First 24th AF Portraits in Courage recipient: I was just doing my job

Alexander Yessayan says he’s not a hero and you might just believe him unless you talk to anyone who knows the man or he begrudgingly tells you about what happened more than a year ago in Afghanistan.

Those who know him use words like humble, straight shooter and, yes, hero to describe Staff Sgt. Alexander Yessayan after his actions Nov. 29, 2009, while conducting route reconnaissance to find a better way to access a remote village.

“I was lucky to have served with so many real heroes that some of their courage rubbed off on me that day,” said Sergeant Yessayan, a client systems craftsman with the 53rd Combat Communications Squadron. “There are plenty more heroes who do this every day, year after year. Those and the ones who never made it home are America’s true heroes.”
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