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Public affairs lieutenant awarded Bronze Star

  • Published
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  A public affairs officer from Luke Air Force Base was awarded the Bronze Star during the officers' commander's call April 24 at the Desert Star Club. 

First Lt. Bryan Bouchard, 56th Fighter Wing deputy chief of public affairs, earned the award for meritorious service while deployed as the public affairs officer for a joint task force supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

"It's humbling to receive such an award," Lieutenant Bouchard said. "I think the phrase, 'I was just doing my job,' truly fits. There are thousands of men and women who are doing heroic things every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, who deserve the recognition much more than I." 

Lieutenant Bouchard was the sole public affairs officer for a Special Operations Task Force from March until September 2008. During that time he supported more than 150 missions, creating media products which showcased kinetic strikes, discovery of lethal aide shipments and the capture of high-value targets. 

During his six-month tour, he personally authored nearly 100 press releases, with a 99-percent success rate in coverage among Western and Trans-Arab media including features on CNN, BBC, Associated Press and Reuters. According to his letter-of-evaluation, he was depicted as a "master of crisis management who flawlessly supported the Task Force with the most sensitive mission on the planet. He skillfully released sensitive information regarding successful Task Force missions, the loss of Task Force members and unavoidable collateral damage with significant political implications." 

Serving on his fifth deployment since enlisting in the Air Force in 1995, Lieutenant Bouchard said this deployment was not only his best, but the most meaningful of his career so far. 

"The best part of the deployment was the people with whom I worked," Lieutenant Bouchard said. "It was an honor to serve alongside the folks who are truly at the 'tip of the spear.' These guys literally put their lives on the line in unbelievable circumstances on a daily, if not hourly basis. I am still in awe of the experience."