SF Soldier earns Frederick Award.(UPDATE)

Sergeant 1st Class Sean Howie, 10th Special Forces Group, was awarded the 2008 First Special Service Force Frederick Award for his professional excellence and courage under fire during a deployment to Samarra, Iraq, in 2007.

The Special Forces medical sergeant conducted 215 consecutive days of continuous combat operations as the operations sergeant in an area deemed one of the most hostile in Iraq at the time.

The Frederick Award is presented by the First Special Service Force to a Special Forces operator who exhibits the highest degree of professionalism. The FSSF was a one-of-a-kind joint Canadian and American unit that fought side by side throughout the Italian Campaign and southern France during World War II. The award is named after Lieutenant Colonel Robert T. Frederick, the first commander of the FSSF.

"Sean Howie is like the vast majority of Green Berets in that they do not seek the spotlight," said Sergeant Major Gregory Hayes. "Sean just comes to work every day and tries to do his best. He loves what he does, and he takes enormous pride in his medical duties."

At any given time during his deployment, Howie could be found manning the .50-caliber machine gun in the turret of a tactical vehicle, leading assault elements, establishing casualty-collection points, treating patients in the compound clinic, supervising mass-casualty events, conducting tribal engagements and training Iraqi counterparts in close- quarters battle and combat-casualty care.

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