Two crash specialists get Soldiers Medal for heroism in Iraq

EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) _ An Army Reservist from Oklahoma is one of two members of a unit based in El Dorado, Kansas to be honored for heroism in Iraq. <br/><br/>Sergeant Kenneth Miller of Ponca City and

Monday, November 22nd 2004, 8:31 am

By: News On 6

EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) _ An Army Reservist from Oklahoma is one of two members of a unit based in El Dorado, Kansas to be honored for heroism in Iraq.

Sergeant Kenneth Miller of Ponca City and Staff Sergeant Chuck Elliott of Neodesha were presented the Soldier's Medal, the Army's highest award for non-combat heroism.

Elliott and Miller are in the 323rd Engineer Detachment, a firefighting unit specializing in plane crashes. They were in a helicopter flying to the Baghdad airport a year ago when another helicopter was shot down.

A rocket just missed their chopper as it landed near the twisted wreckage and Elliott began separating the dead from the injured, while Miller established defensive positions in case of an enemy threat.

There were 20 survivors of the 36 soldiers on board the crashed helicopter.