Veterans...Get the hell in here now!

BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member

Retired Sgt. Daniel Cowart salutes at the close of a Distinguished Service Cross ceremony in his honor on March 20 at Fort Hood, Texas. Cowart received an upgrade from the Silver Star medal after a review of his actions on May 13, 2007, in Samarra, Iraq.
ROSE L. THAYER/STARS AND STRIPES
​

His Silver Star Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Daniel E. Cowart, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Team Leader in the 1st Platoon, Company D, 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 13 May 2007, near Samarra, Iraq.
On that date, while on a combat patrol, a vehicle fitting the description of one used by insurgents placing roadside bombs approached the patrol. After a series of warnings, the passengers refused to get out and Sergeant Cowart, with his lieutenant and a comrade, exited their vehicle. Two of the insurgents dismounted and fired at the officer, and the driver of the insurgent vehicle then exited and also attempted to attack the officer, but was tackled by Sergeant Cowart. As Sergeant Cowart engaged in a vicious hand-to-hand struggle with the insurgent driver, the lieutenant began firing. Unknown to Sergeant Cowart the enemy driver was wearing a vest laden with explosives, which subsequently detonated, killing his lieutenant and wounding him in the leg.
Due to his ability to process tactical situations instantaneously and his utter disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Cowart was able to correctly maneuver himself and his men into a position of advantage and, through his tactical know-how, use of terrain, and personal courage, he was able to save the lives of two of his comrades at the cost of his own leg.
Sergeant Cowart gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the United States Army.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/i-think-about-those-events-every-day-retired-army-sergeant-receives-upgraded-distinguished-service-cross-1.573522
 
GreatwhiteNorth

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
doublejj said:
I've had the pleasure and honor to meet MOH recipient Clarence Sasser in person. He spoke to us on Army Medic school graduation day. Such a humble man. It was humbling to be in his presence. I was inspired by him and got assigned to the same unit he was in....
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Wow!
I'd really like to meet him & shake his hand but I'm sure he'd get a respectful salute first.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member

"Today, Staff Sgt. Travis W. Atkins, of Bozeman, Mont., posthumously became the fifth U.S. service member to receive the nation’s highest award for combat valor, the Medal of Honor, for actions during the Iraq War.

Atkins’s son, Trevor Oliver, accepted the award on behalf of his late father from President Trump, who highlighted how Atkins, then 31, died June 1, 2007, saving the lives of the three other soldiers by smothering a suicide vest.

“In his final moments on earth, Travis did not run. He didn’t know what it was to run," Trump said. “He laid down his life to save the lives of his fellow warriors.”

The case highlights the Pentagon’s longtime struggles to fully recognize some of the U.S. military’s most highly regarded modern-day heroes -- and underscores the likelihood that the Pentagon may soon belatedly award other service members the nation’s highest combat decoration. For his actions, Atkins was initially given the Army's second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross. Now that award has been upgraded to a Medal of Honor.

To date, no living service member or veteran has received the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq. Seventeen Americans have been awarded Medals of Honor for actions in Afghanistan, including four posthumous awards."


His Distinguished Service Cross Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Staff Sergeant Travis W. Atkins, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company D, 2d Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, on 1 June 2007. Staff Sergeant Atkins distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry at the cost of his life in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. While conducting route security in the town of Abu Sarnak, Iraq, Staff Sergeant Atkins apprehended and began to search a group of suspected insurgents. However, one insurgent resisted and engaged Staff Sergeant Atkins in hand-to-hand combat. As Staff Sergeant Atkins attempted to subdue the man, he realized the insurgent was attempting to trigger a suicide vest which he wore under his clothing. Despite Staff Sergeant Atkins' efforts, the insurgent finally succeeded in reaching his vest. Staff Sergeant Atkins selflessly tackled the suicide bomber in a bear hug, pinning him to the ground and shielding his Soldiers from the imminent explosion. In this critical and selfless act of valor in which he was mortally wounded, Staff Sergeant Atkins saved the lives of three other Soldiers who were with him and gallantly gave his life for his country. Staff Sergeant Atkins' undaunted courage, warrior spirit and steadfast devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself, the 2d Brigade Combat Team, and the United States Army.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-awards-a-posthumous-medal-of-honor-to-army-staff-sgt-trevor-atkins
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/03/27/travis-atkins-died-smothering-suicide-bombers-blast-iraq-now-hell-receive-medal-honor/?utm_term=.8c88fa5cfaa0
https://www.stripes.com/news/army/2-men-confronted-suicide-bombers-and-saved-lives-but-only-1-got-medal-of-honor-1.378844
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member

A petty officer currently stationed at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is the first Coast Guardsman since 2012 to be awarded the prestigious Coast Guard Medal for heroism. Given to military members serving with the Coast Guard for heroism in a situation not involving contact with the enemy, the medal was presented to Petty Officer 2nd Class Traci Huddleston for her "extraordinary heroism" during the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz presented it March 26, 2019 during a ceremony at the annual USO Metro Gala in Washington, D.C.

