Sgt. 1st Class Jarrod Gozy

While serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan, last year with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Sgt. 1st Class Jarrod Gozy, 33, helped design force protection procedures and was the noncommissioned officer in charge of security at his base's main gate. Locals with appointments at the hospital came through that gate and Gozy helped children feel at ease. He gave them candy, toys and took photographs of them with their families - the printouts he provided often were the first photographs the families possessed.

In addition, he established a foundation that helped sponsor 22 schools and provided supplies for more than 20,000 students and teachers. The foundation also provided 150 beds for the children's ward of the local hospital.

Gozy, a truck driver by training, also looked after his own troops, registering with the Web site Anysoldier.com to arrange for donations from military supporters and passing along the goodies and gifts that arrived. In Germany, where he has been for a year, he sponsored local military children to attend a middle school service project in Poland and served as an adult leader for that effort.