Justin Viene

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Justin Viene, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with as a Squad Leader with the 2d Battalion, 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan. During 2004, while on patrol near the Pakistani border, Staff Sergeant Viene’s squad was ambushed by enemy forces with mortars and rocket propelled grenades. While one of the other squad leaders established a base of fire and initiated radio communications to report the critical situation, heedless of the deadly fire, Staff Sergeant Viene led two of his men up a hill to rout the enemy with a squad automatic weapon.