Wednesday Hero

First Lieutenant Randall Lee Ashby
Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized)

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 First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers) Randall Lee Ashby, United States Army, for gallantry while serving as the Platoon Leader of Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). First Lieutenant Ashby consistently demonstrated valor in executing his engineer missions as the lead sapper platoon leader for Task Force 2-69 Armor. Serving with Team ASSASSIN, he voluntarily executed dangerous missions in order to contribute to the engineer's success. First Lieutenant Ashby's personal bravery and selfless actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army. NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: For gallantry in connection with military operations against a hostile force in the country of Iraq in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. First Lieutenant Ashby distinguished himself while serving as Platoon Leader with Second Platoon, Company B, 317th Engineer Battalion, and attached to 2d Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized). First Lieutenant Ashby exhibited extreme gallantry on multiple occasions in over 25 days of continuous combat operations. He spearheaded engineer movement for the Division for roughly 200 kilometers to OBJ CLAY, the Highway 1 Bridge across the Euphrates located to the west of An Nasiriyah. On the night of 21 March 2003, First Lieutenant Ashby led the engineer effort at OBJ CLAY under Team Assassin by providing the first reconnaissance of this key bridge as elements of the Iraqi 11th Infantry Division defended the area. First Lieutenant Ashby, while under fire, conducted a difficult classification mission and ensured the safe passage of an armored company onto OBJ CLAY NORTH. Moreover, after the Task Force had established a tactical assembly area to the west, First Lieutenant Ashby returned to OBJ CLAY to reconnoiter a construction bridge adjacent to the Highway 1 Bridge amid enemy artillery fire from the northern shore. Later, as Team Assassin conducted a dangerous linkup with elements of 3-7 Cavalry south of the city of Al Kifl, First Lieutenant Ashby directed his platoon's emplacement of vital blocking obstacles to prevent enemy penetration of the company's sector for more than seventy hours of continuous enemy contact. In addition, under his leadership 2d Platoon destroyed 300 pounds of TNT intended by the enemy for use on the Al Kifl Bridge. In southern Al Kifl, his platoon gained entry using demolitions to a water-bottling factory with a water supply greatly needed by both the Task Force and the local populous. First Lieutenant Ashby again distinguished himself on 1 April 2003 by emplacing explosive obstacles along RTE VENEZUELA to the east of the key city of Karbala at OBJ LEE. He led the emplacement with Team Assassin under fire from Saddam Fedayeen RPG ambushes and T-62 tanks. On 6 April 2003 again with Team Assassin as the lead element of the Task Force's attack into the Taji region north of Baghdad against Republican Guard and Saddam Fedayeen units, First Lieutenant Ashby personally destroyed with, MK-19 fire, eight enemy RPG teams and dismounted enemy soldiers over a 55 kilometer attack to OBJ MONTY. He displayed calm leadership following a fatal enemy RPG strike on one of his M113 armored personnel carriers, providing stability for his men as they treated two other soldiers wounded in action. While escorting a D9 Dozer, a Division high value asset, to OBJ MONTY, First Lieutenant Ashby protected the dozer from an enemy vehicle intent on ramming them. First Lieutenant Ashby's personal bravery as the lead sapper platoon leader for Task Force 2-69 Armor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Third Infantry Division "Rock of the Marne," and the United States Army.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. James R. Graham III
25 years old from Coweta, Oklahoma
4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve attached to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)
August 1, 2005

Sgt. James R. Graham II was killed in a suicide car bombing near Hit, Iraq, about 85 miles northwest of Baghdad, on August 1, 2005. He was was assigned to the Marine Reserve Unit in Broken Arrow, an anti-tank company. The military said Graham was "conducting combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom" when the bomber struck. He is survived by a wife and two children.
Graham had received three medals for his time served in Iraq, including the Good Conduct Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Selective Marine Corps Reserve medal, said Christopher Logan, media officer for the Marine Forces Reserve. Graham will receive more honors as well, including a Purple Heart, Logan said.
Betty Willhoite, a next-door neighbor, said she has fond memories of Graham playing with his boys. "He would always be out there showing the oldest how to kick a soccer ball into the net," Willhoite said. "He was a nice man. He worked very hard and was such a good person. I just hate to see this happen to such a nice, young family. He felt like it was his duty."
Willhoite said she heard the news from Graham's wife, who was out in the yard. Willhoite said she asked the family pastor to add them to a church prayer list. "He was very gentle and a great father, a little on the quiet side," Willhoite said. "I've never heard him raise his voice."

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Memorial Day

I wanted to thank those Men and Women who have laid down their lives so that I may live the life that I do. I hope everyone has a great, and safe, Memorial Day.

