He dragged a fellow soldier to safety when roadside bombs pummeled their Humvee during a patrol convoy in Iraq. He helped fend off an ensuing attack from insurgents. He became the first Oregon Army National Guardsman to earn a Silver Star since World War II.

By this fall, he will be exalted in plastic and transformed into a video game star.

Move over G.I. Joe. Make room for Sgt. Matt Zedwick: Combat soldier. Soon-to-be action figure. Real-life hero.

Twenty-five-year-old Zedwick, who lived in Bend and is now going to college in Corvallis, is one of nine decorated Army and National Guard soldiers from the conflict in Iraq and the Middle East who will have an Army-issued collectible action figure created in their likeness.

Eight men and one woman will also play themselves in the accompanying military-crafted ”America’s Army” video game series as characters who guide players through training. Used in part as a recruiting tool, the online video game portrays the inner workings of the U.S. Army, from training to battle. Zedwick and the others will appear in the latest edition of the game, ”America’s Army: Real Hero,” which is due out this summer.

”I never thought I’d be an action figure, especially after being a little kid and playing with action figures. When I was a little kid it was about having fun,” said Zedwick, who is still with the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry based in Corvallis. ”But I hope people realize that we were over there. There are real Americans that are putting their lives down on the line.”

The Army chose Zedwick and the others to serve as real-life inspiration for would-be soldiers who might play ”America’s Army,” said Ret. Maj. Chris Chambers, the deputy director of the Army Game project, which created the game series.

Each of the featured soldiers earned a commendation – from Bronze Stars to Silver Stars – for their actions in the Middle East conflicts. One is even in the running for the Distinguished Service Cross, he said. They range in age from 20 to 40 years old, he said.

The collectible action figures and video game characters will come with soldier bios that highlight what made Zedwick and the others stand out on the battlefield. The stories will also delve into their journey as soldiers, explaining how they went from being John Q. Public to real-life G.I. Joes.

”We’re not trying to define the Army’s definitive list of heroes. But we’re trying to show a snapshot or cross-section of soldier heroism that occurs on an almost daily basis,” Chambers said. ”The stories are meant to inspire the kid next door.”

Zedwick, who is the only featured soldier from Oregon, and the others are the first real people to become action figure models and video game characters for ”America’s Army,” Chambers said. In prior versions of the game, the Army created generic characters and action figures.

But they likely won’t be the last.

”We think this will be very popular. I think it will have long legs to it,” Chambers said.

To make the action figures as realistic as possible, the Army will do electronic scanning of each soldier in a variety of positions, such as aiming a rifle and kneeling down. The scanning will capture the lines on the soldiers’ face and every wrinkle in their uniform, Chambers said.

Each of the featured soldiers will don the uniforms, weapons and gear they wore in the field. The clothes will be painted on and the figures won’t have moveable parts, Chambers said, because they are meant to be collectible items.

For the video portion, the soldiers will show up as computer-generated characters who talk to and train the players in the game, Chambers said. There will also be links to live-action interview clips with the soldiers for people who want to know more about them.

For Zedwick, being honored through ”America’s Army” is part of a dizzying ride that started on June 13, 2004, when a roadside ambush killed a fellow guardsman and turned Zedwick into a war hero.

After roadside bombs blasted the Humvee carrying Zedwick and two other guardsmen during a patrol convoy, Zedwick dragged his truck commander to safety while enemy fighters riddled his unit with gunfire. Zedwick tried to save the other soldier, Spc. Eric McKinley of Corvallis, but he died when the first bomb hit.

Zedwick and his fellow soldiers fought off the attack until help arrived. Despite being hit by shrapnel, Zedwick helped give first aid to other guardsmen wounded in the attack.

Zedwick was awarded one of the military’s top five honors for his actions last February. Since then, he has become an icon of the new, battle-ready National Guard. He is even featured in a National Guard commercial.

”I never thought it would have gone this far,” Zedwick said. Zedwick hopes his experiences will open people’s eyes.

”(The Army) wanted to put the guys who were on the front line, people who were decorated and still alive to tell the story,” Zedwick said. ”They might as well know what they are getting into if they are planning a career in the military.”

The events of that day won’t be depicted in the video game, said Chambers, the deputy director of the project. But Zedwick will likely talk about his experience, as well as what made him join the National Guard, he said.

Chambers hopes that putting the spotlight on real soldiers will create a new wave of war heroes for Americans to remember.

”Everyone can look at Zedwick and what he’s done for his country and be justifiably proud,” Chambers said. ”Young people may be inspired because he’s a lot like them. That’s what we are hoping for.”

The video game

* ”America’s Army: Real Hero” is a part of the ”America’s Army” online video game series that will feature action figures and video game characters based on real soldiers who received commendations for actions in the conflicts in Iraq and the Middle East.

* The series simulates Army life through online video games. Players have to go through basic training, which can be done without an Internet connection, and can then take part in 52 fictitious missions with other players online.

* The initial software for the game can be downloaded from either the Internet or a CD. There is also an Xbox game version called ”America’s Army: Rise of a Soldier,” which is already out, and a PlayStation 2 version due out in April.

* ”America’s Army: Real Hero” and the first round of soldier figures will be launched this summer, and the rest are due out by this fall. The figures will be sold in packages with the CD version of the game in retail outlets for about $20.

* For more information, visit www.americas army.com.