Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, left, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, presents Master Sgt. Michael F. Sears, 177th Fighter Wing, the Silver Star, the third highest military award, June 28, 2014, during a ceremony at the 177th at Egg Harbor Township, N.J., for actions while deployed to Afghanistan on Sept. 29, 2012.  (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)140628-F-AL508-001
                        
                        
                        Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff, left, The Adjutant General of New Jersey, presents Master Sgt. Michael F. Sears, 177th Fighter Wing, the Silver Star, the third highest military award, June 28, 2014, during a ceremony at the 177th at Egg Harbor Township, N.J., for actions while deployed to Afghanistan on Sept. 29, 2012.  (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

ANG Airman awarded Silver StarPublished July 3, 2014
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht
                    
                    
                    177th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
            **ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.J. (AFNS) --**An Air National Guard explosive ordnance disposal technician with the 177th Fighter Wing was awarded the Silver Star here June 28 for valor in combat while deployed to Afghanistan in 2012.
Master Sgt. Michael F. Sears, the leader of a small team of explosive ordnance disposal airmen, is credited with saving the life of a fellow International Security Assistance Force soldier in the midst of an ambush by enemy forces on Sept. 29, 2012, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan.
On that day, a three-man Air Force explosive ordnance disposal team led by Sears found itself in the middle of a complex ambush in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. During the course of a two-hour firefight, Sears provided life-saving aid to a fallen coalition soldier from Poland; ran five times through a 150-yard open area riddled with enemy machine gun fire to direct his team in returning fire; and continued on with the fight after being knocked temporarily unconscious by a rocket-propelled grenade blast. Sears joins a group of 58 Airmen who have been awarded the Silver Star since the Global War on Terrorism began.
"What a great American and he really personifies, truly, what we as a Guard are," said Army Gen. Frank J. Grass, chief of the National Guard Bureau. "It is just phenomenal how he just stepped out away from safety to save others. We talk about the Silver Star being awarded for him saving the life of a Polish soldier, but he saved the lives of many soldiers that day."
"It wouldn't be me getting the Silver Star; it would be my wife, if it weren't for Tech. Sgt. Jay Hurley," said Sears.
Sears praised both of his teammates, Hurley and Staff Sgt. Josh Jerden, with courage under fire.
"Hurley, on that day, without hesitation, used his vehicle to cover me," said Sears. "Josh Jerden dismounted his vehicle on the side of enemy fire and engaged the enemy on foot.Their actions showed what kind of team I had."Silver Star 



EOD 



Air National Guard Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil