Iraq - Navy Capt. Robert Lansden, a New Orleans native who volunteered for duty in Iraq, has been awarded a Bronze Star.
Lansden directs CMOC, the U.S. Army Civil Affairs program rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure in critical, war-torn areas.
The Bronze Star recognizes recipients for "bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service." Lansen received the award Thursday at a ceremony in Baghdad, according to his wife, Mary Anne.
Lansden first gained notoriety in the chaotic days after Katrina when heroism met coincidence. The merchant marine vessel he commanded, the U.S.N.S. Pollux, happened to be stuck in the Port of New Orleans with engine trouble. Lansden shifted into action, bringing water and other supplies to, among other places, West Jefferson Hospital.
"There was just one thing after another," he recalled in an interview earlier this year. "I was blessed to have that ability and to have ridden through the storm to already be there."
His life-saving Katrina work motivated him to volunteer for duty in Iraq.
