What Honor Looks Like

[waltky]

Now I know what honor looks like...

What honor looks like: The flash mob at Gate 38 of Reagan National Airport
May 23, 2012 - Honor is a hard term to describe. It doesn’t have a color or weight or shape. If someone were to ask me what honor looked like, I’d probably struggle with what to say.

But something happened on May 23, 2012 at 9:31 a.m. at Gate 38 of Reagan National Airport that might change that. A flash mob of sorts broke out. But not like you’ve seen on YouTube with highly choreographed dance numbers or people singing a song in unison. In fact, virtually all of the participants of this “flash mob” didn’t know they would be participating until moments before it happened.

Let me explain. Shortly before 9:30 over the loud speakers, a US Airways gate attendant announced that an Honor Flight of World War II veterans would be arriving momentarily and encouraged anyone passing by to help greet them. Five or six people looked like they were officially part of the welcoming committee, and the rest of the people in the secure section of the airport were regular old travelers going somewhere. Then I had a terrible thought. What if these veterans came off the plane and just those five or six individuals were there to greet them. I walked a gate over to help see the veterans out.

But – then it happened and frankly, I wasn’t expecting it. All throughout the terminal, people left their gates and gathered around gate 38. A few active military personnel in plain clothes approached the gate attendant and politely asked if they could join in the salute within the jet way as the heros first stepped off the plane. Every human being in the terminal stood at attention and faced the door. Someone held up an old newspaper from 1945 that had a banner headline that said, “Nazis Quit!” And when I saw that newspaper, I realized that World War II wasn’t just a chapter in a history book. It was men and women who saw an evil like the world has never seen before and traveled across the world to meet that evil. And they defeated it.

I wonder if in 1945, any of those brave soldiers could ever imagine that 67 years later, we’d still be basking in the freedom that they preserved. And some of those heros were about to walk through Gate 38. The first soldier walked through the door. Old, frail and needing help walking. And every person I could see in the entire airport stood and applauded. No – maybe cheered is more like it.

But here’s the thing – the applause didn’t stop. For a full 20 minutes, as veteran by veteran stepped out of the jet way, the US Airways wing of Reagan National Airport thundered in appreciation. Travelers stepped out for the opportunity to shake their hand while others held back tears. This is the America we picture in our heads. Heros getting a hero’s welcome and those who enjoy the freedom adequately conveying their gratitude. Now, I know what honor looks like.

By Chris Muller

Video

 

[daveman]

Thank God there are some people who know what's worth honoring.

 

[waltky]

Veteran Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha to get Medal of Honor for bravery in Afghanistan...

Fourth living veteran of Afghanistan war to receive Medal of Honor
January 11, 2013 WASHINGTON — Former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha will receive the Medal of Honor in February for his actions as a section leader in Afghanistan in 2009, the fourth living veteran of the war in Afghanistan to receive the award.

Romesha was section leader with Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division at combat outpost Keating in Kamdesh district, Afghanistan, on Oct. 3, 2009, when his unit came under heavy fire. According to written accounts by military historian Richard S. Lowry, enemy fighters launched an assault against the post, attacking from three sides and coming close to taking the ammunition supply point. Romesha led a counterattack to reclaim the ammunition bunker, Lowry wrote. Eight soldiers were killed in the firefight, which Lowry said lasted 12 hours.

Romesha, who enlisted in 1999 and left the Army in 2011, deployed to Afghanistan twice and to Iraq four times. He has several military decorations, including a Bronze Star, three Army Commendation medals and five Army Achievement medals. The attack on COP Keating remains one of the deadliest attacks against coalition forces in Afghanistan and is chronicled in the book “The Outpost,” by Jake Tapper. In it, Tapper writes that Romesha is the son of a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cedarville, Calif.

“His parents had hoped he would follow his father into the church leadership, and Romesha had in fact gone to seminary for four years during high school — from five till seven every morning — but ultimately it just wasn’t for him. He didn’t even go on a mission, a regular rite for young Mormon men. Romesha was better suited to this kind of mission, with guns and joes under his command.” Romesha lives in Minot, N.D., with his wife and three children.

