Ambushed, wounded — and fighting back: Two Para Rescuemen awarded Silver Stars for Afghanistan heroism

Two Para Rescue men who rallied their teammates in separate incidents in Afghanistan and fought back against Taliban ambushes — despite each being wounded by rocket-propelled grenade blasts — were awarded the Silver Star for their bravery Friday. Tech. Sgt. Gavin Fisher of the 350th Special Warfare Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas and Staff Sgt. Daniel Swensen of the 58th Rescue Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada were both presented with the nation’s third-highest decoration for heroism in combat during a ceremony at Nellis, the Air Force said in a Friday release.

Fisher was honored for his actions during a battle in Ghazni province on Aug. 11 and 12, 2018, and Swensen fought alongside an A-team of Army Green Berets Sept. 13 and 14 of this year in Farah province.

At the ceremony, Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Charles Brown compared their actions to those of comic book heroes, and noted how rare such true heroism is today. “We can become so absorbed by the tales and the characters and their abilities that we can lose sight of our real-life heroes — heroes like Tech. Sgt. Gavin Fisher and Staff Sgt. Daniel Swensen,” Brown said. “Only 1 percent of our service men and women, representing 1 percent of the population, have received this Silver Star. So, these gentlemen are in a very exclusive club.”

In Ghazni, Fisher’s actions helped save the lives of 10 critically injured soldiers, medically evacuate 20 casualties and kill 118 Taliban fighters. The combined joint special operations task force, of which Fisher was a part, was in the midst of a 10-day mission to help drive more than 500 Taliban fighters away from Ghazni city. Fisher was serving as the rear gunner for the lead vehicle of the task force’s convoy, when an ambush erupted. Taliban forces opened fire on the armored vehicles with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, the release said.

Fisher was hit by grenade shrapnel, but kept fighting back by returning fire at the Taliban and guiding his vehicle away from the danger. He cared for two critically injured soldiers, stopping their massive bleeding and giving them blood transfusions — all while continuing to fight off two Taliban fighters. He kept those soldiers stable until a medical evacuation team arrived, the release said. Even though Fisher was wounded, the Air Force said, he still refused to leave with the patients.

Then, a second ambush erupted. Five more partner force teammates were critically injured, and Fisher treated them and requested another evacuation. The battle raged on as the Taliban continued to attack, and they struck the mission support site, wounding 12 more teammates. “Without hesitation or regard for his safety,” the Air Force said, Fisher made his way through 75 meters of heavy machine gun and small arms fire to treat five of those troops.

He then jumped back into the rear gunner seat of his vehicle and manned the heavy machine gun as the team continued clearing the city. Then, another RPG struck his vehicle and wounded Fisher again. “However, he refused to falter while on guard,” the Air Force said. He returned fire and steered his team to safety, before finally agreeing to be treated for his multiple wounds. “Getting this medal is important because it lets people know the war is still going on, and valiant efforts by men and women are still going forth,” Fisher said. “People are still out there dying and fighting for each other, and it needs to be recognized.”

The battle in Farah province. During Swensen’s battle earlier this year, the A-team with which he was embedded conducted a helicopter assault to drive the Taliban out of the Anar Darah district center and police headquarters. Meanwhile, Swensen led a ground assault team through a compound. That’s when the Taliban sprung an ambush.

The Taliban poured heavy machine gun fire and RPGs at the compound, from less than 100 meters away. An RPG hit the wall behind Swensen, wounding him and five other troops. “Injured, trapped and separated from the support fire team, Swensen remained vigilant as he fired back at the Taliban and directed his partner forces to safety,” the release said.

Swensen ran through intense Taliban fire to rescue a severely wounded soldier, whose life-threatening injuries had incapacitated him. He treated that soldier’s wounds and moved him out of danger, all while gunfire struck overhead. While ignoring his own injuries, Swensen gathered the casualties and got them ready to be extracted, the release said. He directed the team to the helicopter landing zone 800 meters away — while carrying one injured soldier on his shoulders.

While they waited for the helicopter, a second ambush erupted. Swensen found cover for the casualties, and then continued treating the critically injured troops, all while remaining exposed to enemy fire. The helicopter arrived and flew the injured to safety, but Swensen remained behind. He led the rest of the team back through the city to retrieve four other casualties before finally allowing his own wounds to be treated.

