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| Ex-G.I. Gets Medal of Honor for Lifesaving Acts in Afghanistan | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Kyle J. White, an Army radiotelephone operator who struggled for hours through persistent enemy fire in Afghanistan to try to save the lives of wounded soldiers during a surprise attack by Taliban fighters. | WASHINGTON — President Obama on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor to Sgt. Kyle J. White, an Army radiotelephone operator who struggled for hours through persistent enemy fire in Afghanistan to try to save the lives of wounded soldiers during a surprise attack by Taliban fighters. |
| “Today, we pay tribute to a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation, a young man who was a freshman in high school when the Twin Towers fell,” Mr. Obama said at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. | “Today, we pay tribute to a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation, a young man who was a freshman in high school when the Twin Towers fell,” Mr. Obama said at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. |
| “His journey from that day to this speaks to the story of his generation,” Mr. Obama added. | “His journey from that day to this speaks to the story of his generation,” Mr. Obama added. |
| The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration. | The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration. |
| Sergeant White’s team of 14 soldiers and a squad of Afghan soldiers were ambushed by heavily armed Taliban fighters after a tense meeting with elders in the village of Aranas, Afghanistan, in Nuristan Province, on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Army’s account of the battle. | Sergeant White’s team of 14 soldiers and a squad of Afghan soldiers were ambushed by heavily armed Taliban fighters after a tense meeting with elders in the village of Aranas, Afghanistan, in Nuristan Province, on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Army’s account of the battle. |
| “They had us outnumbered, that’s for sure,” Sergeant White told Stars and Stripes. | “They had us outnumbered, that’s for sure,” Sergeant White told Stars and Stripes. |
| As gunfire erupted from several directions, a rocket-propelled grenade landed near Sergeant White, knocking him unconscious. When he awoke, he found himself among six team members who had been left in the open after the others were forced to seek cover by sliding down a cliff. | As gunfire erupted from several directions, a rocket-propelled grenade landed near Sergeant White, knocking him unconscious. When he awoke, he found himself among six team members who had been left in the open after the others were forced to seek cover by sliding down a cliff. |
| Despite a second blow to the head and a shrapnel wound on his face, Sergeant White spent four hours rushing to the aid of three soldiers with life-threatening injuries, dragging them to cover and applying tourniquets. | Despite a second blow to the head and a shrapnel wound on his face, Sergeant White spent four hours rushing to the aid of three soldiers with life-threatening injuries, dragging them to cover and applying tourniquets. |
| Two radios were destroyed in the fighting before Sergeant White recovered a working one and called in reinforcements by land and air, which pushed back the enemy forces. | Two radios were destroyed in the fighting before Sergeant White recovered a working one and called in reinforcements by land and air, which pushed back the enemy forces. |
| As the fighting subsided and night fell, Sergeant White helped coordinate a rescue operation by radio, marking a landing zone and assisting medics in hoisting the wounded soldiers into a helicopter before being evacuated himself. | As the fighting subsided and night fell, Sergeant White helped coordinate a rescue operation by radio, marking a landing zone and assisting medics in hoisting the wounded soldiers into a helicopter before being evacuated himself. |
| Two of the three Americans Sergeant White tried to save — the platoon leader, First Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, and Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks of the Marines — were killed in the attack. Four others also died, and many more were wounded. | Two of the three Americans Sergeant White tried to save — the platoon leader, First Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, and Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks of the Marines — were killed in the attack. Four others also died, and many more were wounded. |
| But Specialist Kain Schilling survived after Sergeant White dragged him from the open and applied tourniquets to his arm and leg. Specialist Schilling joined him at the White House ceremony on Tuesday. | But Specialist Kain Schilling survived after Sergeant White dragged him from the open and applied tourniquets to his arm and leg. Specialist Schilling joined him at the White House ceremony on Tuesday. |
| Sergeant White, 27, is a native of Seattle. He retired from the Army in 2011 and is now an investment analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada in Charlotte, N.C. | Sergeant White, 27, is a native of Seattle. He retired from the Army in 2011 and is now an investment analyst at the Royal Bank of Canada in Charlotte, N.C. |
| Sergeant White is the 14th recipient of the Medal of Honor for service in either Afghanistan or Iraq. By comparison, 464 Medals of Honor were awarded for service during World War II, 133 during the Korean War and 246 during the Vietnam War. | Sergeant White is the 14th recipient of the Medal of Honor for service in either Afghanistan or Iraq. By comparison, 464 Medals of Honor were awarded for service during World War II, 133 during the Korean War and 246 during the Vietnam War. |
| By 2007, Afghanistan was becoming the “forgotten war” as attention shifted to the increase in American forces in Iraq. That year brought the greatest spike in insurgent violence in Afghanistan since the Taliban and Al Qaeda had been routed six years earlier. | By 2007, Afghanistan was becoming the “forgotten war” as attention shifted to the increase in American forces in Iraq. That year brought the greatest spike in insurgent violence in Afghanistan since the Taliban and Al Qaeda had been routed six years earlier. |