A company cook by duty, a combat leader by choice. On his first day under fire, he walked point and never stepped back.
He ran toward the wounded while others were pinned down by fire. Again and again, he crossed open ground until his strength—and his life—were spent saving others.
Outnumbered, wounded, and alone, he refused to give an inch of ground. Standing atop a burning vehicle, he turned certain defeat into decisive victory.
When his team was caught in a deadly ambush, he ran toward the gunfire. By drawing the enemy onto himself, he gave others the chance to live.
When withdrawal meant survival for others, he chose to stand alone. Gravely wounded and surrounded, he held the line until the attack collapsed.
Outnumbered and cut off, he chose to fight alone rather than let the enemy strike first. In the thin air over the Pacific, he turned isolation into lethal advantage.
When his platoon was pinned down by deadly fire, he chose to attack alone. Wounded but unyielding, he broke the enemy line with sheer determination and rifle fire.