Swensen helped save the lives of nine American and partner force special operations troops, the release said. “It’s weird to receive so much attention for something that I feel anyone else would’ve done on the battlefield that night,” Swensen said. “I’m honored my peers think I deserve this medal.”

Article from Air Force Times

Green Beret Earns Silver Star for Afghanistan Action

On Feb. 1, U.S. Army Green Beret Sgt. 1st Class Brian Seidl was presented the Silver Star, becoming the third member of his 59-man team to be awarded the medal for actions during the Battle of Boz Qandahari, which began on the night of Nov. 2, 2016, and cost the lives of two of Seidl’s teammates.

The battle was fought in a village surrounded by steep cliffs in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan. One team member later described the heavily fortified village as “something like a castle.” The team and its Afghan army counterparts arrived in the village after an hour trek through waist-high mud and were clearing compounds when they came under attack.

“We heard a distinctive thud,” Seidl recalled in an Army press release. “That’s when the first grenade detonated.” The blast, which injured several Afghan soldiers and two Americans, one mortally, was followed by a barrage of enemy fire from all directions. Seidl and his team leader, Capt. Andrew Byers, sprinted toward the casualties and pulled two of them out of the kill zone. Meanwhile, a Green Beret went down elsewhere in the village with five gunshot wounds to his legs, hip, hand, and wrist.

The team’s final objective was a compound blocked by what Seidl described as a “huge metal gate.” As casualties mounted, Seidl and Byers first attempted to breach the gate with grenades. When that didn’t work, Byers tried kicking the gate open, at which point he was mortally wounded. The Green Berets and their Afghan allies managed to enter another compound, but with one-third of the team either killed or wounded, they were forced to hunker down and hold their ground until a quick reaction force arrived. Small arms fire and grenades continued to rain in from everywhere. “For two hours we fought in that compound,” Seidl said. [We] fought for our lives.”

The fighting continued even as the team exfiltrated the objective across approximately 800 meters of open territory and a medevac helicopter landed to retrieve the wounded. Byers died from his wounds during the flight out and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Due to the intensity of the enemy fire, the second medevac helicopter was unable to land and the operators were forced to push forward another 300 meters to another landing zone. Seidl and another teammate found a donkey and loaded it with Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Gloyer, the soldier who had been mortally wounded by the initial grenade blast. “I know we’ve taken losses in the past,” Seidl told the Army. “But I don’t know that we’ve ever taken a loss like this in quite some times, where a team is hit this hard.”

The mission concluded the following morning, on Nov. 3, after every member of the team had been evacuated. According to the release, 27 Taliban insurgents and three Taliban commanders were killed in the battle. In addition to the three Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars with Valor, four Army Commendation Medals with Valor, and six Purple Hearts were also earned during the fight.

“For his efforts taking charge of a severely injured and depleted force, leading them out of a kill zone and establishing a defensive posture that repelled every subsequent attack, for making the tough call on multiple danger-close air strikes near his own position in an effort to eliminate an overwhelming enemy force, and for leading every man under his charge out of a hostile city after inflicting catastrophic damage on multiple Taliban enemies, Seidl was recognized and awarded with the Silver Star Medal,” reads the press release.

Article from Army Times

Green Berets honored with Silver Star and eight other valor awards

As the bullets rained down around him, Staff Sgt. Michael Sargent dragged a fallen Afghan soldier to safety. Then, without hesitation or concern about his own safety, the Green Beret entered the courtyard in southern Afghanistan again to recover the body of a second fallen Afghan soldier and help a wounded teammate get to cover.

For his actions on that day in December, Sargent was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor. Sargent and several other members of A Company, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group were honored last Friday for their actions during their recent deployment to Afghanistan. 

In all, the soldiers earned the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars with V device, six Army Commendation Medals with V device, and one Purple Heart. “These men are heroes, plain and simple,” said Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, during the ceremony, according to information released by the Army. “They don’t boast. They don’t draw undue attention to themselves. They just get the job done.”

The men of A Company deployed to Afghanistan in July, and they were tasked with developing and partnering with members of the Afghan National Security Forces. Their teammate, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew McClintock, 30, was killed Jan. 5 in hours-long fighting near the city of Marjah, in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. McClintock was posthumously promoted and awarded the Silver Star for his actions on that day; McClintock’s wife, Alexandra, has said her husband’s teammates told her he left a compound, under fire, to find a new landing zone so a helicopter could land and evacuate a wounded teammate.

