Lt. Gen. Teodor Frunzeti, PhD, Chief of Staff of Romanian Land Forces (ROULF) awarded post mortem, in a ceremony held on Jan. 16th at ROULF HQ in Bucharest, three U.S. Army soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan.

Chief of Staff of ROULF conferred the Emblem of Honor of Land Forces to Maj. Brian Michael Mescall, and the Emblem of Merit In Service of Peace 3rd Class to Sgt. Jason Ray Parsons and Cpl. Joseph Michael Hernandez, in appreciation to the esprit de corps, courage and priceless supreme sacrifice proven and dedicated together with the Romanian Land Forces' comrades in arms in the war against terror in Afghanistan.

The three awarded soldiers were killed in an incident on Jan. 9th 2009, when ROULF Lt. Col. Augustin Nicusor PEGULESCU was injured.

By conferring these awards, we want to express our deep respect and consideration for the supreme sacrifice made by the three soldiers in the name of freedom. As American and Romanian soldiers of Land Forces train and fight together, we also honor our heroes together, said Lt. Gen. Frunzeti.

The awards were handed over to Ms. Jeri GUTHRIE-CORN, the Charge d Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, to be sent to the families.

The ceremony was also attended by Col. Kevin Leek, Chief, Office of Defense Cooperation, Lt. Col Taft Blackburn, Defense Attache for Army, and other ROULF generals and officers.

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Lt. Col. Augustin Nicusor PEGULESCU is currently listed as stable, being treated at the U.S. military hospital in Ramstein, Germany.

MoND Press Office