Bronze Star of Valor awarded to Brian Saaristo

In a year of soul-wrenching events that changed Carlton County soldier Sgt. Brian Saaristo’s life forever, last Thursday was a much-deserved moment of pleasure. Saaristo, who lost both his legs below the knees when a roadside bomb hit is Humvee in Iraq, was presented the Bronze Star of Valor for his bravery under fire. What made the honor even more special, however, was the fact that it was bestowed upon Saaristo by two soldiers from his unit that he hadn’t seen since he was emergency-airlifted out of Kirkuk, Iraq.

By: Wendy Johnson, The Pine Journal