The announcement of his award came the same day Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with White House and Pentagon officials to discuss the future of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The scarcity of battlefield valor awards has been a sore spot for veterans groups and lawmakers in recent years. Only seven men, including Romesha, have been awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan since 2001, and only four have received the award for valor in Iraq.

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Epic combat valor: Former soldier to receive Medal of Honor
January 11th, 2013 - A former U.S. Army staff sergeant will receive the nation's highest award for combat valor for his actions in repelling an insurgent onslaught in Afghanistan in 2009. He is the fourth living recipient to receive the award for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

President Obama said on Friday that Clinton Romesha will receive the Medal of Honor next month. Romesha is being recognized for his courage while a section leader with Bravo Troop, 3-61 Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at combat outpost Keating. The assault on the outpost in the eastern province of Nuristan goes down as one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

According to the citation accompanying the award, Romesha and fellow soldiers awakened to an attack by an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of their complex. They were firing rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft guns and mortars. Romesha moved uncovered under intense enemy fire multiple times to muster reinforcements and fire on attackers. He took out an enemy machine gun team and, while engaging a second, was wounded by shrapnel when a generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade.

He fought on undeterred, exposing himself to "heavy enemy fire" while moving "confidently about the battlefield. Romesha engaged and destroyed "multiple enemy targets." He also directed air support to destroy more than 30 enemy fighters and saved other wounded troops. "Staff Sergeant Romesha's heroic actions throughout the day long battle were critical in suppressing an enemy that had far greater numbers. His extraordinary efforts gave Bravo Troop the opportunity to regroup, reorganize and prepare for the counterattack that allowed the troop to account for its personnel and secure Combat Outpost Keating," according to the award citation.

According to the book, "The Outpost" by Jake Tapper, which examines the events leading up to and on the deadly day, Romesha exhibited intense courage and determination as the outnumbered U.S. troops and Afghan allies battled an enemy force numbering in the hundreds. Tapper says Romesha is the "son of a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church in Cedarville, California." His parents, according to the book "had hoped he would follow his father into the church leadership, and Romesha had in fact gone to seminary for four years during high school - from five till seven every morning - but ultimately it just wasn't for him."

MORE

Related: The Medal of Honor: What is it?

Who deserves a Medal of Honor?

 

[Ernie S.]

Those old vets are becoming rarer and rarer every year. My dad served in Europe and North Africa during WW II. He passed 2 1/2 years ago at 93.

 

[waltky]

Granny wantin' to know what took `em so long??...

Lawmakers might seek probe into delay of Medal of Honor
January 15, 2013 WASHINGTON — A California congressman said Tuesday he was considering asking the Pentagon inspector general to investigate why President Barack Obama hasn’t approved the nation’s highest military award for gallantry for a former Army captain whose nomination has been stalled at the White House since last summer.

Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. said that before requesting a probe, he wanted to give the Army and the Defense Department a final opportunity to explain the delay in awarding the Medal of Honor to former Army Capt. William Swenson for valor for acts he performed during a 2009 battle in eastern Afghanistan. Seeking an inspector general’s inquiry “is something that we’re talking about if the Army and the Defense Department don’t come out and say why” Swenson hasn’t been awarded the medal yet, said Hunter, a former Marine who served two combat tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. “It shouldn’t be complicated to come out and do the right thing.”

In an interview with McClatchy Newspapers, Hunter said the holdup with Swenson’s decoration was emblematic of wider problems with a military award system that he has long charged lacks transparency and is susceptible to improper interference and manipulation. “There’re too many political considerations in the Medal of Honor process, and I don’t know what happens now with Secretary Panetta leaving — if that is going to delay things even more,” Hunter said, speaking of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. “Congress shouldn’t have to get involved in this. You simply want the awards process and the process within DoD to be transparent and to have people held accountable.”

