The first Medal of Honor in the War on Terror has been awarded. (To my knowledge, none have been awarded for OEF, the Afghanistan campaign.) The last Medals of Honor were given to a couple of ballsy Delta Force snipers in Mogadishu, eleven years ago. I believe the ones before that were from Vietnam.
To earn a MoH, one must basically do something so heroic that nobody in their right mind would do it. It has to be so risky that you could never be ordered to do it. It has to be so dangerous that you place your own life in unnecessary peril. (Two-thirds of past MoH winners died getting the medal.) It has to be witnessed by at least two other people, and it has to save the lives of those around you.
In short, such bravery is rare.
And from an engineer, too. I am not slighting the Corps of Engineers, but one would normally expect MoHs to come out of the infantry and other gung-ho type grunts. This NCO trained his soldiers incessantly (yeah, I'd'a been pissed at him too) because he knew what they might be getting into one day. He was right. His sacrifice saved their lives, but so did the training he gave them. General Schoomaker, the Army Chief of Staff (ultra-top-boss-man) has a vision for the Army that fits the WoT: Every soldier a rifleman first. In a conventional war, my little radar-fixin' self does not need to worry much about combat. That's what grunts are for. But front lines have been done away with. The grunts are still a lot more likely to get shot at than me (that is their job). But with our new style of war, forced on us by terrorists, anybody can get involved in a firefight. Go ask Jessica Lynch.
So. Summing up: Highspeed NCO trained the crap out of his soldiers because he understood that one day they just might need it. Combine that with his bravery, gallantry, and valor, and he brought his platoon home, just like he said he would.
Godspeed, SFC Smith. You are an American hero.
bugle plays taps
long salute
Hat tip: El Capitan, via Michelle Malkin.
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