Benson, N.C. — A Benson solider was honored Friday night with the prestigious Silver Star medal. It is given to soldiers who place themselves in intense hostile fire.

"I'm really proud and I'm sad too, because a ribbon is what I've got and I don't have my son anymore,” father Ronnie Moore said.

Moore accepted the distinguished medal for his son, Staff Sgt. William Clint Moore, at the American Legion in Benson.

In April, the 27-year-old soldier was serving his second tour in Iraq when he was killed.

"Two dump trucks, full of explosives, crashed into the base that they were operating out of,” said Capt. Stephen Dobbins, with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Moore survived the first blast, but was killed when he went back into the building to rescue fellow soldiers.

His courage and sacrifice earned him the Silver Star medal and helped save the lives of two fellow paratroopers.

"That's just the kind of fella he was," Moore said.

But despite the high honor, it doesn't make losing your only son any easier.

"Some days are better than others. I miss my boy," Moore said. “I miss him not coming through the door. There's times I can hardly take it."

Moore said he couldn't have been more proud of his son for what he did for his fellow soldiers and his country.

Only two other medals are higher than the Silver Star in the military, the Distinguished Service Cross and the highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.