**
DCG posted: " US Army: Former Army Capt. William D. Swenson will be
presented the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in a White House
ceremony Oct. 15, making him the sixth living recipient of the nation's
highest military award for valor during combat in Ira" Respond to this
post by replying above this line
New post on *Fellowship of the Minds*
<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/> First Army officer from
operations in Iraq, Afghanistan to receive Medal of
Honor<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/22/first-army-officer-from-operations-in-iraq-afghanistan-to-receive-medal-of-honor/>
by
DCG <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/>
[image:
swenson]<http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/swenson.jpg>
US
Army<http://www.army.mil/article/111429/First_Army_officer_from_operations_in_Iraq__Afghanistan_to_receive_Medal_of_Honor/>:
Former Army Capt. William D. Swenson will be presented the Medal of Honor
by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony Oct. 15, *making him
the sixth living recipient of the nation's highest military award for valor
during combat in Iraq or Afghanistan*.
The Washington State native will receive the Medal of Honor for his
conspicuous gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of
duty, Sept. 8, 2009, during combat operations against Taliban insurgents in
Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
"It's a monumental event for me, for my family and for my teammates,"
Swenson said after receiving word directly from Obama. *"This day also
means a lot to those I served with."*
During his second tour in Afghanistan, Swenson served as an embedded
adviser with the Afghan Border Police Mentor Team in support of 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain
Division. He was tasked with mentoring members of the Afghan National
Security Forces.
On the morning of Sept. 8, 2009, Swenson and his team moved on foot into
the rural community of Ganjgal for a meeting with village elders. It was
then he and his team were ambushed by more than 50 well-armed,
well-positioned insurgent fighters.
As the enemy unleashed a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and
machine gun fire, *Swenson returned fire, coordinated and directed the
response of his Afghan Border Police* soldiers, and simultaneously tried to
call in suppressive artillery fire and aviation support.
After the enemy effectively flanked Coalition Forces, Swenson repeatedly
called for smoke to cover the withdrawal of the forward elements.
Surrounded on three sides by enemy forces inflicting effective and accurate
fire, *Swenson coordinated air assets, indirect fire support and
medical-evacuation helicopter support to allow for the evacuation of the
wounded*.
*Swenson ignored enemy radio transmissions demanding surrender and
maneuvered uncovered to render medical aid to a wounded Soldier, Sgt. 1st
Class Kenneth W. Westbrook.* Swenson stopped administering aid long enough
to throw a grenade at approaching enemy forces, then assisted with moving
Westbrook for air evacuation.
After using aviation support to mark locations of fallen and wounded
comrades, it became clear that ground recovery was required due to the
proximity of heavily-armed enemy positions to potential helicopter landing
zones.
*With complete disregard for his own safety, Swenson voluntarily led a team
into the kill zone*, exposing himself to enemy fire on three occasions to
recover the wounded and search for missing team members.
Returning to the kill zone a fourth time in a Humvee, he exited the
vehicle, *evaded a hail of bullets and shells to recover three fallen
Marines and a Navy corpsman*, working alongside then-Marine Corps Cpl.
Dakota Meyer, who on Sept. 15, 2011, received the Medal of Honor for his
own actions in the battle.
*After six hours of continuous fighting, Swenson rallied his teammates and
effectively disrupted the enemy assault.*
[image:
swenson2]<http://fellowshipofminds.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/swenson2.jpg>
Swenson was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant following graduation from Officer
Candidate School on Sept. 6, 2002. His military training and education
includes the infantry Maneuver Captains Career Course, Ranger Course,
Infantry Officer Basic, Infantry Mountain Leader Advanced Marksmanship
Course and Airborne School.
His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with Two Bronze Oak
Leaf Clusters; the Purple Heart; the Army Commendation Medal; the National
Defense Service Medal; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one campaign
star; the Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars; the Global War on
Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal;
the Army Service Ribbon; the Overseas Service Ribbon; the Combat
Infantryman Badge; the Ranger Tab; and the Parachutist Badge.
Hooah!
DCG
*DCG <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/author/dcgere/>* | September 22,
2013 at 4:00 am | Tags:
Afghanistan<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=afghanistan>,
Iraq <http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?tag=iraq> | Categories:
Military<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/?cat=33806753>| URL:
http://wp.me/pKuKY-nsk
Comment<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/22/first-army-officer-from-operations-in-iraq-afghanistan-to-receive-medal-of-honor/#respond>
See all
comments<http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/22/first-army-officer-from-operations-in-iraq-afghanistan-to-receive-medal-of-honor/#comments>
Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage
Subscriptions<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=80d8873ee52adffe4e178d01c25562cf&email=goosepickles%40gmail.com>.
*Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2013/09/22/first-army-officer-from-operations-in-iraq-afghanistan-to-receive-medal-of-honor/
Thanks for flying with WordPress.com <http://wordpress.com>
--
--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"PoliticalForum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
