Mom awarded Silver Star for her son's valor in Iraq

By Stacy Hudson

ODEN — Army Staff Sgt. Justin "Dutch" Estes saw a humvee carrying members of his platoon explode and catch fire, throwing two of his comrades from the truck and scattering burning debris everywhere.

But he couldn't just stand by and watch, those who knew him said.

"Staff Sgt. Estes grabbed the fire blanket and ran through the inferno surrounding the destroyed vehicle to render medical aid," Command Sgt. Maj. Brent Hagel-Pitt told about 130 people gathered in a large room at the Ode Maddox Elementary School on Saturday. Estes, 25, died March 5, 2007, in Samarra, Iraq, trying to save the lives of five fellow soldiers.

On Saturday, Estes, who was from the Sims community in rural Montgomery County, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. Army's third-highest award for valor. The coveted award recognizes extraordinary valor and gallantry in action. Only three other Arkansans, all guardsmen, have earned the award for actions in the Iraq war. Estes is the first active-duty soldier in Arkansas to receive it.

For more information see today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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