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Tactical Soldiers To Be Honored At Pope Air Field

Several tactical soldiers will get special recognition tomorrow at Pope Air Field in Fayetteville.  Members of the 21st Special Tactical Squadron are being awarded for their service in Afghanistan. The unit is a highly-trained ground force that often works side-by-side with elite special operations forces such as Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. The Unit's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Spencer Cocanour says 38 soldiers will be honored.
 

He said,"Any given day at least 10 to 20 of them are going outside the wire. They're working with local villagers training them for their own security efforts, doing clearing operations or a bunch of other special operations."

Five of the honorees will be presented with the prestigious Bronze Star -- the nation's fourth-highest combat decoration. Many of the honorees are scheduled to arrive at the ceremony by way of a parachute jump onto Pope Field to begin the event.

Gurnal Scott joined North Carolina Public Radio in March 2012 after several stops in radio and television. After graduating from the College of Charleston in his South Carolina hometown, he began his career in radio there. He started as a sports reporter at News/Talk Radio WTMA and won five Sportscaster of the Year awards. In 1997, Gurnal moved on to television as general assignment reporter and weekend anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston. He anchored the market's top-rated weekend newscasts until leaving Charleston for Memphis, TN in 2002. Gurnal worked at WPTY-TV for two years before returning to his roots in radio. He joined the staff of Memphis' NewsRadio 600 WREC in 2004 eventually rising to News Director. In 2006, Raleigh news radio station WPTF came calling and he became the station's chief correspondent. Gurnal’s reporting has been honored by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the North Carolina Associated Press, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
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