Elmendorf Airmen receive Bronze Star

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Three members of Team Elmendorf were recipients of the Bronze Star Medal Dec. 4.

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Barker and his military working dog, Jack, and Capt. Kelley Jeter were awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to members of military service for combat heroism or meritorious service.

Two recipients of the Bronze Star were a security forces NCO and his military working dog.

Sergeant Baker and Jack, 3rd Security Forces Squadron, deployed from May 28 through Oct. 30, 2006, provided more than 350 hours of combat patrols in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, the fourth-highest combat honor in the U.S. Armed Forces.

On June 7, the team located more than 2,000 pounds of explosives in eight buried locations.

Six weeks later, Sergeant Barker and his MWD responded to a detonator of timed explosives in one of the third country national's living quarters.

On July 30, the team responded to an IED that detonated on IA personnel. The IA had engaged and captured four IED members. Sergeant Barker swept the IED vehicle and located five identification cards. Sergeant Barker scanned the crowd of bystanders and located the fifth member attempting to avoid capture by blending into the crowd.

During their deployment, Sergeant Barker and Jack discovered more than 3,000 pounds of explosives, nearly 80 automatic weapons and more than 15 cell phones used to detonate improvised explosive devices.

Captain Jeter, the 3rd Wing Public Affairs chief, deployed to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from April-September 2007 and distributed vital and accurate information while serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

She was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service, the ninth-highest combat honor in the U.S. Armed Forces. While deployed, Captain Jeter provided important and timely information regarding operations which affected national security.