Oregon Public Broadcasting

Eleven Washington-based members of the U.S. Air Force have received high military honors for battlefield heroism.

At a ceremony Thursday, the top general in the Air Force pinned Silver and Bronze stars and Purple Hearts on the airmen.

All are members of an elite Special Forces unit based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

They include Staff Sergeant Sean Harvell. He received two Silver Stars for his actions during three battles in Afghanistan in 2007.

Sean Harvell: “Pretty nerve wracking experience, a lot of moving parts especially when you got bullets flying over your head , the fear factor, but the training that we go through teaches us how to control the fear, push through it, fall back on your training and do the job that needs to be done.”

As a combat controller, Harvell's job is to call in airstrikes from the heart of battle.

The Air Force credits him with saving American lives while causing 262 enemy deaths.

The Silver Star is the military's third highest honor.