Photos by Rick Thompson Navy Medicine National Capital Area Commander Rear Adm. Richard Jeffries shows the Bronze Star citation to recipient HMC (SW⁄AW) Bobby D. Pilgrim, his son Bryan and daughter Kaitlyn.

The two were decorated by Navy Medicine National Capital Area Commander Rear Adm. Richard R. Jeffries, and in remarks after the ceremony, Jeffries noted that the Bronze Star is awarded only in connection with combat.

According to the 1944 executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishing the medal, it is awarded to any person who ‘‘distinguishes, or distinguished, himself by heroic or meritorious achievement of service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military or naval operations against an enemy of the United States.”

Musket and Pilgrim were on individual augmentation assignments, mentoring Afghan medical staff and accompanied combat units on missions. ‘‘Anyone who doesn’t think our forces are not in danger wherever they are hasn’t been following events,” said Jeffries. ‘‘The people they are training are particular targets of enemy forces. They and the people training them are in the greatest danger.”

He continued, ‘‘My hat’s off to their families, who support them and sacrifice while they are deployed. As long as the war is there and not here, and we are safe, it’s because of their efforts and their families’ efforts.”

Pilgrim served with the Afghan National Army 3rd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 203rd Corps Embedded Training Team as a medical mentor. While serving with the 3⁄1 Kandak, he volunteered for 30 combat missions alongside his counterparts and completed more than 50 convoys.

According to the narrative summary accompanying the honor, Pilgrim saw that the Troop Medical Clinic was able to handle the needs of U.S. Soldiers and ‘‘volunteered to undertake the demanding task of mentoring Kandak’s physician, physician’s assistant and 24 combat medics.” The results of his work ‘‘better prepared the 3⁄1 Kandak for combat related injuries and subsequently saved lives.”

During Operation Khyber, read the narrative, Pilgrim was ‘‘serving as a Truck Commander when his mounted combat patrol came under attack by anti-Coalition militia firing 107mm rockets. Chief Pilgrim displayed stern command of his vehicle as the convoy returned fire and pushed through the kill zone.” In addition, Pilgrim ‘‘placed himself at great personal risk during Operation Miawan, by providing company level medical support for Coalition forces conducting cordon searches and clearing villages of insurgents.”

Musket served as a physician assistant with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Sharan in Paktika Province, Afghanistan and operated independently in the combat zone from Forward Operating Base Sharana. He was, read the medal narrative, ‘‘responsible for teaching Army Soldiers and Navy Sailors crucial combat life-saving skills that were ever ready to be used in the frequent combat operations of the PRT. He was also responsible for leading medics on numerous joint service patrols in the most dangerous communities in the 23 districts within Paktike Province. These missions were in a great part successful due to Lt. Musket’s personal interaction with the local populace.”

Musket was lauded for his leadership of the 82-man PRT, displaying calmness under fire. In one case, ‘‘he distinguished himself by rendering first aid to four Soldiers injured in an IED blast, conducting field surgery in the dead of night when medevac was delayed.”