Two Australian solders have been awarded the third-highest military honour in the United States for exceptional valour in combat.
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Retired Group Captain Macaulay Cottrell and the family of the late Warrant Officer Kevin Wheatley were given the Silver Star medal for their time with US soldiers in Vietnam.
Then-flying officer Cottrell flew against intense fire and strong weather which provided information for further support missions in 1968, while Warrant Officer Wheatley led the charge to capture a hostile village pressed against automatic gun fire and grenade explosions in 1965.
The US Charge d'Affaires Michael Goldman presented the medals in a closed door ceremony in Canberra also attended by Governor-General David Hurley.
Around 23,000 Silver Stars have been awarded by the US but only six have been given to Australian Defence Force members.
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