christopher Waiters, will be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony at Ft. Lewis on Thursday. The award is second only to the Medal of Honor.

A soldier who went to school in Lacey and was formerly assigned to a Stryker brigade at Fort Lewis will be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor in recognizing combat valor.

This week’s ceremony will mark the first time since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that a soldier from the local Army post has been awarded this honor.

Spc. Christopher Waiters, a graduate of Timberline High School in Lacey, had just finished a long shift in Iraq on April 5, 2007. He had just gone down for sleep inside his armored Stryker vehicle when he heard an explosion. An urgent message followed: A car packed with explosives had struck and destroyed an armored Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The wreckage was on fire. U.S. soldiers were trapped inside.

Updated 10/25/08: Provided below are a few stories covering the ceremony.

Bullets, bomb no match for bravery - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Lacey Army medic honored for heroism - Seattle Times

For soldier, heroic act was just part of his job - The News Tribune

Soldier earns rare honor for heroic actions in Iraq - Northwest Guardian

Medic 'a true hero' on battlefield - Northwest Guardian


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