Reservist Awarded Bronze Star with Valor

MSgt. Jim Lambert, a member of Air Force Reserve Command’s 729th Airlift Squadron at March ARB, Calif., received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device for his heroism during a fire at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on Aug. 20, 2011, that an insurgent attack caused. Col. Samuel Mahaney, commander of AFRC’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March, presented Lambert with the medal during a Sept. 8 ceremony on base. Lambert, a firefighter in his civilian life, is credited with proposing a superior course of action to the on-scene commander to deal with the fire, according to a March release. He voluntarily entered a burning compound to distribute and employ heavy equipment resources to contain the blaze. While doing so, he spotted a crate of grenades near the flames and removed it before the flames engulfed it and the grenades could explode. His actions ensured “the safety of more than 50 emergency responders,” states the release. (March photo caption by SrA. Isis Ponce) (See also Bronze Star with Valor for Robins Airman.)