Wednesday HERO

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Beth

Capt. Kyle Comfort
27 years old from Jacksonville, Alabama
Fire Support Officer Company D, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
May 8, 2010

Kyle Comfort had just recently been promoted to Captain and been assigned to a Ranger Regiment in the Army. His accomplishments as a Soldier, in such a short time, were a testament to the fact that he was an excellent Soldier. Unfortunately, in this war, it doesn’t make a lot of difference how good you are at your job. The difference seems to be left to chance. Where you are sitting in your vehicle or which vehicle you are sitting in when you hit an IED or where you are standing on your FOB when the mortars come in. All chance and circumstance.
It has to be that way. The enemy that is fighting us now could never win a legitimate war with our Soldiers. So they fight as insurgents and use tactics that they know make our Soldiers vulnerable.
That is how they got CAPT Kyle Comfort. With an IED just a month into his tour of duty in Afghanistan. If they had fought him face-to-face, they never would have gotten him.

You Can Read The Rest Here
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

L/Cpl. Joshua M. Davis
19 years old from Perry, Iowa
1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force
May 7, 2010

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis of Perry, Iowa, was a 2009 Perry High School graduate. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2009. Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Lejeune, N.C., he deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010 and was promoted to Lance Cpl. on May 1, 2010. He was killed in action on May 7, 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Also killed alongside L/Cpl. Davis were Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, 21, of Frederick, Maryland and Lance Cpl. Christopher Rangel, 22, of San Antonio, Texas.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From Here and Here
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Keith Dewayne Andrews, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action during the ground assault of Operation DESERT STORM. Sergeant Andrews showed extraordinary courage once he observed that air support had by-passed two Iraqi machine gun positions, leaving a Humvee with five soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division pinned down by enemy cross fire. Sergeant Andrews negotiated a minefield while fighting his way to the top of the enemy bunker, destroying it with a fragmentation hand grenade. Being out of ammo, Sergeant Andrews resourcefully obtained the enemy machine gun using it to fight his way up the second Iraqi fighting position. Over all, Sergeant Andrews single-handedly killed some twenty-five enemy combatants to secure two enemy bunkers. This allowed for the quick evacuation of the five wounded soldiers thus saving their lives. These brave and selfless actions of Sergeant Andrews bring great credit to himself, his unit and the United States Army.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Girl Power at it’s finest

Carson medic recalls attack that led to her Bronze Star

LANCE BENZEL

THE GAZETTE

enlarge

MARK REIS/The Gazette

Cpl. Helen Ruhl is congratulated by her father, Daniel Rosario, after Ruhl received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor Wednesday during a ceremony at Fort Carson. Ruhl earned the medal for actions she took after her convoy came under attack Sept. 24 in eastern Afghanistan.

There was no time to think, or even register fear, when a rocket-propelled grenade ripped into a Humvee and detonated in the driver’s lap.

“All I knew is: It was hot, I couldn’t see and I couldn’t breathe,” said Cpl. Helen L. Ruhl, one of four soldiers injured in the Sept. 24 blast in eastern Afghanistan.

There was no time to think, or even register fear, when a rocket-propelled grenade ripped into a Humvee and detonated in the driver’s lap.

“All I knew is: It was hot, I couldn’t see and I couldn’t breathe,” said Cpl. Helen L. Ruhl, one of four soldiers injured in the Sept. 24 blast in eastern

Yet Ruhl could — and did — manage to act.

Despite her own injuries, the 24-year-old Fort Carson medic is credited with helping to save the driver’s life by stanching his bleeding and then returning fire on insurgents as her comrade was taken away for treatment.

She received a Bronze Star for valor Wednesday in a ceremony on Fort Carson. It’s the military’s fourth highest award for valor.

The driver lost a leg but may not have survived without Ruhl’s quick thinking, a top commander said.

“She’s the kind of medic I would like to have on a combat patrol,” Fort Carson Deputy Commanding General for Support Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette said after pinning Ruhl with the award.

Her father, Daniel Rosario of Cape Coral, Fla., stood at his daughter’s side while Pasquarette praised Ruhl’s “awe-inspiring” actions before an audience that included soldiers in the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s rear detachment.

Ruhl serves in the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s 704th Brigade Support Battalion.

The attack came as Ruhl’s Humvee was returning to Jalalabad in northern Afghanistan after a supply mission.

After an insurgent fired an armor-piercing RPG into the vehicle, Ruhl helped get the driver out of the vehicle, applied a tourniquet to his leg and then provided cover fire to allow for his escape.

“You go through (the training) so much, so often, that when do have to do it, you don’t have to think about it,” she said, describing the firefight as a “terrible way to win a wonderful honor.”

Ruhl, of Vero Beach, Fla., suffered permanent hearing loss and was hospitalized for three months, in part because the blast ruptured a previously undetected cyst in her brain, causing temporary blindness. The cyst was not malignant, and Ruhl has been returned to duty, although Army doctors will not allow her to return to combat.

