FAMILY4 - Medal of Honor Event
On the evening of October 5,
2023, Pat and I attended a Medal of Honor Event held at Tucson’s Pima Air and
Space Museum. The event was to honor
Medal of Honor recipient, former Army Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, and
through him all Medal of Honor recipients, military veterans, and indeed all
members of the U.S. military services who have kept our country free and
strong. Pat’s, and my, experience was so
informative and inspiring that I decided to write this blog article about it.
After an introduction to the
Medal of Honor, I will describe the Medal of Honor Event, and then discuss the pertinent
October 3, 2009 battle, including an excerpt from the official citation of Clinton
Romesha’s actions that earned him the Medal of Honor. Next, I will discuss Romesha’s Medal of Honor
presentation ceremony that occurred on February 11, 2013. I will conclude with a short note on
Romesha’s post military career, the book he wrote about his and his team’s
remarkable exploits, and finally I will recommend another great book that highlights
the stories of a large group of Medal of Honor recipients.
My principal resources include: Red
Platoon - A True Story of American Valor, by Clinton Romesha; Medal of
Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, by Peter Collier and
Nick del Calzo; “The Medal of Honor,” by the Congressional Medal of Honor
Society, cmohs.org; “The Medal: The
Highest and Most Prestigious Military Decoration,” National Medal of Honor
Museum, mohmuseum.org; “Clinton Lavor Romesha Citation,” cmohs.org; “Medal of
Honor,” “Battle of Kamdesh,” and “Clinton Romesha,” Wikipedia; plus, numerous
other online sources.
Introduction
The Medal of Honor is the United States Armed
Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize
American servicemen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor.
·
While engaged in an action against an enemy of
the United States;
·
While engaged in military operations involving
conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
· While 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.”
All recommendations require thorough
reports on the act itself, the battlefield, and its setting; at least two sworn
eyewitness statements; and any other compelling evidence that can be gathered. Recommendation packets must be approved all
the way up the military command structure, ending with the President of the
United States. The medal is normally
awarded by the President as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
There are three distinct variants of
the medal: one for the Army, awarded to soldiers; one for the Naval
Service, awarded to sailors, marines, and coast guardsmen; and one for
the Air and Space Forces, awarded to airmen and space force guardians. Each service medal is constructed differently,
and the components are made from gilding metals and red brass alloys with some
gold plating, enamel, and bronze pieces. See above for a picture of the Army Medal of
Honor.
The Medal of Honor is the oldest
continuously issued combat decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was introduced for the Naval Service in
1861, soon followed by the Army's version in 1862. The Air Force used the Army's version until
they received their own distinctive version in 1965.
Of the 40 million Americans who have served in the Armed
Forces since the Civil War, only 3,517 have earned the Medal of Honor. Recipients
have included privates and admirals and generals; teachers, businessmen,
laborers, and professionals; and bluebloods, members of minorities, and
immigrants. The only woman to receive it
was a surgeon during the civil war. In
the great conflicts that defined modern America - World War II, Korea, Vietnam,
and the new War on Terror - over 60% of all medals have been awarded
posthumously. There are currently 66 living
recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Medal of Honor Event
The Medal of Honor Event held on
October 5, 2023 was hosted by Merrill Lynch, the wealth management division of
Bank of America. (Bank of America has
been quietly sponsoring events honoring the military since 1960s.)
The Event was held in the
aircraft display hangar just inside the entrance at Tucson’s Pima Air and Space
Museum. The evening began with the
presentation of the American flag by four active-duty service people from Davis
Monthan Air Force Base, followed by a buffet dinner for about 80 invited guests.
Honor Guard from Davis Monthan Air Force Base.
About 80 invited guests attended Merrill Lynch’s Medal of Honor Event at Tucson’s Pima Air and Space Museum.
The program began with a welcome
from Charlie Cajero, Merrill Lynch Marketing Executive for Phoenix and Tucson. Cajero then introduced Robert Jerome from the
Medal of Honor Foundation, who began by asking any veterans attending to stand
up to be recognized for their service. Jerome then played a short video that
summarized the incredible battle and the heroic actions for which Clinton
Romesha was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Next, Jerome introduced Clinton
Romesha (who was wearing his Medal of Honor) and interviewed him for about an
hour, asking pointed questions that allowed Romesha to share the details of his
and his team’s actions that fateful day.
Very emotional at times, Romesha described his actions, motivations, and
feelings during the fight in which eight American soldiers died. He was very humble, repeatedly saying he was
just doing what he was trained for, and remorseful that he had lost eight
members of his group (who he thought were the true heroes).
Matthew Apostolik, Managing
Director, Senior Resident Director from Merrill Lynch Tucson, closed the
program. The inspiring evening ended
with the opportunity for attendees to have a photo taken with Romesha. On the way out, everyone received a copy of a
book containing stories of Medal of Honor recipients from World War II to the
present (see below).
Clinton Romesha (at right) being interviewed at the Medal of Honor Event.
Clinton Romesha and the Battle
of Kamdesh
Clinton Romesha was born on August 17,
1981 in the tiny town of Lake City, California, to a family
with a strong military background. His
maternal grandfather was a World War II veteran, and his father a
Vietnam War veteran. Romesha is the
fourth of five siblings, including two brothers who also joined the military. Romesha enlisted in the Army after graduation from high
school in 1999. He was posted in
Germany, South Korea, and Colorado, before deploying twice to Iraq in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and once to Afghanistan in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom.
