Airmen presented the Bronze Star Published Oct. 7, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Saphfire Cook 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Three Desert Lightning Team Airmen were presented Bronze Stars at the Community Center here Oct. 7. Maj. Tracy Bozung, 355th Medical Operations Squadron physician; Maj. Meliza Harris, 355th Medical Group chief health care integrator; and Senior Master Sgt. Elvin Sanders, 355th MDG first sergeant, were each awarded a Bronze Star by Col. James Meger, 355th Fighter Wing vice commander, for their actions during deployments earlier this year. "The one common thread that runs through these Airmen's stories is that they were outside their comfort zones," Colonel Meger said. "But these mission-focused Airmen pressed on because they knew the joint team was counting on them." Major Bozung was deployed to the Zabul province of Afghanistan with a provincial reconstruction team as a physician. She also took on the role of the Women's Affairs lead and the contracting officer representative. During her deployment, Major Bozung and her seven-member medical team triaged more than 70 local national patients. They were hit with two mass-casualty incidents, during which they saved approximately 25 lives through medical evacuations. Her work as the Women's Affairs lead garnered improvements to education, health knowledge and economic opportunities for roughly 15,000 at-risk national females. As the COR, Major Bozung provided healthcare for nearly 1,800 rural villagers, helped with the construction of seven schools, renovated the Provincial hospital and established the first regional teacher's training college. "I am so proud to receive this reward," Major Bozung said. "I was surrounded by a fantastic team and we put our lives on the line everyday to help the Afghan people." Major Harris worked as the chief nurse of the 655th Forward Surgical Team at forward operating base Ghazni. As chief nurse, she headed a team of six nurses that provided standard medical and emergency care to around 5,000 coalition and local national forces. She provided hands-on medical care to about 175 critically-injured soldiers. Her team transported more than 100 patients to Role 3 care with no complications or loss of life. She also conducted two blood drives during her time in Ghazni, screening more than 100 Coalition forces. The 655th FST went through nine mass-casualty incidents, during which Major Harris helped care for roughly 400 trauma cases and 200 outpatients. She managed the post-operative care of about 75 patients, conducting medical care on 12 of those patients while under fire. "Usually doctors win the awards because they are front and center," Major Harris said. "To be recognized for my work as a nurse is such an unexpected honor." As the first sergeant for the 378th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron medium truck detachments, Senior Master Sgt. Elvin Sanders helped ensure the completion of more than 600 missions in Iraq and Kuwait, the escort of more than 12,000 tractor trailers containing sensitive cargo, and the safety of about 9,000 foreign national drivers. He helped manage two time-sensitive, inner-theater munitions movements that successfully resupplied actively engaged combat forces, and personally drove six combat-convoy missions in Iraq, spanning more than 4,500 miles in 61 days. Sergeant Sanders saw to the care of roughly 1,000 Airmen from 34 Air Force bases world-wide. His reception and training program had Airmen certified and ready to drive combat-convoy missions with only three days boots-on-the-ground. This enabled the squadron to cover more than four million miles of dangerous Iraqi road in a 12-month time span. "We went through 89 improvised explosive device attacks. And although we got hit, we didn't lose anybody," Sergeant Sanders said. "That, to me, was my biggest accomplishment during that deployment, and I'm grateful to be recognized." The Bronze Star is the armed forces' fourth-highest combat medal and can be presented for combat heroism or meritorious service.