Many of the awards presented last week were to McClintock’s teammates for their actions during that same battle. “The men we honored today, including those who were unable to be with us, represent the best of what is inside all of those who serve this great nation,” said Maj. Aron Horiel, commander of A Company, according to the Army. “It is truly an honor and a privilege to be their commander.”

Sargent, a Special Forces engineer sergeant, was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on Dec. 17. On that day, Sargent was an assault team leader during a clearing operation in Khan Neshin Valley in Helmand province, according to the narrative accompanying his award. Early that morning, Sargent and his fellow Green Berets were accompanying a team of Afghan commandos as they entered a courtyard adjacent to their objective, according to the narrative. A brief firefight broke out, and two Afghan soldiers were killed.

The remaining commandos reported back to their Green Beret mentors. Initial reports were unclear if the two Afghan casualties were killed or wounded, but the Afghans informed the Americans that the courtyard was clear, according to the narrative.

Sargent and three others entered the courtyard to help recover the two Afghan soldiers. After confirming the two men were dead, “the element came under intense automatic weapons fire at very close range from firing positions in a structure adjacent to the courtyard,” according to the narrative.

Two Americans were wounded in the initial burst of fire. That left Sargent and another soldier alone in the courtyard, according to the narrative. “With total disregard for his safety, SSG Sargent moved to the casualty closest to his position, retrieved the body and dragged the deceased [Afghan] soldier out of the courtyard under a hail of gunfire,” the narrative says. “Upon exiting the courtyard to relative safety, SSG Sargent returned into the courtyard without hesitation and recovered the second body and aided the remaining teammate still under fire.”

During this time, a fire to the structure containing the enemy firing position began to burn, setting off “large secondary explosions,” according to the narrative. “Again with total disregard for his safety, SSG Sargent moved through intense enemy fire and secondary explosions and employed two hand grenades into the fighting position to cover the withdrawal of his team members,” the narrative says.

When the enemy tried to “assault out of the fighting positions,” Sargent and his remaining teammate killed five of them, according to the narrative. Sargent “distinguished himself by exceptional heroism,” and “his actions proved critical in achieving relative superiority over determined enemy forces,” Sargent’s Silver Star citation reads.

Article from Army Times, 6 May 2016

RIP - CSM (ret) Kenneth E. McMullin

CSM (ret) Kenneth E. McMullin crossed over on Christmas this year. He will be missed.

Kenny McMullin was born in 1940 in California. He enlisted in the California Army National Guard on February 21, 1960, and went on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Combat Engineer on December 31, 1962, serving until December 14, 1965. SP5 McMullin served in the U.S. Army Reserve from December 15, 1965, until returning to active duty on January 31, 1966. His next assignment was as a Demolition Specialist with Company E, 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from April to December 1966, followed by service as a Demolition Sergeant with Company B, 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam from December 1966 to October 1967.

Sgt McMullin served as an Operations Sergeant with the 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam from October 1967 to September 1969, and then as an Intelligence Sergeant with the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand from September 1968 to October 1969. His next assignment was as an Operations and Intelligence Sergeant with the 6th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from October 1969 to January 1970, followed by service with Company C, U.S. Army Special Forces Training Group at Fort Bragg from January 1970 to March 1971.

SSG McMullin served on Action Element #2 with the Blueboy Assault Group during the Son Tay Raid, a clandestine mission to rescue American Prisoners of War in North Vietnam on November 21, 1970.

He served as a Reconnaissance Team Leader and Airborne Controller with the U.S. Army Vietnam Training Advisory Group in South Vietnam from March 1971 to February 1972, and then served as an Intelligence NCO and Training NCO with the 46th Special Forces Company and the U.S.Army Special Forces Training Group in Thailand from February 1972 to March 1973. His next assignment was as the Senior Special Forces Instructor with the Special Forces Detachment at the U.S. Army Institute for Military Assistance at Fort Bragg from April 1973 to March 1975, followed by service as Operations Sergeant and then Assistant Chief Operations NCO with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg from March 1975 to November 1976.

MSG McMullin served as an Operations Sergeant with Company A, 3rd Battalion of the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from December 1976 to August 1982, and then as Operations and Training NCO with Headquarters Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg from August 1982 to September 1984.

