Ft. Carson Soldiers Receive Silver Star In Afghanistan

COLORADO SPRINGS – A group of Fort Carson soldiers received a high honor on Thursday, one that couldn’t wait until they return home.

The four soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were awarded the Silver Star.

NEWSCHANNEL 13 has contacted military public affairs in Afghanistan and at the Pentagon but could not confirm information about all the soldiers in the photo other than at least four of the five in the picture are from Ft. Carson.

The first man on the left in this picture you may recognize: He’s General Stanley A. McChrystal, the Commander of US Forces, Afghanistan. The general is honoring, from right to left: Captain Chris Cordova, First Lieutenant Andrew Bunderman, Sergeant First Class Jon Hill, and Sergeant Thomas Rassmussen. We have yet to identify the final soldier in the line.

The Silver Star was presented for their roles during a firefight in Afghanistan in October of 2009.

It was a battle at Combat Operations Post Keating in which eight Fort Carson soldiers lost their lives. COP Keating was overrun by an estimated 300 Taliban fighters.

An investigation into the incident revealed that those who survived fought heroically against Taliban warriors to win the outpost back from enemy hands. We talked with Colonel Lee Fetterman at Ft. Carson, who noted the bravery of the young men who remained composed under fire. “The engagement they were in was in very close combat and they accorded themselves very well and the general took the time to pin it on himself because he thought it was that significant.”

The Silver Star is the third highest honor someone in the military can receive.