The White House didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment. Lt. Col. Laurel Devine, the deputy director of Army Public Affairs, referred an inquiry to the Defense Department. George Little, a spokesman for Panetta, wrote in an email that he had no comment. Hunter’s remarks came four days after Obama announced that former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha would receive the Medal of Honor for valorous actions during a clash in eastern Afghanistan that occurred three weeks after the battle for which Swenson was nominated. Romesha, of Minot, N.D., is only the fourth living recipient of the award from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Obama awarded then-Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer the Medal of Honor in September 2011 for heroism in the same battle for which Swenson was nominated. Swenson, 33, of Seattle, declined to comment for this article. The first living Army officer nominated for the Medal of Honor in four decades, he resigned from the service in February 2011. He was nominated for gallantry in the Sept. 8, 2009, battle of the Ganjgal Valley, one of the most extraordinary military confrontations of the post-9/11 wars, a six-hour clash that erupted when some 50 to 60 Taliban-led insurgents ambushed a contingent of Afghan troops and border police and U.S. trainers.

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[waltky]

Romesha givin' platoon credit...

Army veteran credits Medal of Honor to platoon's valor
January 16, 2013 A North Dakota veteran set to receive the Medal of Honor for courageous action during a 13-hour firefight in Afghanistan said Wednesday that doctors got most of the shrapnel out of him and his injuries "were nothing" compared to those suffered by some of his fellow soldiers.

"I've had buddies that have lost eyesight and lost limbs," Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha said during a news conference Wednesday. "I would rather give them all the credit they deserve for sacrificing so much. For me it was nothing, really. I got a little peppered, that was it." Romesha, 31, will receive the nation's highest military decoration for valor at the White House on Feb. 11. Romesha, who deployed out of Fort Carson, Colo., and also served twice in Iraq, will be the fourth living Medal of Honor recipient for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. The medal is for his actions while serving as a section leader during combat operations against an armed enemy at Combat Outpost Keating, which sits in a valley surrounded by mountains in Afghanistan's Nuristan Province.

Romesha said he was a little star struck when President Barack Obama called to tell him he'd be receiving the honor, and he wanted the president to know he was accepting for the rest of his troop and the platoon. He declined to go into detail about the firefight on Oct. 3, 2009, saying it wouldn't do justice to the great actions by so many other soldiers. He said he had a great team of guys prepared to handle anything thrown at them despite being outnumbered 300 to 50. "We weren't going to be beat that day," he said. "And seeing all those guys pull together, I mean you're not going to back down in the face of adversity like that. We were just going to win, plain and simple." Romesha, who works in oil field safety for Tioga-based KS Industries, lives in Minot with his wife, Tammy, and three children.

Tammy Romesha said she remembers the day she was told her husband was injured but already back to work, and it was quite some time before he was able to call her. "I had my friends. I had my Army buddies," she said. "He was with his family over there in his deployment, and I had my family for support. My Army family was there for me, and we were all there for each other."

Clinton Romesha, who grew up in Lake City, Calif., left the Army in April 2011 after nearly 12 years of service. He said the military and serving will always be dear to him, but he wanted to be a more family oriented. "It came to a point where that chapter in my life was coming to an end," he said. "And I made a decision that I wanted to be the father, the husband and the dad that I just hadn't been fulfilling." Tammy Romesha said she's looking forward to celebrating the couple's 13th anniversary the day after the award ceremony.

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[Mr. President]

go army

 

[Bill Angel]

Welcoming the Troops Back from Afghanistan at Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore

Welcoming her soldier back from Afghanistan
More images from this set can be viewed here: Welcoming the Troops Back from Afghanistan - a set on Flickr

 

[waltky]

How Clint Romesha earned the Medal of Honor...

Defending the "indefensible": Inside the deadly COP Keating battle
February 5th, 2013 - EDITOR'S NOTE: CNN’s Jake Tapper takes viewers inside the deadly battle at Combat Outpost Keating in an exclusive interview with Romesha and others who fought off the Taliban attack. “An American Hero: The Uncommon Valor of Clint Romesha” will air Thursday, February 7th at 10pET on CNN.

Next week, President Barack Obama will award former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha the nation's highest award for combat valor for his actions in repelling a deadly insurgent onslaught in Afghanistan in October 2009. He is the fourth living recipient to receive the award for service in Iraq or Afghanistan. In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Romesha describes his thoughts about seeing Combat Outpost Keating for the first time. The remote outpost was at the foot of three large mountains and surrounded by a river on one side as well. By all military standards, the base was virtually impossible to defend because of the looming mountains that would ultimately give the Taliban a tactical advantage to shoot down into the base and offer deep cover to those fighters in the rocky mountainsides.