His next assignment was as Detachment Sergeant Major and then Company Sergeant Major with Company A, 3rd Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Davis, Panama, from September 1984 to December 1989, followed by service as Company Sergeant Major with Company B, 1st Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from
January 1990 to January 1991. His final assignment was as Battalion Command Sergeant Major with 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg from January 1991 until his retirement from the Army on November 1, 1992.

Kenny McMullin died on December 25, 2011.

In tribute to Kenny Mac, Jake Jakovenko wrote this about his friend:

IN MEMORY OF KENNY MAC:

WE HAVE CLINCHED AND CLOSED
WITH NAKED DEATH
WE HAVE LEARNED
TO DEFY AND DEFEND
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
WE FOUGHT IT OUT
YET DEATH MOST WIN IN THE END

Kenny And I Served Together In 6th Special Forces Group and both Volunteered For Operation, Code Word, IVORY COAST, That Became Code Word KINGPIN Better Known as the SON TAY RAID. He Was On BLUEBOY ELEMENT, I on GREENLEAF. The last time Kenny and I tipped one together was at one of the Reunions, I believe the one before our 40th Anniversary in 2010 at Destin, Florida. He never made our 40th Anniversary of the Raid. We were also together in 1977 as part of BLUELIGHT at Mott Lake, North Carolina.

I'm Going To Miss You Kenny Mac! We Were More Than Soldiers, We Were Brothers In Arms. May The Good Lord Take Care Of You And Make It Easy On Your Loved Once. Until That Time, When The Bugle Blows And The Rest Of Us Will Join You.

Jake Jakovenko
GREENLEAF

Kenny McMullin's Silver Star Citation, awarded from his actions on the Son Tay Raid, reads:

For gallantry in action on 21 November 1970 as a member of an all-volunteer joint U.S. Army and Air Force raiding force in the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed heliborne assault mission to rescue United States military personnel held as prisoners of war at Son Tay prison in North Vietnam. This valiant effort was motivated by deep compassion for his imprisoned fellow men-at-arms, and by a strong sense of military duty and national pride. After debarking from the assault helicopter, Sergeant McMullin moved to an exposed position and delivered automatic rifle fire on a fortified enemy position, eliminating an immediate threat that could hinder the search and rescue operation. He then fearlessly moved to the north corner of the prisoner interrogation building the better to protect the search team of his element. He cleared the area of the remaining enemy personnel permitting the safe completion of the search of all buildings and the withdrawal of the raiding force to the extraction point. Sergeant McMullin's conscious disregard for his personal safety, extraordinary heroism against an armed hostile force, and extreme devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself and the United States Army.

7th Special Forces soldiers to get Silver Star for Afghan valor

Fort Bragg, North Carolina (CNN) -- It's been clear for months that the fighting in Afghanistan is more intense than it's been since the war there started nearly nine years ago. Yet, from the midst of those increasingly violent firefights come some amazing stories of heroism.

On Monday, seven soldiers will receive public recognition for their actions during a Silver Star ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The medals -- the third-highest award for valor in the Army -- are being awarded for five separate battles over a span of more than two years.

Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Gonzalez and Sgt. 1st Class Mark Roland were part of Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (SFODA) 732.

On June 11, 2007, their unit was sent to help a group of Afghan soldiers who had been pinned down by an enemy attack. When the unit arrived, they and their fellow soldiers were immediately enveloped in the same ambush by a much larger enemy force.

Even though the enemy was firing from just 10 feet, Roland immediately climbed out of the relative safety of his armored vehicle and started attacking enemy fighters in a nearby wadi, or dry streambed.

He and his fellow soldiers killed two of the enemy and cleared the rest of the wadi of enemy attackers, all while under fire from snipers. Their actions meant the enemy was no longer a threat to his unit's rear flank.

About the same time, Gonzalez saw that four Afghan soldiers were pinned down by enemy fire. He jumped out of his vehicle and ran nearly 40 yards through enemy fire.

"Without regard for his life," the Army account read, "over the course of three trips through enemy fire, he rescued all four soldiers and brought them back to the safety of his armored vehicle." He did it all while under fire from enemy sniper and machine gun fire.

After clearing the wadi and getting back in his vehicle, Roland saw eight Afghan soldiers who were pinned down by enemy machine gun fire. He got out of his vehicle, ran through enemy fire and moved four of the Afghan soldiers back to his vehicle and directed the other four to another armored vehicle.

