President Barack Obama awards former Army Capt. William D. Swenson the Medal of Honor

President Barack Obama awards former Army Capt. William D. Swenson the Medal of Honor. Swenson received the Nation's highest honor for his courageous actions while serving as an embedded advisor to the Afghan National Border Police, Task Force Phoenix, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in support of 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. He is the sixth living recipient and the first officer to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.



This video depicts the battlefield actions of Cpt. William Swenson on Sept. 8, 2009 near the village of Ganjgal in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, as he directs MedEvac landing for the evacuation of his critically injured teammate, Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook. The video was captured by two different MedEvac crew members and shows each crew member's perspective of events spanning the same time period.



Today, President Obama presented the Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Captain William Swenson.

Last month, the United States Army released a remarkable piece of video. It’s from the combat helmet cameras of a Medevac helicopter crew in Afghanistan. It’s shaky and grainy, but it takes us to the frontlines that our troops face every day. And in that video, as the helicopter touches down by a remote village, you see, out of a cloud of dust, an American soldier.

He’s without his helmet, standing in the open, exposing himself to enemy fire, standing watch over a severely wounded soldier. He helps carry that wounded soldier to the helicopter, and places him inside. Then, amidst the whipping wind and deafening roar of the blades, he does something unexpected. He leans in and kisses the wounded soldier on the head - a simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms. And as the door closes and the helicopter takes off, he turns and goes back the way he came, back into the battle.

In our nation’s history, we have presented our highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, nearly 3,500 times for actions above and beyond the call of duty. But this may be the first time that we can actually bear witness to a small part of those actions for ourselves. And today we honor the American in that video - the soldier who went back in - Captain William Swenson.

Swenson received the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as an Embedded Trainer and Mentor of the Afghan National Security Forces with Afghan Border Police Mentor Team, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during a lengthy battle with the Taliban in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009.

Moments like this, Americans like Will, remind us what our country can be at its best - a nation of citizens who look out for one another; who meet our obligations to one another, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. Will, you’re an example - to everyone in this city, to our whole country - of the professionalism and patriotism we should strive for - whether we wear the uniform or not.

It was only the second time in nearly half a century that the Medal of Honor has been awarded to two survivors of the same battle. Corporal Dakota Meyer who fought not far from Swenson, was presented the Medal of Honor two years ago.

President Obama told the story of Swenson's actions in battle that day.

I want to take you back to that September morning four years ago. It’s around sunrise. A column of Afghan soldiers and their American advisors are winding their way up a narrow trail towards a village to meet with elders. But just as the first soldier reaches the outskirts of the village, all hell breaks loose.

Almost instantly, three Marines and a Navy corpsman [CORE-man] at the front of the column are surrounded. Will and the soldiers in the center of the column are pinned down. Rocket-propelled grenade, mortar, and machine gun fire is pouring in from three sides.

As he returns fire, Will calls for air support. But his initial requests are denied - Will and his team are too close to the village. Then Will learns that his noncommissioned officer, Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook, has been shot in the neck. So Will breaks across 50 meters of open space, bullets biting all around. Lying on his back, he presses a bandage to Kenneth’s wound with one hand and calls for a Medevac with the other, trying to keep his buddy calm.

By this time, the enemy has gotten even closer - just 20 or 30 meters away. Over the radio, they’re demanding the Americans surrender. Will stops treating Kenneth long enough to respond - by lobbing a grenade.

Finally, after more than an hour and a half of fighting, air support arrives. Will directs them to nearby targets. Then it’s time to move. Exposing himself again to enemy fire, Will helps carry Kenneth the length of more than two football fields, down steep terraces, to that helicopter. And then, in the moment captured by those cameras, Will leans in to say goodbye.

But more Americans - and more Afghans - are still out there. So Will does something incredible. He jumps behind the wheel of an unarmored Ford Ranger pickup truck. A Marine gets in the passenger seat. And they drive that truck - a vehicle designed for the highway - straight into the battle.

