Maj. Thomas Gordon Bostick, who was killed in action while placing himself in harm’s way to protect his troops, is receiving a posthumous upgrade to Silver Star medal he received. The Army will hold a ceremony at Fort Carson, Colo., where the fallen soldier was stationed, to present him with the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) – the Army’s second-highest award for combat valor.
Official records show that Bostick, Bulldog Troop Commander of 1stSquadron, 91stCavalry Regiment, 173rdAirborne Brigade, earned the honor during a July 27, 2007 insurgent attack near Saret Koleh, Afghanistan. By placing himself between his troops and their attackers, and providing cover fire until comrades could move to a better defensive position, he enabled them to survive and ultimately prevail – even though it cost him his life.
“Maj. Bostick’s quick decisions to reposition forces, expert use of close air support and indirect fire, and final sacrifice to provide covering fire for his command post enabled B Troop to break the enemy attack inflicting severe punishment on a numerically superior enemy force,” the upgrade citation stated.
With the award, Bostick becomes the 16thsoldier and third officer to earn the Distinguished Service Cross during Operation Enduring Freedom.
