University of Richmond Student Received Defense of Freedom Medal in Dec. 3 Ceremony at the Pentagon

December 10, 2004

Scott Erwin, the University of Richmond senior who was shot and nearly killed while returning to his quarters from evening volunteer work in Baghdad last summer, received the Defense of Freedom Medal in a Dec. 3 ceremony at The Pentagon.

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, the former civil administrator in Iraq, presented Erwin with the medal, which recognizes civilian employees of the Department of Defense who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. The medal was established in honor of defense employees killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Erwin, of Kansas City, Mo., deferred his senior year to work in Iraq as a budget officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority. Bush administration officials recruited him for the position after Erwin impressed them during a summer White House internship. In his spare time, Erwin created a volunteer program to train Iraqi university students in the fundamentals of democratic government, which they would in turn teach to the country’s schoolchildren.

Insurgents ambushed a car in which Erwin rode home from class one evening, killing two Iraqi police officers in the front seat and shooting Erwin in the arm and stomach. He survived serious injuries and has recovered enough to resume his studies at the university.

For more information and a photo of the presentation, visit www.defenselink.mil.