All told, the actions of Roland and Gonzalez -- both of whom had already received the Bronze Star for past battle -- and their fellow soldiers defeated the ambush and led to the death of 60 enemy fighters including two Taliban commanders, according to the Army.

Staff Sgts. Mario Pinilla and Daniel Gould also had Bronze Star medals to their name, and Gould had also received the Silver Star for past heroics. They were both serving with Special Operational Detachment Alpha 7134 near Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan.

The two were checking reports of Taliban movements near the village of Faramuz when they were ambushed near a river. Pinilla saw one of his fellow soldiers pinned down by enemy fire and already shot twice. Pinilla grabbed a large machine gun, ran through enemy fire, shooting back the entire time, then dived to the ground to block the enemy fire from his wounded colleague, according to the Army

During a 10-minute firefight, he was shot twice. Eventually, more soldiers showed up to help Pinilla and the other wounded man. The Army account says even though he was wounded, Pinilla didn't stop fighting.

"While his fellow detachment members fought to get to him back to safety, Sergeant Pinilla drew his 9mm Beretta and continued engaging the enemy's ambush line, despite being critically injured," the account reads.

Gould also put his life on the line to save a fellow soldier.

When the Taliban ambushed the unit, he got into an intense half-hour gun battle with the enemy. His helmet was shot off his head, and he was hit once in his body armor.

During the fight, he saw one of his teammates, who was much closer to the enemy, get shot and critically wounded. According to the Army, he used a large machine gun to neutralize the enemy that was the greatest threat to the wounded man, giving a medic a chance to go help the soldier. Then, knowing then man need to be evacuated, Gould joined the medic first in dragging the wounded soldier through nearly 50 yards of enemy fire, and then carrying the wounded man the last 40 yards on his shoulders until they all reached safety.

An enemy unit ambushed Master Sgt. Julio Bocanegra's convoy on August 26, 2008. During the attack in Paktika province, Bocanegra noticed that a group of four Afghan national policemen were pinned down by the enemy, their pickup truck blocking the route for the rest of the unit. According to the Army, Bocanegra jumped out of his vehicle and ran through a hail of fire to reach the Afghan police, all but one of whom was wounded. The Army account spells out how he helped get them to safety.

"Sergeant Bocanegra then disregarded the enemy fire and picked up one of the wounded and placed him into the vehicle which [was] continuing to receive effective fire. Continuing to ignore the danger to his life, Sergeant Bocanegra then picked up a second policeman with multiple gunshot wounds to both legs and placed him into the vehicle," the account said.

Bocanegra, with the help of the one policeman who had not been shot, got the third wounded officer into the Afghan police pickup truck and moved them all to safety. All three Afghan police officers and three soldiers who had been wounded in the fight survived their injuries.

Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Clouse, an Army veteran, was working with a Marine special operations unit and was walking along a boulder-strewn path when one of his teammates was badly wounded. He immediately provided medical attention to that man. Then, according to the Army, another teammate was wounded.

"SFC Clouse ran through the kill zone to render further medical attention under head machine gun fire that struck the back of his body armor," according to the Army summary of the battle. The second man's life couldn't be saved.

The summary says Clouse continued providing advanced combat first aid amid intense enemy fire.

"Reacting to the calls for assistance from other wounded, SFC Clouse again ran through the kill zone to provide medical assistance," according to the report.

One enemy sniper bullet destroyed Clouse's weapon, but he kept on. All told, Clouse provided medical assistance to four American wounded and one Afghan soldier who'd been wounded in the attack and helped moved them to safety.

Sgt. 1st Class David Nunez was in a convoy of U.S. Special Forces and Afghan national army soldiers traveling through the village of Shewan in Ferah province on May 29, 2008.

As many as 60 insurgents attacked the convoy, disabling Nunez's vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade. The vehicle started burning, and Nunez was worried that other soldiers were still in the vehicle, according to the Army.

"Without regard for his own life, [Nunez] began to discard ammunition and explosives from the rear of the vehicle in order to ensure others were not injured. During this entire period of time, SFC Nunez was engulfed in flames. Ignoring his wounds and the intense concentration of enemy fire, he continued to assist the convoy pinned in the kill zone until he eventually succumbed to his injuries," the battle account reads.

Nunez's obituary noted that he had already received a Bronze Star, an Army commendation medal and numerous other decorations.

After Monday's ceremony at Fort Bragg, his record will be upgraded to include the Silver Star for "his bravery in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, this command and the United States Army."