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On October 2, 2001, the United States military launched its worldwide war on terror by invading Afghanistan in a campaign known as Operation Enduring Freedom. In the 17-years since, 21 of the bravest men ever born have received the United States’ highest award for combat valor–the Medal of Honor. These are their stories.
As a man and as a human, I can only aspire to the incredible bravery that these men have shown. In the face of insurmountable odds, these soldiers risked it all, some paying the ultimate price, to help their fellow soldiers. Having never been in combat, I can’t even begin to understand the mettle of these soldiers. I often toss the term bravery around for the most mundane reasons. Today, I think I will reserve that word for those who truly embody it.
Thank you to these incredible individuals and to every other service member past, present and future for having the fortitude to believe in something when literally anything else would be easier.
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US Army courtesy photo
Sergeant First Class Paul Smith
On April 4, 2003, Smith coordinated the defense of over 100 US soldiers, while fighting off the enemy with hand grenades, anti-tank weapons and a truck-mounted machine gun–all the while exposing himself to enemy fire. Though he suffered mortal wounds in the exchange, his actions saved the lives of numerous wounded soldiers.
On April 4, 2005, Sgt. First Class Smith received the first Medal of Honor awarded during the War on Terror
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Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward Byers
Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward Byers was part of the rescue mission of an American hostage that was held by the Taliban. During the rescue, Byers engaged in hand-to-hand combat with multiple enemy combatants and used his own body as a shield to protect the hostage from machine gun fire.
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Captain Florent Groberg
Army Captain Florent Groberg was thrown 20 feet through the air and knocked unconscious from the blast of a suicide vest. Groberg discovered the vest after confronting a man who had demonstrated suspicious behavior in Asadabad, Afghanistan on August 8, 2012. He grabbed the vest and pushed the attacker away from his formation, suffering from severe injuries resulting from the bomb blast.
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Corporal Jason Dunham
On April 14, 2004, Cpl. Jason Dunham jumped on top of a grenade to save the lives of two of his squad members. He survived the blast but succumbed to his injuries on April 22. Guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham was named in his honor.
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US Navy courtesy photo
Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski
After his helicopter was shot down on March 4, 2002, SEAL Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski protected his teammates, fighting off insurgent forces while exposing himself to direct fire. During the firefight, Slabinski carried a wounded teammate to safety while calling in airstrikes to provide protection. Originally, he was awarded the Navy Cross, however in May 2018, President Donald Trump upgraded the award to the Medal of Honor.
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US Air Force courtesy photo
Air Force Technical Sergeant John Chapman
After a rocket-propelled grenade brought down his team’s chopper, Chapman selflessly led the effort to rescue a fellow soldier thrown from the aircraft. He fought for over an hour, ignoring his own wounds to save Navy SEAL Neil Roberts.
This battle would later be dubbed the Battle of Robert’s Ridge and would lead to numerous commendations including 12 Silver Stars and three Air Force Crosses. In August, 2018 President Trump upgraded Chapman’s award to the Medal of Honor.
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Lieutenant Michael Murphy
On June 28, 2005, Lt. Michael Murphy’s SEAL team was surrounded by Taliban forces near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Knowing their survival hinged on receiving support, Murphy ran into a clearing under heavy enemy fire to call in support. Murphy was mortally wounded, but held his ground, fighting off the enemy troops while protecting his teammates.
Guided missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy was named in his honor.
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Sergeant First Class Jared Monti
Sergeant Monti absolutely refused to leave a wounded teammate behind. On June 21, 2006, in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan, he repeatedly ran through heavy fire to rescue his wounded teammate. Monti was mortally wounded on his third attempt to rescue the fallen comrade. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on September 17, 2009.
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Second Class Petty Officer Michael Monsoor
While standing guard on a rooftop in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on September 29th, 2006, a hand-thrown grenade bounced off of Monsoor’s chest. Though he was the only one who could have escaped the blast, Monsoor instead jumped on the grenade, shielding his two teammates.
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Private First Class Ross McGinnis
On Dec. 4, 2006 private First Class Ross McGinnis were carrying out combat operations when an insurgent lobbed a grenade into his vehicle. McGinnis alerted his crew and then pinned the grenade to the vehicle using his own body. He was only 19-years-old at the time of his valiant death.