"This is a pretty indefensible spot. This is the exact opposite of when you open up the manual and look in to find the definition of finding a defensible spot, this is the total opposite of it," Romesha said in the interview with Tapper. Romesha is being recognized for his courage at COP Keating against the onslaught of hundreds of Taliban fighters. With just over 50 troops inside the tiny base, Romesha directed and led several charges to repel the 12 hour long attack and regain control of the outpost which had been overrun. The assault on the outpost in the eastern province of Nuristan goes down as one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan with eight soldiers killed and more than 20 wounded.

Romesha tells Tapper in an emotional account about his failed attempt to save a close friend, taff Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, who was trapped in a vehicle which had come under heavy Taliban fire. "There was movement everywhere. There was muzzle flashes everywhere. You just couldn’t pick them out fast enough. I tried to hold it as long as I could but when you’re the only machine gun pocking on the COP at that point you start drawing quite a bit of attention and finished the belt and scurried on back," Romesha said. "I called Gallegos and told him told I was sorry. I just told him I was sorry. I couldn’t hold that position for him anymore and they were still stuck."

Source

 

[SFC Ollie]

Almost 2 years ago I was elected as Commander of my American Legion Post by a majority of WW2 and Korean War veterans. There is no way to describe this honor.....

I have participated in over 2 dozen Honor Squads at veterans funerals in the last 5 years. Soon there will be the last WW2 veteran as we recently said goodbye to the last WW1 veteran.

Some really big footprints to follow.........

 

[TheOldSchool]

The video gave me chills. Sometimes people can be pretty awesome.

 

[SFC Ollie]

We are hoping to get 3 of our Veterans on an Honor Flight to DC this coming summer. One of them fought in the Battle of the Bulge, One of them spent 43 years on active duty. He saw WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. The other is a tough old Marine that just won't talk about it. We're hoping his health holds. Of the others, there is no way to get them there...... I want to drive down to DC someday, I have made myself a promise to salute the Vietnam wall, and if I can work it out with the Old Guard to walk the walk out to the Tomb of the unknowns and salute them.

 

[TheOldSchool]

We are hoping to get 3 of our Veterans on an Honor Flight to DC this coming summer. One of them fought in the Battle of the Bulge, One of them spent 43 years on active duty. He saw WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. The other is a tough old Marine that just won't talk about it. We're hoping his health holds. Of the others, there is no way to get them there...... I want to drive down to DC someday, I have made myself a promise to salute the Vietnam wall, and if I can work it out with the Old Guard to walk the walk out to the Tomb of the unknowns and salute them.

I live about a 10 minute drive from those sites. I've been to them many times and each time has been a powerful experience. The people visiting them always are pretty silent and the respect and reverence are very palpable. I can't imagine what it would feel like to be seeing them for the first time. People also often leave flowers and other tributes there.

Seeing a member of your family on the Vietnam wall is unspeakable powerful. A friend of mine's father who fought in the Korean war had an old picture of himself used as one of the portrait's on the wall.

 

[SFC Ollie]

I was one of the lucky ones, I lost no family nor friends in Nam. But a few years ago one of our members was looking at what I call our wall of heroes. It is a plague with the names of all our veterans from the village who served during a time of war. But he noticed a star next to on of the names under Vietnam, the Star means KIA. Well across the street from city hall there is a row of trees that were planted 70 years ago by the village garden club, and under (too) many of these trees is a bronze plague with the name, rank, and service dates of those from the village that were KIA. He knew those 20 or so names well enough that he knew this name wasn't there....

I was the Vice Commander at the time and since the commander was not computer literate I started doing the search for this guy and his family to find out the story.

The result of our digging is at the link below..... I want to search out this local Heroes name on that wall...

Veteran finally gets his due

 

[waltky]

From the Korean War...

Former airman to be reunited with 'burned girl' he helped 60 years ago
March 6, 2013 - For almost 60 years, Richard Cadwallader wondered what happened to the brave little girl he watched endure agonizing treatment for severe burns without making a sound.

