TSgt. Joseph Deslauriers received the Silver Star for gallantry during combat in Afghanistan last year during a Nov. 14 ceremony at the Pentagon. Despite being injured by an IED detonator Desalauriers, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician aided in disarming the device, clearing the way for the evacuation of two injured Marines on Sept. 23, 2011. The act was “less as a case of spontaneous valor and more as a predictable outcome of circumstance and character intercepting on the battlefield,” Col. Jim Slife, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, said at the ceremony. “Valor is of the moment—character is built over a lifetime,” he added. Earlier during the same patrol, Deslauriers disarmed an IED, aided in treating wounded comrades, and cleared a helicopter landing zone to evacuate the injured. He was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. (Hurlburt report by A1C Hayden Hyatt)
The Senate passed its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization bill late Oct. 9 with new language restricting retirements for B-1 bombers and E-3 AWACS. Now lawmakers from the House and Senate must set about resolving the differences between their two bills, which could lead to significant changes for…