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Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta
After being ambushed by insurgents, Salvatore Giunta repeatedly ran into enemy fire to administer first aid to wounded teammates. While making one of these runs, he noticed two insurgents carrying off one of his teammates. He took on the two insurgents and came out with the wounded soldier, dragging him to safety.
On November 16, 2010, Giunta became the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor.
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Sergeant Kyle White
Sergeant Kyle White and his platoon were ambushed as they hiked along a narrow ridge in Afghanistan on November 9, 2007. As a hell storm of bullets and grenades exploded around him, White provided life-saving medical care to wounded teammates, scrambling to distract enemy fire and using his own body as a shield. Even after suffering severe shrapnel wounds and a concussion, White continued to work, calling in airstrikes and a medical evacuation helicopter.
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Staff Sergeant Robert Miller
Green Beret Staff Sergeant Robert Miller was on patrol with his unit when they were ambushed by insurgent forces in the Konar Province, Afghanistan on January 25, 2008. After ordering his men into a full retreat, Miller turned around and charged the enemy. He was mortally wounded, but his actions saved the lives of seven teammates and 15 Afghanistan National Army troops.
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Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry
Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry lost his right hand on May 26, 2008 when a grenade — which had landed only a few feet from his unit — detonated before he could throw it back. After losing his hand, Petry applied his own tourniquet and continued leading his team until the battle was over.
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Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts
At the break of dawn on July 13, 2008, Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts and other sentries manning his observation post noticed potential insurgents approaching their base. The entire valley soon erupted with gunfire from over 200 insurgents who had taken over the nearby town of Wanat, Afghanistan. Despite shrapnel injuries requiring a tourniquet, Pitts defended his post while calling in casualties and enemy positions. Pitts suffered multiple concussions and lost so much blood he could not stand on his own, but held off the insurgents and prevented them from gaining the high ground over his base.
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Corporal Dakota Meyer
Wounded by shrapnel and hindered by continuous enemy fire, Corporal Dakota Meyer made multiple trips over the span of six hours — both in vehicles and on foot — to save four US teammates and dozens of Afghan soldiers in a brutal fight that would become known as the Battle of Ganjgal.
On September 15, 2011, Meyer became the second Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in the global war on terror — and the first living Marine since the Vietnam War.
Fighting beside Meyer during the battle was Army Captain William Swenson, who also received the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.
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Captain William Swenson
Over the course of six hours, Captain William Swenson risked his life several times in order to locate and evacuate wounded members of his team, fighting attacking enemy forces throughout the six-hour Battle of Ganjgal.
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Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha
Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha woke on the morning of October 3, 2009 to find that his remote Afghan outpost had fallen under attack. Although President Obama would later call the outpost “indefensible,” Romesha and his company-sized unit defended their base against over 300 Taliban fighters.
Defending the outpost with Romesha that day was Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, who was also awarded the Medal of Honor, marking the first time since the Vietnam War that the military awarded its highest honor to two members fighting in the same battle.
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Staff Sergeant Ty Carter
Staff Sergeant Ty Carter placed his life on the line to protect members of his unit who fell under attack by over 300 Taliban fighters at Combat Outpost Keating. Carter ran into direct fire several times to protect wounded soldiers, at one point carrying a teammate to safety on a stretcher before returning to fight.
The unit was able to defend their outpost and push back the Taliban, and became one of the most highly decorated units in the war on terror, earning 37 Army Commendation Medals, 27 Purple Hearts, 18 Bronze Stars, nine Silver Stars and two Medals of Honor.
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Corporal William “Kyle” Carpenter
After a grenade landed near his post, Corporal William “Kyle” Carpenter threw his body towards the explosive, absorbing the blast and saving the life of his teammate. Carpenter miraculously survived the blast and spent over two and a half years in rehabilitation, requiring numerous surgeries after waking from a five-week coma.
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Green Beret Staff Sergeant Ronald Shurer
Ronald Shurer, an Army medic-turned Green Beret, charged up the mountainside into enemy fire. Shurer treated and evacuated four soldiers from the mountain, using his own body to shield them from enemy fire and shrapnel. He then returned to the mountain to continue fighting against enemy forces.
Shurer, who now serves as an agent for the Secret Service, was originally awarded the Silver Star for his actions. Upon hearing his story, President Donald Trump upgraded the award to the Medal of Honor.
(Insider)
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