The Air Force veteran had taken a special interest in her after she arrived at his base in the wake of the Korean War, and at one point led a Hollywood-worthy effort to get her on a U.S. military helicopter so she could get the advanced medical treatment she needed. He caught a brief smile from her during a chance meeting months later as he was preparing to leave the war-ravaged country, but it left him hungry for how her story turned out. His daughter made an unsuccessful effort to find the adult that his “burned girl” had become. So Cadwallader recently enlisted the help of the South Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and others in his quest to find her.

Kim Yeon-soon, now 72, finally was located. A reunion is in the works for late this month, something that Cadwallader, 81, says he “never dreamed would happen.” Kim said she also considers it “something of a miracle” that she will be able to see the man she has always referred to, in talking with friends and family, as her “American father.” “How could this amazing thing happen?” she said. “It’s the grace of God. I feel on top of the world these days, so I can’t even sleep at night.”

The MPVA, hoping this is not the last reunion of its kind, recently started a campaign to bring together other Korean War veterans from countries that were allied with South Korea and locals from that era with whom they would like to reconnect. “We hope the image of South Korea is going to be enhanced through reunions like this between overseas veterans and their Korean friends and acquaintances,” an MPVA spokeswoman said. Kim said she was 12 in December 1953 when a 3-year-old relative accidentally knocked over an oil lamp, setting her on fire. She was left with third-degree burns from her chin to her waist. “It was so painful,” she said, her voice shuddering even six decades later.

With options for proper medical treatment limited in post-war South Korea, Kim said her mother put the girl on her back and carried her about five miles to the nearest U.S. military installation, a remote base on the edge of the Yellow Sea, west of Suwon. “Save my daughter!” Kim remembers her mother yelling at the base’s entrance. In an account written by Susan Kee - who helped Cadwallader in his quest and is working on a book of the personal stories of U.S. Korean War veterans - “She was covered in what appeared to be (a) black tar-like substance that a village person had applied to treat the burn,” but it had “adhered to her flesh.”

The base medic carefully peeled off the substance strip by strip. “The process was slow and agonizingly painful,” according to the account. “She endured extreme pain in silence and without any tears,” said Cadwallader, of Scottsdale, Ariz. “I have never seen such courage in a little girl. Her mother was also unforgettable because of her love, courage and perseverance in trying to get medical help for her daughter.” Cadwallader — an airman 2nd class and radio mechanic at the base — helped as much as he could when Kim’s mother brought the girl back to the base once a week for more than a month for follow-up visits, but it was clear to everyone she needed more extensive treatment to cure the infected area and minimize the scarring and facial disfigurement. “One day, I saw an opportunity to get her the real medical help she needed,” Cadwallader said.

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[waltky]

Sa-lute!...

White House announces Medal of Honor for Ty Carter
July 26, 2013 > The White House announced late Friday that Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter will be awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry for his service in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON — The White House announced late Friday that Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter will be awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry during his service at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan. On Aug. 26, President Barack Obama will award Carter the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a cavalry scout with the 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations in Kamdesh district, Nuristan province, Afghanistan on Oct. 3, 2009, according to a White House news release. He fought with Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in January.

Carter will be the fifth living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan. He and his family will join the president at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service. Ty Michael Carter grew up in Spokane, Wash., and claims Antioch, Calif., as his home of record, according to the White House. He is married to Shannon Carter and they have three children; Jayden Young, Madison Carter and Sehara Carter. Carter originally enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1998 and attended the Marine Corps Combat Engineer School. He later served on Okinawa, Japan, as an intelligence clerk. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2002.

Carter enlisted in the Army in January 2008 as a cavalry scout. After completion of training at Fort Knox, Ky., he was assigned to 3-61 Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, where he deployed to Afghanistan from May 2009 to May 2010. In October 2010, he was assigned as a Stryker gunner with 8-1 Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He completed a second deployment to Afghanistan in October 2012. Carter is currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and is assigned to 7th Infantry Division.

The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the Armed Forces who distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while:

* engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States
* engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force
* serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party

Ty M. Carter to receive Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan - Stripes - Independent U.S. military news from Iraq, Afghanistan and bases worldwide

 

[Auteur]

Sorry to interupt the back-slapping, but a few points to ponder in all this.

The US sat out the first one third of WW2, allowing the British Commonwealth to "preserve freedom" in the world, and hoped they could do the dirty work with a few dollars thrown their way.

