(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Conrad Begaye, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company C, 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade, in action on 9 November 2007, support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, near Aranas, Afghanistan. On that date, Sergeant Begaye was part of a unit that had just met with local leaders in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province. They were hiking along rugged terrain when his squad, his platoon’s headquarters sections and a squad of Afghan soldiers began taking fire from enemy positions above. Pinned down at first, Sergeant Begaye was struck in the arm while returning fire and directing his men. He bounded over a cliff, calling to his troops to follow him down the rocky slope to find cover. Keeping his composure against overwhelming odds, he directed and encouraged his fellow soldiers under heavy fire. One paratrooper had been shot in both legs and was still taking fire. Sergeant Begaye called out to him to play dead, knowing the enemy would shift their fire away if they thought the soldier was killed, quick thinking that likely helped to save that soldier’s life. Ignoring his own injuries, Sergeant Begaye moved a wounded soldier to a nearby cave to protect him from enemy fire. Using a radio, he called his higher headquarters and directed mortar fire onto enemy positions, essentially ending the battle. Then he motivated a soldier to organize a defensive perimeter of Afghan soldiers to prevent their unit from being harassed or overrun. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.