Families Honor Their Soldiers at Bronze-Star Events

Two California National Guard soldiers — one who camehome, one who didn’t — were awarded Bronze Stars for courageous conduct in Iraq during ceremonies today.

Tears flowed at the National Guard armory in Santa Rosa as Sgt. 1stClass Michael Ottolini, 45, was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star.Ottolini died Nov. 10 when the truck he was driving north of Baghdadexploded after hitting a roadside bomb.

His large family, including his father, a World War II veteran, remembered himfor his dedication to the Santa Rosa-based 579th Engineer Battalion, aunit that has suffered more casualties than any other CaliforniaNational Guard unit in Iraq.

Sharon Ottolini recalled her husband, who worked as a hay hauler out ofSebastopol, expressing his thanks that he was finally “getting to go toIraq,” at a Thanksgiving dinner two years ago.

“It was his first love,” she said. “I was his second. He wasvery dedicated to the Guard.”

Ottolini served in the 579th Engineers for 28 years.

Major Zac Delwiche, operations officer for the 579th Engineers, said Ottolini “was the first person to volunteer to get involved. He grew up in this area, he knew it better than anybody, and he was a key person for local emergencies.”

At an afternoon ceremony in Chico honoring 27-year-old Sgt. BruceHimelright, Maj. Gen. Jeff Gidley, commander of the 40th Infantry Division, LosAlamitos, told an audience the country owed both men a great debt ofgratitude for their willingness to serve their country.

“Sgt. Himelright is sitting here trying to downplay what he has been ableto contribute to our nation, but what he did was extremely heroic inmaking sure that other soldiers did not die,” Gidley said.

Himelright was seriously wounded in an ambush north of Balad, Iraq, onJune 22 in which two of his fellow soldiers, Lt. Andre Tyson ofRiverside and Spc. Patrick McCaffrey of Tracy, were killed.

“I definitely feel honored,” Himelright said after the ceremony hadended. “Honestly, it feels good to have it, but it doesn’t take theplace of my friends. I’d much rather have my friends than this.”