Medal or no medal, he is still Buddy, a kid from Rochester who's ready to live out his childhood dream of being a firefighter, just a laid-back guy who found his niche in the National Guard.

"Buddy was never great in sports, but he tried them all, and he always gave it everything. That's something that comes from here," he said, holding his fist to his chest.

A New Hampshire Army National Guard soldier is winning the Silver Star for bravery in battle in Iraq. Richard Ghent of Rochester charged enemy insurgents after being blown out of his Humvee in an attack that killed one guardsman and seriously wounded another.

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It happened in March when a grenade landed in the Humvee carrying Ghent, Vermont guardsman Christopher Merchant and New Hampshire guardsman Jose Pequeno. Merchant was killed and Pequeno seriously wounded.

Ghent charged the insurgents, armed only with a pistol, and drove them back before more soldiers arrived. He was shot in the back and suffered shrapnel wounds.

His mother, Nancy Williams of Rochester, clutched a bouquet of roses throughout the ceremony. Afterward, she made her way to her son and then politely waited, as he posed with congressmen Charlie Bass and Jeb Bradley for the press.

Finally it was her turn. She reached down and touched the medal pinned to his shirt before wrapping her arms around him, tearfully whispering something in his ear.

When asked what she said to him, she simply shook her head. "What can you say? It's bittersweet. His passenger who was killed was his best friend, and his commander is still in the hospital," she said. "He did was he was trained to do. I know it was a harrowing experience."