BERLIN, Germany — Army Staff Sgt. Jonathon Zapien (foreground), 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Ft. Bragg, N.C., receives the German Ehrenmedaille (Honor Medal) from Gen. Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the German Chief of Defense, in a ceremony at the German Ministry of Defense here Sept. 12, 2006. Zapien was deployed to Afghanistan with the German Special Forces Command from June to October 2005 as a liaison between the German unit and the U.S. contingent. The award is the highest honor the German army can give to a foreign soldier of Zapien's rank and according to Gen. Schneiderhan, represents a "sensational warrior with a very soldier-like attitude." Among other tasks performed during the deployment, Zapien played a key part in saving the life of a German soldier by calling in ground and air medical support.(Department of Defense photo by John Tomassi, U.S. European Command Public Affairs)