Modern War Heroes

Sadly, many of my posts have been about heroes who lost their lives in the line of duty. I’m happy to report that this post doesn’t have that sad ending in regards to our hero. His quick reflexes enabled him to save the team’s medic while taking a bullet himself in the leg. This blog goes into detail about this brave young man, Christopher Santiago Lowe, but I’m going to quote the action part here. There is also a slideshow of photos of him on duty.

On the early morning of 7 August 09, SPC Lowe was part of a 5-man team patrolling in the Kapisa Province area along with ANA and coalition forces.   While traveling through one of the village hamlets lined with thick stone walls and mud brick houses, the insurgents unleashed a furious attack.  The insurgents were well prepared and it was almost as they were informed and anticipated their arrival.  Approximately 60-100 Taliban insurgents fired RPGs, AK-47’s, PKMs, and Ditska (equivalent of US 50-cal.) and other weapons at the approaching forces.   Lowe along with his team sought shelter in a kalat (mud-stone house inside a walled in compound).  Marine Captain Matt Freeman crawled on top of the roof looking for advantage points and was fatally hit by a bullet.  “Doc” the medic was trying to provide assistance and recover the body.  Doc yelled out for some help and Lowe’s reflexes took over as he scrambled up a ladder to the roof.  Doc was tugging on Captain Freeman’s body and Lowe apparently sensed the danger.  He grabbed Doc and threw him down.  About the same time, Lowe took a bullet to his upper right thigh area.  Both he and Doc fell off the roof to the ground.  Doc apparently fell on top of Lowe’s leg and thought he broke it because Lowe was yelling “My leg, my leg”.  But when the Doc saw the spurting blood, his medical training kicked into high gear and he applied a CAT tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
The femoral artery was nicked, but Doc was able to stabilize the bleeding and Lowe was transported out of the battle space to a helicopter landing zone.

SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy while deployed in Afghanistan

While deployed in Afghanistan, Lt. Michael Murphy was part of a four man team sent on a scouting mission deep in the Hindu Kush. Sadly, three out of the four men were lost on this mission, including Murphy. All were brave men, but Murphy put himself in terrible danger in order to help his teammates – a move that paid off and resulted in the rescue of the one survivor, Marcus Luttrell. Michael Murphy posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic and selfless act.

While under heavy fire and all four men dealing with wounds, Michael Murphy was attempting to communicate with base and send out a distress call. The jagged terrian was blocking his signal, making it almost impossible to get out a message.

Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.

Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire.  This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy.  While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.  Severely wounded, Lt. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.

Read the entire story here and also see more pictures of SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy. There are also photos of his parents receiving the Medal of Honor in his place.

Ed “Too Tall” Freeman was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. He had always wanted to fly, but standing at an impressive 6′4″, he was denied training since he was “too tall”.  However, in 1955 the army changed its height regulations and he was allowed to fly. Thank goodness he was. This man proved himself to be a hero and many people owe their lives to his unselfishness. If he had not been allowed to be a pilot, what would have happened to them?

This account later earned him the Medal of Honor.

Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle’s outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have gone down, with much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers — some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman’s selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army. (Wikipedia)

5 young soldiers – three who were only 18 – were lost in a surprise bombing attack in Afghanistan. Most of those were lost when they rushed back to help fellow platoon members who were injured in the blast, but the Taliban “daisy chain” of bombs claimed their lives.

DailyRecord.co.uk has the story.

I found this account on TheWall-USA. I feel like I’m over using the word “amazing”, but the thing is the people really are. Break out the thesaurus: awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful – take your pick. These people are it. This young man fought in Vietnam, and valiantly gave his life in a effort to save others during an airlift rescue.

Airman First Class Pitsenbarger distinguished himself by extreme valor on 11 April 1966 near Cam My, Republic of Vietnam, while assigned as a Pararescue Crew Member, Detachment 6, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. On that date, Airman Pitsenbarger was aboard a rescue helicopter responding to a call for evacuation of casualties incurred in an on-going firefight between elements of the United States Army’s 1st Infantry Division and a sizable enemy force approximately 35 miles east of Saigon. With complete disregard for personal safety, Airman Pitsenbarger volunteered to ride a hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle, to the ground. On the ground, he organized and coordinated rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and insured that the recovery operation continued in a smooth and orderly fashion. Through his personal efforts, the evacuation of the wounded was greatly expedited. As each of the nine casualties evacuated that day were recovered, Pitsenbarger refused evacuation in order to get one more wounded soldier to safety. After several pick-ups, one of the two rescue helicopters involved in the evacuation was struck by heavy enemy ground fire and was forced to leave the scene for an emergency landing. Airman Pitsenbarger stayed behind, on the ground, to perform medical duties. Shortly thereafter, the area came under sniper and mortar fire. During a subsequent attempt to evacuate the site, American forces came under heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force. When the enemy launched the assault, the evacuation was called off and Airman Pitsenbarger took up arms with the besieged infantrymen. He courageously resisted the enemy, braving intense gunfire to gather and distribute vital ammunition to American defenders. As the battle raged on, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to care for the wounded, pull them out of the line of fire, and return fire whenever he could, during which time, he was wounded three times. Despite his wounds, he valiantly fought on, simultaneously treating as many wounded as possible. In the vicious fighting which followed, the American forces suffered 80 percent casualties as their perimeter was breached, and airman Pitsenbarger was finally fatally wounded. Airman Pitsenbarger exposed himself to almost certain death by staying on the ground, and perished while saving the lives of wounded infantrymen. His bravery and determination exemplify the highest professional standards and traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Air Force.

