FORT BRAGG, N.C. - A Special Forces Soldier who crawled 200 feet while being fired upon to save a wounded colleague, then led a group of besieged Soldiers to safety, received the Army's second-highest award for valor April 30.
Master Sgt. Brendan O'Connor received the Distinguished Service Cross in a ceremony April 30 at Fort Bragg for his actions in Afghanistan. The award is second in achievement only to the Medal of Honor.
"He made a conscious decision to do whatever it took to get to our wounded Soldiers," said Maj. Sheffield Ford, the team's commander during the June 2006 battle in southern Afghanistan.
O'Connor, 47, doesn't believe he is a hero. He said that police officers and firefighters are courageous every day and that he was only completing his mission.
"I am being recognized for a moment of courage," said O'Connor, whose wife and four children attended the ceremony. "I firmly believe other Soldiers in my place would have done the same thing."
With his Special Forces team surrounded by Taliban fighters, O'Connor volunteered to lead a relief force to rescue two wounded colleagues. He got to the edge of a field, but intense Taliban machine-gun fire made him turn back. After shedding his body armor so he could press himself flat in a ditch, he crawled the last 200 feet to the wounded Soldiers.
Taliban fire was so close that it sheared off the blades of tall grass around the ditch as he crawled.
Finally reaching the two wounded Soldiers, he stabilized them and led the relief force back to safety.
Admiral Eric T. Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Lt. Gen. Robert W. Wagner, commanding general of the Army Special Operations Command, presented the award to O'Connor.
Olson, who recounted the battle in his speech, described O'Connor's actions as legendary.
"Master Sgt. O'Connor exemplifies the spirit and ethos of these warriors," Olson said. "We stand in quiet awe and in the deepest admiration."
The ceremony marked only the second time the award has been presented to a Soldier for actions in Afghanistan.
O'Connor is assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group. The unit is based at Fort Bragg, home to the Army's Special Operations Command and the 82nd Airborne Division.
__________________ Don't fight with an ignorant because he will drag you down to his own level and beat you to death with his skills.
I always like reading about our soilders and their work. I'm sure you read the book of Medal of Honor stories. What Americans will do for their fellow countrymen. I haven't seen any terrorist doing shit like that b/c they're like, "let him blow himself up, why save him?".
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6MT Coupe -\'The rice is mightier than the corn, beotches!\'
Yeah, when I was stationed at Ft. Benning I used to spend a lot of what free time I had at the Infantry museum there. There is a section there for all the MOH recipients and their stories. Some of the events are awe inspiring.
I've had a few opportunities to meet some MOH winners and they're all, every last one, the most humble individuals I've ever met in my life. They definitely made me proud to wear the uniform. I've also read the book too iron and once in a while it's does me good to go back re-read it.
So how you doing iron? Other than playing GTA IV 24/7.
__________________ Don't fight with an ignorant because he will drag you down to his own level and beat you to death with his skills.
Neft. I hope that God will serve his justice on this one as there is no sense in this type of crime/act. I almost cannot contain my grief at such a tragedy. Children should not die before they have a chance to live their lives. I hope this animal will live, and die, to serve out his/her punshiment for the rest of their lives.
__________________ Don't fight with an ignorant because he will drag you down to his own level and beat you to death with his skills.
I always like reading about our soilders and their work. I'm sure you read the book of Medal of Honor stories. What Americans will do for their fellow countrymen. I haven't seen any terrorist doing shit like that b/c they're like, "let him blow himself up, why save him?".
The best picture I've seen to sum up the terrorist is that a soldier stands in front of the people while the terrorist hides behind them. That says it all.
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Now I'm just laid bad - G35Princess
R.I.P. MBC
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Who said there are no more hero's...
