The Distinguished Service Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor among awards for valor in battle. On February 17th, at the National Guard Association of Kentucky’s annual conference, SSG Timothy Nein, of The Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company was honored with this prestigious award, by Lt. General H. Steven Bloom. Originally Nein was awarded a Silver Star medal for his actions during an ambush that occurred on March 20, 2005. That medal was upgraded to The Distinguished Service Cross, which culminated in the presentation of the award on February 17th. Nein is among few, only five servicemembers overall, who’ve ever received this award, and the first National Guard soldier in history.

You really need to go read the rest at A Soldier’s Mind. The rest of the SSG’s story is pretty incredible.