Huddleston described her actions during the shooting as being in "just the wrong place, wrong time, but also right place, right time."

The shooting killed 58 concertgoers and injured 850 others. According to the medal citation, Huddleston disregarded her own safety to guide others to cover and then spent hours providing first aid and assisting other victims before other help arrived.

"Recognizing there was no place to take cover from the hail of gunfire raining down on the crowd, she demonstrated incredible courage and composure by immediately guiding a nearby 14-year-old to the ground, using her body to shield her from the gunfire," according to the citation. "Without concern for her own safety, she attended to the girl's mother who was suffering from bullet wounds to her neck and body."

Tragically, the woman died from her wounds. With danger still imminent, Huddleston kept moving.

Huddleston guided the girl to areas of cover between gunfire bursts, according to her citation, and ultimately guided a group of concertgoers to safety at a restaurant more than a mile away. There, she provided first aid for five hours, the citation adds.

"Petty Officer Huddleston demonstrated remarkable initiative, exceptional fortitude, and daring in spite of imminent personal danger," the citation states. "Her courage and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard."

Huddleston said she was notified about a week ago that she would receive the award during the gala.

"I still just feel in shock from everything," she said after the ceremony. "It's an honor, for sure."

The award was last presented in 2012, when it was given posthumously to Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne, who was killed after throwing himself in front of a shipmate to protect him from an oncoming vessel.

Huddleston also previously received the USO's George Van Cleve Military Leadership medal during the organization's 2018 USO Armed Forces Gala in Manhattan, New York.
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
From EOD to E.O.D. - One Soldier's Story of Triumph Through Chocolate
28 March 2019

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida EOD Staff Sgt. Aaron Hale, soldier turned chocolatier, was recently featured in the Fox Nation series "Building Homes for Heroes." Six years ago, he was the recipient of a mortgage-free house from the non-profit Building Homes for Heroes, following his return from Afghanistan where he was blinded and severely injured in an IED detonation.

The IED incident, occurred on December 8, 2011 as Hale was approaching an IED when it detonated and sent shrapnel flying, breaking his facial bones, causing severe burns on his face and upper thighs, a cracked skull and a near-severed carotid artery. He also lost his eyesight in the blast.

In recovery, he began running, white water kayaking, and mountain climbing. When he returned home he suffered bacterial meningitis as a result of his prior injuries and as a result, he almost lost his life and was completely deaf two weeks later. During this difficult time, he distracted himself by baking and soon 'Extra Ordinary Delights' (E.O.D.) Confections was born. The company sells fudge, chocolate confections, candied apples, pecan pie tarts, chocolate and pecan-caramel glazed popcorn, sea salt gophers, sea salt caramels, nuts and more.

Hale, now a master chocolatier, works with his wife, McKayla, who together have grown EOD Confections into a commercial enterprise with corporate clients and growing online sales.

(His treats are really good, kinda pricey, but, well... fuck it ;)) bb
https://eodfudge.com/products
 
BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
"The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes called the Siege of Petersburg) and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War.

Fifty-two soldiers earn Medals on Honor on this day at Petersburg, Virginia.

On April 6, 1865, fifty-six soldiers earn Medals of Honor at Deatonsville (Sailor’s Creek), VA. Among them on this day was 2d Lt. Thomas Custer who earned his second Medal of Honor, becoming the only Army man in the Civil War to receive two."