Check out TheWall-USA:

Sgt. Gary Hughes says, “I did what any guy would do.”

Maybe Hughes doesn’t feel like he did anything special, but I know that the pregnant women he helped disagrees.

Sgt. Gary Hughes remembers it was a scorching day in southern Iraq when he noticed a woman cloaked in a black chador slumping to the floor, holding her stomach.Taking a break from handing out water bottles, Hughes, 27, soon realized the young Muslim woman was pregnant. Worried she was losing the baby, he said he slung his rifle on his back and swooped her into his arms.

“It all happened so fast,” said Hughes, the physical training instructor for Britain’s 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. “I ran to the hospital as fast as I could — about 200 meters.” That’s roughly the size of two football fields.

Hospital staff nicknamed the 6-pound boy “Yussuf Gary.” Coincidentally, the baby was born April 4, the same day Hughes’ son, Cavan, celebrated his first birthday back home in Birmingham, England. Read on…

Sometimes a hero isn’t found amongst the gunfire and heat of battle, but found fighting against the elements to help his fellow man. I know Gary Hughes will always be a hero to that woman.

Army Sgt. Justin A. Cooper didn’t think he did anything special when he rescued fellow team member Michael Brown from a burning truck during a hand grenade attack in Mosul.

“I didn’t have to think. I just reacted,” said Cooper yesterday. “In training it was always my car that was hit, so I knew exactly what to do, how to react.”

Michael Brown certainly thinks Cooper is a hero, and I would have to say when Cooper was awarded the Bronze Star (complete with a V device for valor) he completely deserved it.

On Oct. 16, 2007, Cooper and his squad were leaving the Al Rashidayah Local Police Station in Mosul when an antiarmor hand grenade exploded in their truck, according to the Army. The driver tried to push through but only traveled 15 to 20 feet before the vehicle caught fire and filled with smoke.

Cooper evacuated his squad, and heard Pfc. Michael Brown yell that he couldn’t feel his foot, the Army said. Cooper ran back into the burning truck and pulled Brown out, away from the blaze. He applied a tourniquet to Brown’s leg and helped his squad get to safety. Read on…

This past January, Chief Special Warfare Operator Mitchell Hall received the Silver Star medal for heroism. On April 2, 2007, Hall’s unit was involved in a combat situation in Habbaniyah, Iraq. His actions in this fight were certainly commendable, and this award has been well placed.

According to the release, Hall, assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Center, deployed with Coronado, Calif.-based SEAL Team 5 and was manning observation posts along the Euphrates River with a squad of Iraqi commandos when their radios rang out with reports of a Marine Corps unit caught by sniper fire nearby.

Hall’s men spotted suspicious enemy fighters near their post, and soon after the men traded heavy gunfire across alleys and between buildings with the insurgents. Rounds struck one of the SEALs, and Hall ran over to his aid.

“Under heavy fire, Hall repeatedly exposed himself to heavy fire to engage the enemy and provide suppressive fire for his teammates. He and his squad then worked to secure a helicopter landing zone for the wounded SEAL’s extraction,” the release stated.

Brown, the commodore, commended Hall’s actions, saying he “acted with great skill to save an injured teammate, his heroic actions battling insurgents that day in Albu Bali is part of the Naval Special Warfare’s remarkable work in defeating the insurgency in the west part of Iraq.” (source)

This post honors not only the brave soldier who risked his life in a convoy attack, but also his family who was able to be there for him unconditionally during his long road to recovery. Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr. was injured when a semi truck drove over an improvised explosive, and in the explosion spilled gasoline on the road. The gasoline quickly caught fire, and Shell found himself completely on fire while rescuing the truck driver and his sergeant.  He suffered 3rd degree burns over 30 percent of his body.

It has been a long road of over 5 years of recovery. Shell feels blessed to have his family, who have all changed their lifestyles in order to be with him in his time of need.

“I think my family and my friends were pivotal,” he continued. “I couldn’t have recovered to the point I am right now. I think I would have healed — my wounds would have healed and scabbed over — but when you talk about actual recovery or you reach a point of wellness, I don’t think I would be that person today.”  – Alvin Shell Jr.

Read the entire amazing account here.

Every war has its heroes. This post is dedicated to Noel Godfrey Chavasse who served in World War I.  He began his career by studying medicine, and ended up joining the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1913. Neither illness nor injury kept him from his duty of helping his fellow soldiers. He received multiple honors, including the Victoria Cross and the Military Cross.

I am always impressed and humbled by these healers who are called to the battlefront. They could easily perform their duties far away from the front, but somehow they find the courage to run out into the fray to rescue the poor souls laying injured in the mud. And thank goodness they do! So many have been saved by these brave efforts who otherwise would have lost their lives.

Please click on Noel Chavasse’s name to learn more about him.