She said she plans to become a nurse and seek a commission in the Army.

DID YOU KNOW?

Technorati Tags: Pentagon,Army,Friday

  Fridays at the Pentagon
      By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
      McClatchy Newspapers
      Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and
Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is
war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and
facing months or years in military hospitals.
      This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and
former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a
year long tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.
     Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony
that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers,
applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May
17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media
Matters for America Website.
      "It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the
Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors
shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant
the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few
sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep
against the walls. There are thousands here.
    This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3
offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army.
Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen
each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot  each other, cross the
way and renew.
      Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the
center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of
bodies in this area.
      The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares. "10:36 hours:
The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five
rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building.
This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep
emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the
hallway.
      "A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of
the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his
presence.
    He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and
some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is
a private, or perhaps a private first class.
      "Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his
gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I
described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat
different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for
not having shared in the burden ... yet.
      "Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in
the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I
think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's
chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.
      "Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come
more of his peers,
    each private, corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a
field grade officer.
      "11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands
hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. My
hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier
after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30.. Fifty-three legs
come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall
came 30 solid hearts.
      They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and
then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor,
hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting
out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up,
down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching
handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade.
More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.
      "There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old
war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite
understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew
up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older
immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded
mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's
behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the
silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his
eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have
themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
      These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are
our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every
single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.
      "Did you know that?

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. Maj. James E. Booker
Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Major James E. Booker, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Sergeant Major, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, FIRST Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U. S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from February to September 2004. Sergeant Major Booker courageously exposed himself to enemy fire while leading Marines and eliminating enemy forces in several battalion engagements. On 31 March 2004 the forward command element came under intense machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire. With utter disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Major Booker dismounted the vehicle, engaged the enemy and forced their withdrawal. He pursued his attackers down several darkened city streets and mortally wounded a rocket-propelled grenade gunner who was engaging the Command Group. Sergeant Major Booker subsequently led a search that resulted in the arrest and capture of an eight-man cell and several weapons. On 10 April 2004, the forward command element came under fire from insurgents during cordon and search operations. He calmly led a team of Marines in a counterattack, personally clearing several buildings, eliminating one insurgent fighter, and facilitating the evacuation of a severely wounded Marine. Sergeant Major Booker's efforts enabled the forward command element to regain freedom of maneuver and inspired Marines to fearlessly engage the enemy. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and loyal dedication to duty, Sergeant Major Booker reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Toni

LTC Tim Karcher

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Karcher was shot in the shoulder in Iraq back in 2006. After just 5 months of healing at home that included 7 surgeries, he chose to go back to war.
"My unit was over there, they were taking casualties. It felt terrible to be here, it felt wrong," he said.
Reunited with his troops, Karcher was in Baghdad last summer for the historic transfer of power from the U.S. to the Iraqis.
But 10 days after that historic day, Karcher's vehicle was bombed and he lost both of his legs in the explosion.
"I'm very proud of him, he's fought for his life, he fought the whole summer to stay alive and he's taking it and running with it, he's so positive," said Alesia Karcher, Tim's wife.
Karcher says the tragedy of losing his legs made him realize what he still had including a wife and three children who need him.
"I could sit around and have a pity party everyday, but it's not going to grow my legs back," he said. "Life kicks you in the teeth every now and again, you get to decide how you react to it."
You can read more about LTC Karcher here and here.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From Here
These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived
This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Technorati Tags: US Military,US ARMY,Wednesday Hero,War On Terror,Iraq,Wounded Hero

Wed Hero Jan 27 2010

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Pet

Specialist Brandon K. Steffy
23 years old from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
178th Military Police Detachment, 89th Military Police Brigade, III Corps
October 29, 2009


He came into to this world a rather large baby, so big the doctor thought that he’d just walk home with his mother. Brandon was well mannered, polite, and tough with a contagious laugh that lit up those around him. In 2005 he graduated from Brimley High School and in 2006 enlisted in the United States Army, following a tradition of family military service.

He served in Iraq as a gunner from May 2007 until July 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2009 where he was a canine tracker handler for Forward operating Base Fenty Kennel in the Laghman Province. He and his K-9 dog Maci were inseparable, working on tracking terrorists; Maci specialized in tracking the scents of IED making materials.

Spc. Brandon Steffy was killed when the vehicle he was riding in was attacked. His decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal-Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Spc. Steffy is survived by his wife, daughter, parents and his sister.

Brandon made people laugh and he made them cry. There was not one dry eye at his funeral, from every day townsfolk, to big construction workers to police officers; they all recalled Brandon, this "Gentle Giant." They want everyone to know that if you never knew Brandon, then you really missed out.

All Information Was Found On And Copied From MilitaryCity.com & Freedom Remembered

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.