As the Afghanistan war enters its 10th year on Thursday, President Obama awarded the nation's highest military honor today to a Green Beret who gave his life to save more than 20 U.S. and Afghan comrades.

The Medal of Honor went to the parents of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, 24, who drew enemy fire away from his squad after a 2008 ambush by the Taliban in northwest Afghanistan.

During a somber ceremony at the White House, Obama said Miller embodies the dangerous yet often secretive work of the Special Forces.

"Few Americans ever see their service," Obama said. "All Americans are safer because of it."

Miller's "testing point" came on the freezing night of Jan. 25, 2008, as he led a battle damage assessment team into a snowy valley, Obama said. Suddenly, from the hills above, nearly 150 well-protected members of the insurgent Taliban began firing bullets and grenades.

"First, it was just a single insurgent, jumping out from behind a boulder,' Obama said. "Then, the whole valley seemed to explode with gunfire."

Even under heavy fire, Miller -- wounded twice in the chest -- advanced while firing back and tossing grenades, and reporting on the enemy's position via radio. Miller's actions provided cover as other soldiers pulled out the wounded for medical treatment.

Survivors said that "Rob seemed to disappear into clouds of dust and debris," Obama said in summarizing their testimony. Members of the team could hear Miller's voice on the radio and the constant crack of his rifle.

"And then they heard it," Obama said. "Rob's weapon fell silent."

Miller, the third soldier in the Afghanistan war to win the Medal of Honor, is credited with saving 22 lives, including 15 Afghans.

Miller's courage that night "reflects every virtue that defined his life," Obama said. The president recounted parts of Miller's biography, including his youth near Chicago, his years as a high school gymnast, and his determination to become a Green Beret.

Obama spoke from the East Room, just beneath a portrait of the nation's first military hero, George Washington. The ceremony came just one day before the ninth anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, which occurred less than a month after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In paying tribute to Miller, Obama also paid tribute to the thousands of other Americans who have risked or given their lives in Afghanistan.

Late last year, Obama ordered 30,000 additional troops to the war that he said had been neglected by the George W Bush administration in favor of the war in Iraq. This July, Obama plans to begin a withdrawal process from Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Vice President Joe Biden attended the ceremony, as did dozens of military members in dark dress uniforms, including Miller's colleagues from Fort Bragg, N.C.

More than 100 of Miller's family and friends attended. As some members of the crowd held up cell phones to record the event, parents Phil and Maureen Miller formally accepted the Medal of Honor from the president.

"You gave your oldest son to America," Obama said. "And America is forever in your debt."

In a prepared statement after the ceremony, Mrs. Miller told reporters that her son "loved what he was doing, he was good at what he was doing, and he believed he was working for a good cause." Mrs. Miller said she and her husband know there are other parents who have dealt with loss, and have not received the recognition the deserve.

Phil Miller said in his statement that "Rob was very patriotic and appreciated the freedoms we enjoy, and he knew they could e taken away from us."

(Posted by David Jackson)