(The criteria for issuance of the MOH during the Civil War were different than later years and Congress set down guidelines in 1918 to clear away any inconsistencies of the legislation which had grown around the medal and to finalize rules for its award. 911 MOH’s were invalidated of the 2,625 that were issued during the US Civil War. Many of the Medal’s issuance’s were for picking up the fallen colors (Flag) and advancing. None of these Medals were invalidated as the Flag was an important and reverent rallying symbol for open field charging troops. Sharpshooters on both sides targeted Standard Bearers before officers. Battle fought Flags always command premium prices when they rarely appear at auction. bb)

https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/historyculture/flags.htm
https://www.thoughtco.com/flags-importance-in-the-civil-war-1773716
 
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BarnBuster

BarnBuster

Virtually Unknown Member
GreatwhiteNorth said:
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Roy was something
BarnBuster said:

On 2 May 1968, 12 Green Berets were surrounded near Loc Ninh, South Vietnam, by an entire battalion of NVA. They were thus outnumbered, 12 men versus about 1,000. They dug in and tried to hold them off, but were not going to last long. Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez heard their distress call over a radio in town and boarded a rescue helicopter with first aid equipment. He did not have time to grab a weapon before the helicopter left, so he voluntarily jumped into the hot LZ armed only with his knife.

He sprinted across 75 meters of open terrain through withering small arms and machine gun fire to reach the pinned down MACV-SOG team. By the time he reached them, he had been shot 4 times, twice in the right leg, once through both cheeks, which knocked out four molars, and a glancing shot off his head.

He ignored these wounds and began administering first aid. The rescue chopper left as it was not designed to extract men. An extraction chopper was sent for, and Benavidez took command of the men by directing their fire around the edges of the clearing in order to facilitate the chopper’s landing. When the aircraft arrived, he supervised the loading of the wounded on board, while throwing smoke canisters to direct the chopper’s exact landing. He was wounded severely and at all times under heavy enemy crossfire, but still carried and dragged half of the wounded men to the chopper.

He then ran alongside the landing skids providing protective fire into the trees as the chopper moved across the LZ collecting the wounded. The enemy fire got worse, and Benavidez was hit solidly in the left shoulder. He got back up and ran to the platoon leader, dead in the open, and retrieved classified documents. He was shot in the abdomen, and a grenade detonated nearby peppering his back with shrapnel.

The chopper pilot was mortally wounded then, and his chopper crashed. Benavidez was in extremely critical condition, and still refused to fall. He ran to the wreckage and got the wounded out of the aircraft, and arranged them into a defensive perimeter to wait for the next chopper. The enemy automatic rifle fire and grenades only intensified, and Benavidez ran and crawled around the perimeter giving out water and ammunition.

The NVA was building up to wipe them out, and Benavidez called in tactical air strikes with a squawk box and threw smoke to direct the fire of arriving gunships. Just before the extraction chopper landed, he was shot again in the left thigh while giving first aid to a wounded man. He still managed to get to his feet and carry some of the men to the chopped, directing the others, when an NVA soldier rushed from the woods and clubbed him over the head with an AK-47. This caused a skull fracture and a deep gash to his left upper arm, and yet he still got back up and decapitated the soldier with one swing of his knife, severing the spine and all tissue on one side of the neck. He then resumed carrying the wounded to the chopper and returning for others, and was shot twice more in the lower back. He shot two more NVA soldiers trying to board the chopper, then made one last trip around the LZ to be sure all documents were retrieved, and finally boarded the chopper. He had lost 2 quarts of blood. Before he blacked out, he shouted to one of the other Green Berets, “Another great day to be in South Vietnam!”

Suffering from 37 bayonet, bullet, and shrapnel wounds in various parts of his body, Benavidez used the last of his strength to pull himself on board the helicopter, the last man to leave the battlefield. The helicopter was completely riddled with holes, covered in blood, and without any functioning instruments, but the pilot somehow took off and got the team out of there. Benavidez lost consciousness as soon as he knew they were clear.

Sergeant Roy P. Benavidez of the 1st Special Forces was credited with single-handedly saving the lives of eight men during six hours of non-stop battle. When a recovery team went through the site a few days later they discovered over 30 empty NVA foxholes with heavy weapons, and saw the battlefield littered with more dead than they had time to count.

After the rescue helicopters landed at the base, Roy Benavidez's motionless body was carried off the helicopter, and after a preliminary inspection by the medical personnel on-site, the hero was gently laid onto a gurney and wheeled into the coroner's office.

Just as they were zipping up his body bag, Benavidez used the last of his energy to spit in the doctor's face.

The mostly-dead Benavidez was rushed into surgery immediately, then transferred to Saigon for many months of intensive rehabilitation. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic balls-out actions, and once the full details of the battle came declassified the award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, the highest award for military bravery offered by the United States military. He lived to be 63.
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