European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 stars and stripes heroes june 2007 Loor i Guys rugs 1st class Chad Stephens unit company 1st 120th infantry regiment medals Silver Start earned Iraq by Leo Shane Iii stars and stripes As 1st class Chad Stephens sprinted through gunfire to Ward the lost Bradley fighting he realized he had forgotten his and his and possibly his everything was in the he chuckling at his own we Wear Crew helmets inside those Lehi so i took the rest i didst really think about it at i just knew if those Guys went too far Back into the wed lose them so i just thought about getting to that Stephens unprotected run through the streets of bad Cuba could have earned him a trip to a Field Hospital or it earned him a Silver Star for his Quick thinking and decision to risk his own life to save the 39yearold guardsman is a per Sian Gulf War Veteran who moved Back to North Carolina and signed up for extra service after his Active duty time he laughs and jokes about dumb moves he made and the injuries that but he becomes quietly serious when he talks about tragedies that happened or might have happened to his his platoon had been called to Bayou a for a major offensive in june after completing an eight hour patrol through the City one his men were called Back into the town Center to help support another platoon repelling enemy within minutes of their the company Christopher was mortally wounded in a second and Stephens was left pinned Down with 25 men piled into three Brad i really thought that Day we would lose everybody we he his voice starting to the attack was really they knew exactly where wed what building to get what buildings were reinforced Concrete so our weapons would have limited effect on the platoon was ordered to fall Back Stephens sit Giro Chad Stephens sets up a checkpoint in in june and secure a Stephens said he thought any sort of Retreat was a but he ordered the soldiers to their next when we moved i looked on top of one of the there was probably 10 or 15 Guys at the with he i told my Guys to keep firing at them dont let any of them pop Daniel Desens did everything he but they got a Lucky shot an Reg round slammed into their sending shrapnel and smoke when Stephens he saw that several of his men were Desens Seri even one of the Bradley spun around backward and was driving Back into the heart of the Stephens dashed from the minimal safety of the makeshift casualty collection Point to the wayward the other soldiers quickly saw covered his sprint and followed him Back to the base of the the attacks continued As the Pla Toon tried to treat its soldiers tried to pull Desens out of his gunner seat from inside the but Stephens climbed on top of the transport to pull him hearing bullets Bounce off the steel around him As he while i was on another enemy vehicle with ak47 came from under the and they started to engage he but my Guys took them at that Stephens ordered a full Retreat Back to base to get medi Cal treatment for the on the Way another ambush and fighters lobbed an Reg into Stephens the shrapnel ripped into his new gunners while the explosion burned his hands and singing his eyes when they arrived Back at the platoon received word that Des ens and Cash were seven others from the 25man unit had to be evacuated out of Iraq for medical treat but the others the second gunner was Back in the fight after a few months at Walter Reed army medical Center in and despite some bad Burns and hours of dodging Stephens was treated by Field medics and sent on another Mission within he said the rest of his deployment was quiet com pared with that but from then even during routine he remembered to keep his Armor and his weapon close my Guys stayed on me after he laughing they always reminded me to keep the stuff i really thought that Day we would lose everybody we w 1st class Chad Stephens email Leo Shane at  photos Courtesy of Chad Stephens 1st class Chad Stephens salutes after receiving the Silver Star last