Bush gives medals to soldiers, survivors

During his appearance at Fort Bragg on Thursday, President Bush pinned medals on five soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division and gave two more to survivors of men who won them posthumously. He gave a Silver Star for Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin L. Sebban to Sebban's mother, Barbara Walsh, and a Distinguished Service Cross for Sgt. Charles E. Wyckoff to his widow, Erika Wyckoff.

The men got snappy salutes and handshakes, while Bush gave Wyckoff a kiss on the cheek and Walsh a firm hug, and gave both women private whispers of condolence.

Those cited for heroism were:

* SGT. ERIC MOSER, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest decoration for valor. On Aug. 26, he and three other soldiers in a sniper team held off about 40 enemy fighters who were trying to overrun their rooftop position, killing or wounding at least 10 insurgents, according to his medal citation.

* SGT. CHRISTOPHER CORRIVEAU, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the same attack as Moser.

* STAFF SGT. PETER ROHRS, who was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor, for "extraordinary heroism" as a flight medic in Afghanistan. His actions were responsible for the rescue of 12 badly wounded soldiers.

* SGT. 1ST CLASS RONALD D. STRICKLAND, who was awarded the Silver Star. On May 29 in Afghanistan, he braved hostile fire to prevent Taliban fighters from capturing the crew of a downed U.S. aircraft, using multiple weapons from an exposed position.

* SGT. 1ST CLASS WILLIAM TOMLIN, who won the Silver Star. On April 9, 2007, in Afghanistan's Helmand province, he risked his life in combat against an enemy force that outnumbered his own 6-to-1. The enemy tried to surround his scout unit, and he led several counterattacks that left 30 to 50 enemy soldiers dead, including two key Taliban leaders. The battle lasted six hours.

* SGT. 1ST CLASS BENJAMIN L. SEBBAN, who stepped out of cover to warn his comrades about an approaching suicide vehicle bomb. After the attack, he started treated other wounded soldiers, despite his own life-threatening injuries. He kept treating them "until he took his last breath."

* SGT. CHARLES E. WYCKOFF, who left a covered position during a firefight in Afghanistan on June 6 to attack two enemy fighters to protect other paratroopers and was killed.