Twice, they pick up injured Afghan soldiers - bullets whizzing past them, slamming into the pickup truck. Twice they bring them back. When the truck gives out, they grab a Humvee. The Marine by Will’s side has no idea how they survived. But, he says, “by that time it didn’t matter. We [were] not leaving any soldiers behind.”

Finally, a helicopter spots those four missing Americans - hours after they were trapped in the opening ambush. So Will gets in another Humvee, with a crew that includes Dakota Meyer. And together, they drive. Past enemy fighters. Up through the valley. Exposed once more.

When they reach the village, Will jumps out - drawing even more fire, dodging even more bullets. But they reach those Americans, lying where they fell. Will and the others carry them out, one-by-one. They bring their fallen brothers home.

World War II Medal of Honor recipient dies at 96 years old

Medal of Honor recipient Nicholas Oresko

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Oct. 7, 2013) -- The Army and the nation are mourning the passing of World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Nicholas Oresko, who died Oct. 4. He was 96 years old.

Oresko, who was a master sergeant, had been the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient at the time of his passing. He received the nation's highest military decoration Oct. 12, 1945.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III said the nation has lost a hero.

"I join the family and friends of former Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko who grieve at the loss of our nation's oldest recipient of the Medal of Honor," he said.

Chandler praised the bravery of Oresko.

"As his (Medal of Honor) citation states, 'his quick thinking, indomitable courage, and unswerving devotion' on January 23rd, 1945, saved the lives of many of his fellow Soldiers, and allowed his unit to accomplish its mission," said Chandler.

"Thank you, Nicholas, for your lesson in personal courage and selfless service," said Chandler.

Oresko, who had received an outpouring of love and support from the community, was surrounded by veterans and current military members in his final days. Some service members reportedly stood watch at his bedside after Oresko was admitted to a New Jersey hospital, where he died due to complications from surgery.

His wife passed away in 1980, and his son died in 2010. He will be buried in New Jersey with full military honors.

Oresko is a hero in his hometown, Bayonne, N.J., where a school is named after him, according to the mayor's office.

"One of the best things I ever had the great opportunity to do was to name a school after Nicholas Oresko while he was still with us. May his courage continue to inspire all of us," said Bayonne Mayor Mark A. Smith.

Oresko made his hometown proud and represented the patriotism of the community so well, said Smith.

"Nicholas Oresko showed uncommon bravery, carrying out two one-man attacks on German bunkers," he said. "Although he was wounded, he refused to leave the battlefield until his mission was accomplished."

His outstanding heroism and courage helped defeat Nazi Germany, and his actions will stand as a great example for future generations, said Smith.

In the Battle of the Bulge, Oresko "swiftly worked ahead alone" after "deadly automatic fire from the flanks pinned down his unit" near Tettingen, Germany, Jan. 23, 1945, according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Oresko, a platoon sergeant with Company C, 302nd Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Division, 3rd Army, moved through the gunfire and then threw a grenade into a German position, rushed the bunker and killed all the hostile occupants who survived the grenade blast, it said.

He then, according to the citation, continued the assault after he was wounded by machine gun fire.

"As withering machine gun and rifle fire swept the area, he struck out alone in advance of his men to a second bunker," the citation states.

"With a grenade, he crippled the dug-in machine gun defending this position and then wiped out the troops manning it with his rifle, completing his second self-imposed, one-man attack."

Oresko, with "quick thinking, indomitable courage, and unswerving devotion to the attack in the face of bitter resistance and while wounded," killed 12 Germans, prevented a delay in the assault, and made it possible for Company C to obtain its objective with minimum casualties, according to the citation.

Oresko received the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony with 14 other members of the armed forces, according to the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

"It is the greatest honor that can come to a man. It is an honor that all of us strive for, but very few of us ever achieve," said President Harry S. Truman in bestowing the award, states the transcript from the presidential library and museum.