Minuteman Minute | Master Sgt. Roger Sparks Blouse and Tether

In 2010, when soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment encountered fierce resistance during Operation Bulldog Bite in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, the Alaska Air National Guard’s 212th Rescue Squadron, including Pararescue Jumper Master Sgt. Roger Sparks, was ready to help. For his extraordinary efforts to rescue Americans, Sparks received the Silver Star for gallantry.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, Director of the National Guard Memorial Museum, here in DC, and this is YOUR Minuteman Minute! In November 2010, Operation Bulldog Bite targeted Taliban forces in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. When soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment encountered fierce resistance, Pararescue Jumpers from Alaska Air National Guard’s 212th Rescue Squadron were ready to help. Master Sergeant Roger Sparks wore this jacket when he arrived to aid the wounded and collect the dead. It and this tether used by his team bear the scars of insurgent bullets. Sparks and his teammate, Captain Bailey, were lowered from their Pave Hawk helicopter under machine gun and Rocket Propelled Grenade fire. The Pave Hawk provided some covering fire between trips to evacuate the injured and killed. Meanwhile, Sparks treated gravely wounded soldiers while Bailey called in danger-close air support. The operation resulted in the deaths of seven Americans and three Afghan National Army soldiers. Master Sergeant Sparks was awarded the Silver Star for his valor on that day. Come see this and a whole lot more at the National Guard Memorial Museum. I’m Will Roulett [Look at watch.] and that’s been your Minuteman Minute brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.