It’s a bit unusual for a Virginia Senator to help an Army unit from Texas,  currently deployed to South Korea, receive a long overdue award for heroism 20 years after Operation Desert Storm. But that’s exactly what happened last Friday after a veteran trooper of the 4^th Squadron, 7^th Cavalry Regiment of the Army’s 3^rd Armored Division, Sgt. Joe Ortiz, asked for Sen. Warner’s help.

After Operation Desert Storm, Sgt. Ortiz relocated to Manassas, Virginia, and in 2011 he requested our help when he discovered that, due to some lost or misplaced paperwork, his Army unit never received the Valorous Unit Award for the extraordinary heroism they demonstrated during Desert Storm in 1991. The fighting ultimately claimed the lives of three members of the 3^rd Armored Division, including Sgt. Kenneth Gentry of Ringgold, Virginia, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star for Valor for his exceptional heroism during fierce fighting that took his life one day before a ceasefire effectively ended the 1991 Desert Storm military campaign.

After a series of command changes and communications difficulties, the paperwork requesting the Valorous Unit Award apparently was lost or misplaced. Sgt. Ortiz discovered that he needed Senator Warner’s office to help navigate the Pentagon bureaucracy to resubmit the required paperwork to facilitate this overdue recognition. 

After three years of working with the Army, the award was finally approved last year. And last Friday, the 4th Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry held a ceremony at its current duty post in Seoul City, South Korea, to honor and recognize the unit members who served so proudly and bravely in Operation Desert Storm. 

Maj. Gen. Thomas Vandal awarded the unit with the ceremonial streamers that now will forever adorn the unit’s battle standard.   

"The Troopers of Desert Storm set a great example for us and we will uphold their legacy,” said the current commander of the squadron, Lt.Col. Jeffrey P. Gottlieb. 

Sen. Warner also praised the unit: “This unit is a fine example of the men and women of the armed services who courageously fight to preserve our freedom, and I am honored to note the exceptional heroism and sacrifice of a Virginian, Staff Sgt. Gentry.  I am pleased and honored that our office was able to be of some assistance in making sure the Army’s 3^rd Armored Division received the overdue recognition they have so proudly and honorably earned.”