Fairchild major awarded Bronze Star

Published Nov. 21, 2011
By 2nd Lt Kwang Woong Kim
92nd Air Refueling Wing

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Maj. Scott Bryant of the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron was awarded a Bronze Star on Nov. 9 for his exceptionally meritorious service in a combat zone with exposure to risk of hostile action during Operation New Dawn as an operations flight commander.

"It is an honor to receive the Bronze Star Medal. It punctuates a job well-done by the Airmen I was with and depended on over the course of the deployment as part of Operation NEW DAWN," said Bryant when asked about receiving the Bronze Star. "The star truly points outward towards the many different people that made this mission a collective success."

Bryant was deployed to the 467th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron, 467th Expeditionary Group, United States Forces-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq from December 2010 to June 2011. During his time, he was recognized for his highest level of support to United States Forces-Iraq and the Theater Engineering Brigade through his leadership and extensive battlefield circulation.

Under his direct guidance, his teams successfully navigated the area of operations across 107,450 miles and 460 combat logistical patrols along 12,475 miles of heavily explosive laden territory.

"Through problem solving, hard work, and dedication of each of the Airmen on this mission proved their focus was clear, reflecting primarily on the personal sacrifices being made at home were so great. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing great," said Bryant.

Bryant's leadership was imperative as he led his team to provide the combatant commander with decisive engineering capabilities by delivering material, equipment and Airmen to support operations, training, security, mission readiness and the quality of life support for more than 120,000 U.S. and Iraqi military, government civilians and contractors across Iraqi Joint Operations Area.

Overall, his team was also essential in planning and construction of numerous projects which saved more than $8.3 million dollars.

"A job well done is definitely felt when you have zero safety incidents; everyone returned safely after each mission and most importantly, we all returned home safely to family and friends," said Bryant about his greatest accomplishment. "Additionally, it was rewarding to be able to provide critical engineering and construction support to the theater engineers and commanders which led to the effective transition of the Forces out of Iraq."

When asked about what he feels that most people should know, Bryant said:

"Support from home was paramount and was felt deeply, our Airmen were able to focus on their jobs all the while being encouraged and remembered by the home front. For every Airman deployed, there are a host of families, co-workers, and friends helping to hold life together and certainly make significant sacrifices back home and they should be thanked and recognized. In time, it is our sincere hope that our efforts will have made a lasting impact."