Army Rangers awarded combat medals for Afghanistan battle

SAVANNAH - After grenade shrapnel punched a hole through his right leg, Captain Nate Self fought 15 hours with his platoon of Army Rangers on a rescue mission in the deadliest battle of the Afghanistan war. <br> <br> Rubbing the spot on his thigh where an indention remains in his flesh, Self says he still does not feel like a war hero even with a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star pinned to his uniform. <br> <br> The Army awarded medals Thursday in a ceremony at Hunter Army Airfield to 150 Rangers who fought last year against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Seventeen soldiers received combat medals, either the Silver Star or the Bronze Star for valor. <br> <br> The soldiers of the elite 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment receiving combat medals all fought in the battle of Takur Ghar, the snow-covered mountain where Taliban fighters shot down two helicopters carrying U.S. troops last March. <br> <br> The Silver Star is the third-highest medal Army soldiers can receive in combat, ranking just below the Distinguished Service Medal and the Medal of Honor.

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