Army Capt. Logan Veath recalls saying a silent prayer - “;Please don't let my men burn up there”; - as he ran toward a burning Stryker combat vehicle during a firefight in Sadar City in Baghdad last April.

Veath's Stryker company had been ambushed while responding to a call for help by a crew of an M1 Abrams tank that had been attacked by insurgents.

  The 19-ton vehicle was on fire. Spc. Andrew Howard, a 22-year-old gunner on the Stryker, ran from the blazing Stryker, his uniform on fire.

Veath, who has been on six combat tours, got Howard down, rolling him to extinguish the flames, as bullets pockmarked the ground around them. Then he carried the wounded soldier to safety.

For his actions, Veath, who commands the Bushmaster Company assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, was recommended for the Silver Star, which was later downgraded to a Bronze Star with a “;V”; device for valor. It was one of four earned by soldiers of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat team during the 15-month deployment.

Veath's next assignment will be as an Army Reserve officer ROTC instructor in his hometown of Chandron, Neb.; then he plans to attend dental school at the University of Nebraska.

During a welcome-home ceremony Thursday for 4,500 soldiers of the 2nd Stryker Combat Team, Veath downplayed the incident, saying that “;there are a lot of good soldiers here. They are all exceptional.”;

Nearly 200 Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers were honored Monday by the commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command for their support in freeing the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal last month after it ran aground a half-mile south of Honolulu Airport.

Vice Adm. Kevin McCoy awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award medals to engineering division head Philip J. Schmid, rigging general foreman Morris Y. Miyagi and structural shop superintendent William J. Sullivan. Capt. William Tate, head of the Industry Management Department, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

“;After we failed to get the Port Royal off the reef the first night, we called in the shipyard,”; said McCoy. “;Your efforts made a significant difference in preventing further damage to the ship and environment.”;

About 190 shipyard engineers, riggers, divers, tradesmen, environmental experts and supervisors were involved in the effort.

”;In the Military”; was compiled from news reports and other sources by reporter Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached by phone at 294-4075 or by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).