GILEAD – Major Stephen Joseph McLain III, formerly of Gilead, has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally meritorious service while serving in Iraq from Oct. 7, 2007, to Jan. 3, 2009.

McLain is the son of Lise (DuPont) and Stephen McLain Jr. of Gilead. McLain has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and will soon complete his master’s degree in business administration.

As captain in the Army, he completed a tour in Iraq from November 2004 to May 2005, with his headquarters located in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in Baghdad.

In July 2009, McLain will begin a new assignment to work at the NATO headquarters in Stavanger, Norway, for a two-year period.

McLain has two brothers, Bradley McLain of Newry and Joey McLain of Bowman, Mont., and maternal grandfather, Gerard DuPont of Gilead. McLain is married to Florence (Darn) McLain and they have three children, Marina, 12, Nathan, 10, and Quinn, 2. They live in Virginia.