Since that time, the US has supported more dicatators than democrats, including, at one point, Sadam Hussein. The yardstick used was whether such dictators were useful to the US, or not. Self-interest has motivated US foreign policy, from its very beginnings, not a teary eyed pursuit of freedom.

 

[SFC Ollie]

Sorry to interupt the back-slapping, but a few points to ponder in all this.

The US sat out the first one third of WW2, allowing the British Commonwealth to "preserve freedom" in the world, and hoped they could do the dirty work with a few dollars thrown their way.

Since that time, the US has supported more dicatators than democrats, including, at one point, Sadam Hussein. The yardstick used was whether such dictators were useful to the US, or not. Self-interest has motivated US foreign policy, from its very beginnings, not a teary eyed pursuit of freedom.

Politics does not take away from a soldiers honor...take that lame shit elsewhere......

 

[Smilebong]

Sorry to interupt the back-slapping, but a few points to ponder in all this.

The US sat out the first one third of WW2, allowing the British Commonwealth to "preserve freedom" in the world, and hoped they could do the dirty work with a few dollars thrown their way.

Since that time, the US has supported more dicatators than democrats, including, at one point, Sadam Hussein. The yardstick used was whether such dictators were useful to the US, or not. Self-interest has motivated US foreign policy, from its very beginnings, not a teary eyed pursuit of freedom.

Take a long walk off a short pier and stay there.

 

[waltky]

How he earned the Medal of Honor...

Latest Medal of Honor brings COP Keating battle back into spotlight
July 29, 2013 WASHINGTON — The White House decision to award Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter with the Medal of Honor for bravery in Afghanistan once again puts the spotlight on the deadly 2009 battle at Combat Outpost Keating, and the controversy surrounding it.

Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha has already received a Medal of Honor for his actions in that fight, rallying his men to repulse hundreds of Taliban attackers who breached the walls of the remote outpost. Carter’s award, to be presented by the president Aug. 26, makes him just the fifth living Medal of Honor recipient for actions in Afghanistan. Nine other soldiers have received Silver Stars for their actions in that fight, along with numerous Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts.

But the daylong battle also left eight American soldiers dead and 22 more wounded, making it one of the deadliest military fights in decades. In the months that followed, two Army officers were disciplined for “inadequate planning” in setting up the base and reacting to reports of planned attacks. During Romesha’s Medal of Honor ceremony in February, President Barack Obama noted that later investigations found the soldiers were effectively forced to “defend the indefensible” at COP Keating. He also stated that was a situation they never should have been put in. On Oct. 3, 2009, more than 300 Taliban fighters descended on the remote outpost in a valley outside Kamdesh, near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.

Pictured is a view of Combat Outpost Keating on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a remote pocket of Afghanistan, known as Nuristan. According to soldiers who called the outpost home, being at Keating was like being in a fishbowl or fighting from the bottom of a paper cup. It was there, surrounded by mountains and insurgents, that former Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha and his fellow soldiers fought back the enemy in a fierce 12-hour battle, Oct. 3, 2009.

At daylight, attackers swarmed the hillsides surrounding the base, pinning down the U.S. soldiers. At the start of the fight, then-Spc. Carter sprinted 100 yards across open ground, under heavy fire, to join fellow soldiers at the southern end of the outpost. According to Army reports, Carter ran through enemy fire again to retrieve supplies for his men. As fighting intensified, he and three other soldiers became trapped in a Humvee, and were wounded as rocket-propelled grenades exploded all around.

He carried one wounded comrade — Spc. Stephan Mace — through a hail of bullets back to cover. He tended to his wounds and returned fire as the battle raged, and managed to call reinforcements from the other side of base as the soldiers tried to regroup. After Carter and his band of soldiers linked up with Romesha, he acted as a sniper for teams covering the bodies of fallen comrades. Army officials say he even braved enemy fire to cut down a tree next to an aid station to prevent a fire from spreading. The 12-hour fight at COP Keating is now the first military battle to warrant two Medals of Honor since the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” firefight in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sgt. 1st Class Randall Shughart and Master Sgt. Gary Gordon were awarded posthumous medals for their heroism.

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