Steven Cornford awarded Silver Star for actions in Iraq

Army Specialist Steven Cornford, a former resident of Mountain Home until he joined the Army, was presented with the Silver Star two weeks ago at Fort Hood, Texas.

The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration awarded to a member of the armed forces.

On April 8, 2007, Cornford's company conducted a raid in a town in Iraq known to contain insurgent safe houses.

As members of the company raided one house, the supporting Air Weapons Team identified individuals fleeing the next house.

Cornford's squad, accompanied by his platoon leader, squad leader and three team members, pursued the individuals who had run into a nearby tree line.

Cornford and his squad members were spread out about 20 meters apart from each other with their squad leader and platoon leader behind them.

As the squad was about 10 meters away from the tree line, insurgents began firing on Cornford and his squad with small arms and hand grenades.

The first round fired hit Cornford in the shoulder, rendering his left arm useless for the remainder of the fight.

Cornford said there were seven or eight insurgents in the tree line with a machine gun fixed on his position.

As Cornford returned fire with one hand, he said he heard his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Phillip Neel, order cover fire so he could get to Cornford.

Neel was shot multiple times before he could make it to Cornford.

Cornford kept his platoon leader talking until he low-crawled the 15 meters to him as rounds filled his rucksack with holes.

Cornford said he couldn't tell how many of Neel's wounds were gunshot wounds and how many were caused by shrapnel but thought Philip was shot at least four times.

Cornford said Neel's most serious wound was a gunshot in his left leg that had hit his femoral artery.

Cornford performed buddy aid on his platoon leader while still engaging the enemy until his squad leader arrived at his position.

Neel, Cornford said, continued to give orders and lead as he lay there bleeding.

Cornford said every time he took out an enemy on the machine gun, someone else would take over on the gun.

Cornford and his squad leader used grenades to take out the remaining enemy.

Once the enemy had been neutralized, Cornford helped load Neel onto a litter and carry him to the MEDVAC helicopter. Neal died a short time later, however.

Cornford was ordered to get on the MEDVAC, too, because he was looking pale from the amount of blood he had lost due to his own injury.

Cornford was eventually sent home for the remainder of his unit's tour. He is currently in Fort Hood, continuing to heal from his wounds.

"Healing, that's my job," he said. "That's my mission now."

Cornford had surgery in November and anticipates undergoing another one in the future.

He said he pushes himself but it is hard to be wounded.

"You start to gain weight, you start to stand out," Cornford said. "I'm trying to get back in shape so I can do what I do."

Cornford joined the Army in January 2006.

"Everybody in my family has been in a war. I figured I would, too," he said.

He was also looking to get away from getting in trouble. "I wanted to do something good, instead of something bad," Cornford said.

The citation on Cornford's award reads, "For exceptionally valorous conduct," but he doesn't feel like he was the biggest hero that day.

"I feel like my lieutenant was more of a hero than I was," Cornford said. "He died for his country."