Kirtland sergeant receives Bronze Star Medal

  • Published
  • By Kendahl Johnson
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A Kirtland master sergeant received the Bronze Star Medal at a ceremony March 27.

Master Sgt. Antoine Washington, 377th Security Forces Squadron, distinguished himself for the award while deployed to Afghanistan from June to December 2013. He led 106 counter threat combat missions, integrating 17 military working dog teams, 85 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and 13 Joint Terminal Attack Controllers.

He led a team into action, planning and executing a compound raid which resulted in the capture of the insurgent responsible for a rocket attack on Kandahar Airfield. His efforts while deployed led to the capture of 42 enemy combatants and the elimination of four high value targets.

"The exemplary leadership, personal endeavor and devotion to duty displayed reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force," the award citation stated.

Col. Tom Miller, 377th Air Base Wing commander, presented the medal to Washington and encouraged other military members to follow Washington's example in taking action when put in a stressful and life-threatening situation.

"He didn't know how it was going to work out or that he'd even be here today to accept this medal, but he still would have done the same thing," Miller said. "Be the person who shows courage and takes action."

According to the citation, Washington also led 91 humanitarian missions, delivering 43,500 pounds of aid to local villages and police checkpoints, strengthening host nation relations and enhancing intelligence gathering initiatives.