Soldiers' bravery honored in rare public ceremony

By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter

	KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES Sgt. Matthew Watters holds stepson Owen Silver, 5, after Watters received a Bronze Star with a valor device and a Purple Heart during an awards ceremony yesterday.
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The mission remains classified. All Sgt. Matthew Watters can really say is it was in western Iraq, sometime last summer. And only when prompted does he mention the rocket-propelled grenade that "went right through my leg, blew it right off."

His left leg torn off below the knee, the 24-year-old Army Ranger continued to lead his team on the night mission, earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with a valor device.

"Somehow, something in me just said, 'Keep going,' " Watters said.

Watters, who grew up in Spokane, was one of about 100 members of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment to receive medals yesterday in a rare public ceremony for the unit at Fort Lewis.

Since the war on terror began, the 700-member unit has been quietly conducting missions in Afghanistan and Iraq with barely a whisper of its movements.

More than 50 members were awarded Bronze Stars for courage or meritorious service in combat. Three received Purple Hearts for being wounded in battle. Others received combat infantry badges, combat medical badges and other citations.

The ceremony was dedicated to Sgt. Jay Blessing, a Tacoma native who is the only member in the unit to be killed. Blessing died Nov. 14 when he was struck by a homemade bomb in Afghanistan.

As families looked on from grandstands, the event was a reminder that amid growing controversies over questionable intelligence, rising U.S. casualties and escalating violence in Iraq, there are also tales of heroism.

"I think it's great that these guys get some recognition," said Capt. Jared Norrel, a company commander who received a Bronze Star and a combat infantry badge. "I think it's extremely important to the health of the unit, who largely operate behind the scenes."

Watters and Sgt. Jason Bewley received the highest distinctions, earning Bronze Stars with valor devices. Bewley was not available for an interview yesterday.
 
The Bronze Star is one of the highest awards given to ground troops for courage in battle, below the Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor.

As of November, the latest statistics available, the Army had issued more than 17,000 Bronze Stars to soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, about 600 with the valor device. About 115 Silver Stars had been awarded and one Distinguished Service Cross, which ranks second only to the Medal of Honor.

Watters talks about losing his leg the way others might talk about losing a fingernail. He said he considers himself lucky; he lost his leg below the knee. Now with a prosthesis, a slight limp is the only indication that an alloy shaft is where his shin used to be. He remains in the unit, though his combat days are over. Because the mission remains classified, Army officials couldn't discuss how he was able to continue it after being injured, said Sgt. 1st Class Blake Waltman, of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Watters said he'd always wondered how he'd hold up in combat, if he could live up to the example set by the U.S. soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy in World War II.

"Everyone always wonders what they're made of," he said.

After he was injured, he was flown to Germany, then spent three weeks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., said his wife, Lindsey Silver-Watters.

Silver-Watters said she's happy to see her husband and his unit receiving some attention after working so long in the shadows.

"Finally," she said.

Ray Rivera: 206-464-2926 or rayrivera@seattletimes.com

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