Navy News, news from Iraq - Navy Times

Navy yet to name nearly 50 recipients

The Navy has awarded 63 Silver Stars to sailors and officers since Sept. 11, 2001, a Navy spokesman said. The number is much higher than previously thought.

Doug Sterner, an expert in combat award citations and curator of the Military Times’ Hall of Valor project, has confirmed only 15 Navy Silver Star recipients for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Silver Star is the third-highest award for combat valor.

Of the 63 Silver Stars, 33 were awarded for action in Operation Enduring Freedom — likely for action in Afghanistan — and 30 for action in Iraq. The total does not include Marines who’ve been awarded the medal.

Yet through official Navy channels, their identities and the circumstances of their awards largely remain unknown.

A standing request by Navy Times dating to November for the names of recipients remains stuck in the Pentagon. “We’re working to determine which classifications can be publicly released,” Navy spokesman Cmdr. Cappy Surette said Friday.

Sterner said some awardees earned the Silver Star for action on classified missions, and their names are redacted on released citations.

Still, others have been publicly acknowledged at award ceremonies — such as an explosive ordnance disposal technician for action in Afghanistan — but the high number of 63 came as a surprise to those who keep track.

Sterner said he believes there are many others whose identities are unknown because of the sensitivity of action behind the award.

“I’ve heard reports there were as many as 23 SEALs remaining unidentified as of last year,” Sterner said.

The most likely Navy recipients of the Silver Star in the current wars are hospital corpsmen serving with Marine units, SEALs and EOD techs.

By Sterner’s count, the 15 who have been identified are nine SEALs, one EOD tech and five corpsmen.

Honor Roll

Silver Stars awarded to sailors and Navy officers from the late 1960s through Sept. 11, 2001, not including the Vietnam War:

• Kosovo, 1999: 1.

• Somalia, 1993: 5.

• Operation Desert Storm, 1991: 0.

• Panama, 1989: 0 (2 Navy Crosses).

• Grenada, 1983: 1.

• Container ship Mayaguez incident, 1975: 2.

• Intelligence ship Pueblo incident, 1968: 2.

• Intelligence ship Liberty incident, 1967: 11.