Maj. Doug Welter

Our service men and women are some of our country's best and brightest. Yet many of these great American heroes are also humble. You can include Chaffee, Mo., native Maj. Doug Welter in this category.

While Welter says he is low-key, he was recently honored with the Bronze Star for meritorious service against an armed enemy.

Welter, an Air Force Space Command officer, was most recently responsible for securing an air operations base in Iraq. This job included searching and clearing all shipments of all of the trucks going through the base, a location where hundreds of vehicles passed through daily.

A graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School, Welter was deployed to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, from late August 2009 to Feb. 19. This was his second deployment to Iraq.

Welter's medal citation confirms his bravery. The citation reads, "He personally led more than 30 [combat operations] and operationally planned over 950 combat patrols to counter indirect fire attacks and to prevent the emplacement of improvised explosive devices throughout the security zone."

Maj. Doug Welter is to be commended for his bravery and dedication, as are all of our men and women in uniform. Thank you all for your service, and may God bless you and your families.