Reservist Awarded Silver Star

An Army Reserve sergeant who braved heavy fire to help his platoon escape and rescue an Afghan police comrade has earned the Silver Star for his valor. Sgt. Gregory S. Ruske, 28, of the 3rd Platoon, A Company, Task Force Gladiator, was among a group of U.S. and Afghan soldiers who were ambushed by Taliban fighters in Kapisa province, Afghanistan, on April 21. "We were kind of out — by ourselves" when the ambush began, said Ruske, a Denver juvenile corrections officer. "There was no way our gun truck support could get to us." He returned fire, enabling his platoon to move to cover; then he moved to a rooftop, was shot in the hip, but still was able to recognize that the two Afghan police officers were taking fire. He provided the cover fire that enabled the two, one of whom was seriously wounded, to escape. The Afghan officers survived. The bullet Ruske took shattered his leg; he was treated at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, before returning to his stateside job. He is now waiting for assignment to a new Reserve unit.