In May 2009, Staff Sergeant Romesha's
unit deployed to a remote and desolate part of eastern Afghanistan, near the
town of Kamdesh, close to the Pakistani border. His unit was assigned to American Combat
Outpost (COP) Keating, located in a valley surrounded by steep mountains. Over the course of the Romesha’s deployment, the
vulnerable outpost came under attack regularly.
Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha on duty in Afghanistan.
The Battle of Kamdesh started
early in the morning of October 3, 2009, when a force of about 300 Taliban attacked
COP Keating in a coordinated assault with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy
machine gun fire. COP Keating was manned
bu about 50 U.S. soldiers and another 35 or so Afghan government troops, who
early in the battle, “threw down their weapons and ran.” As a result of the battle, COP Keating was partially overrun
and nearly destroyed.
The 12-hour battle resulted in 8
Americans killed and 27 wounded, while the Taliban suffered an estimated 150
killed.
Nine soldiers were decorated
with Silver Star Medals for the fight. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and
Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were awarded the Medal of
Honor for their actions during the battle.
The following is an excerpt from the
official citation supporting Section Leader, Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha’s
nomination for the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.
“On that
morning, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his comrades awakened to an attack by an
estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on all four sides of the
complex, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket propelled
grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars, and small arms fire. Staff
Sergeant Romesha moved uncovered under intense enemy fire to conduct a
reconnaissance of the battlefield and seek reinforcements from the barracks
before returning to action with the support of an assistant gunner. Staff Sergeant
Romesha took out an enemy machine gun team and, while engaging a second, the
generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade,
inflicting him with shrapnel wounds. Undeterred by his injuries, Staff Sergeant
Romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid him
and the assistant gunner, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to
assemble additional soldiers. Staff Sergeant Romesha then mobilized a five-man
team and returned to the fight equipped with a sniper rifle. With complete
disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Romesha continually exposed
himself to heavy enemy fire, as he moved confidently about the battlefield
engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban
fighters who had breached the combat outpost’s perimeter. While orchestrating a
successful plan to secure and reinforce key points of the battlefield, Staff Sergeant
Romesha maintained radio communication with the tactical operations center. As
the enemy forces attacked with even greater ferocity, unleashing a barrage of
rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle rounds, Staff Sergeant Romesha
identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30
enemy fighters. After receiving reports that seriously injured soldiers were at
a distant battle position, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his team provided
covering fire to allow the injured soldiers to safely reach the aid station.
Upon receipt of orders to proceed to the next objective, his team pushed
forward 100 meters under overwhelming enemy fire to recover and prevent the
enemy fighters from taking the bodies of the fallen comrades. 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 Post Keating.”
Romesha left the army in 2011 to spend more time with his
family. They moved to Minot, North
Dakota where Romesha found work in the oil industry. He currently works as a field safety
specialist for KS Industries, an oil field construction firm.
Medal of Honor Ceremony
In a press conference on January 16, 2013, shortly after
being notified he would receive the Medal of Honor, Romesha played down
his actions in the conflict, noting that many other veterans who had received
more serious injuries in the battle.
On February 11, 2013, Romesha received the Medal of
Honor from President Barack Obama at a ceremony held at the White
House. Attendees included Romesha’s
family, many of his fellow veterans of the Battle of Kamdesh, and “Gold Star”
family members of the eight soldiers who died in the battle. After receiving the award, when speaking to
the press, Romesha stated he felt "conflicted" about receiving the
medal due to the loss of those who died while serving with him.
Clinton Romesha received his Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama.
Romesha’s Book
In 2016, Romesha's book Red Platoon - A True Story of
American Valor was published, recounting the Battle of Kamdesh. During the Medal of Honor Event on October 5,
2023 that Pat and I attended, Romesha shared that he wrote the book to provide
more details about the battle for the families of those soldiers who died in
the battle. Romesha spent two years,
conducting multiple trips across the United States to meet directly with key
members of the unit with whom he served, recording their recollections of the
battle, combining them with his notes and recollections of what unfolded that
day. He also combed through hundreds of
pages of eyewitness testimony, radio transcripts, and other materials amassed
for the official Army report of the incident.
He described his massive effort as “the only way to properly honor what
we had done.”
Immediately after receiving my invitation to the Medal of
Honor Event, I looked up “Clinton Romesha” on the internet and quickly noted
that he had written a book about the battle.
It turns out that the Pima County Library had one copy, an E-book, that
I quickly downloaded and read. The book
contains incredible detail of the activities that day, including background and
actions of all the principal participants.
I really felt that I was part of the battle, and could identify with the
feelings and emotions expressed. I
certainly recommend the book.
Clinton Romesha’s book details the Battle of Kamdesh.
Collection of Medal of Honor Recipient Stories
The book that was gifted to attendees of the Medal of Honor
Event is titled: Medal of Honor -
Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty, Revised and Updated Third Edition,
2016. This coffee-table-worthy book
of 365 pages contains a detailed history of the Medal of Honor and the heroic
stories of Medal of Honor recipients from World War II, the Korean War, the
Vietnam War, and the War on Terror. The
first edition of the book was published in 2003, honoring living Medal of Honor
recipients. Following the same intent,
this revised third edition includes 156 Medal of Honor recipients - each
profiled in moving text by National Book Award nominee Peter Collier, along
with a poignant contemporary portrait by award-winning photographer Nick Del
Calzo. The book is extremely well done
and I recommend it strongly.
This book collects the stories of 156 Medal of Honor recipients.
Pat and I were honored to attend the
Medal of Honor Event. Many thanks to
Merrill Lynch for sponsoring it.
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