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In a rare move, the Army upgraded one of two Bronze Star with "V" medals earned by a Marine killed in Afghanistan nearly nine years after leaders nominated him for the prestigious award. Sprovtsoff, who last deployed as an explosive ordnance disposal technician with 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, was killed in an improvised explosive device blast in 2011. His Silver Star will be presented by Maj. Gen. Joseph Osterman, the head of Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Sprovtsoff had already pulled tours in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Phantom Fury when he deployed to Afghanistan in November 2006 to train the army there. As part of a Marine embedded training team, then-Sgt. Sprovtsoff fell under the command of the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. #SaturdayTributes