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Pararescueman honored for saving Afghan lives

A pararescueman is set to be honored with the 2008 Pitsenbarger Award for lifesaving actions.

Tech. Sgt. David Keaton, an Air Force Special Operations Command pararescueman at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., has been selected for the award, the Air Force Personnel Center announced.

The annual award from the Air Force Sergeants Association recognizes enlisted airmen who perform heroic acts, on or off duty, that save a life or prevent serious injury.

While Keaton was deployed to Afghanistan in October 2007, he saved the lives of five Afghan civilians who were caught in a fire fight.

“At great personal risk, he courageously maneuvered under a barrage of gunfire to render lifesaving care to three children and two women who were critically wounded after being used as human shields by enemy combatants,” Keaton’s award citation said.

Keaton will receive the honor Aug. 27 during the Sergeants Association’s Air Force Honors banquet in San Antonio, Texas.

The award is named after Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger, a pararescueman posthumously recognized with the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War in 1966.