|
| President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Army Capt. William D. Swenson of Seattle, Wash., during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013. Swenson was being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in a lengthy battle against the Taliban insurgents in the Ganjgal valley near the Pakistan border on Sept. 8, 2009, which claimed the lives of five Americans, 10 Afghan army troops and an interpreter. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Four years after risking his life in Afghanistan, William D.
Swenson solemnly received the Medal of Honor on Tuesday in a case of
battlefield bravery with some odd twists: The young Army captain
questioned the judgment of his superiors, and the paperwork nominating
him for the award was lost. He left the military two years ago but wants
to return to active duty, a rare move for a medal recipient.
The
nation's highest military honor - a sky blue ribbon and medal - was
clasped around Swenson's neck by President Barack Obama at the White
House. The president described how Swenson repeatedly exposed himself to
enemy fire to recover fallen comrades and help save others during a
battle against Taliban insurgents in the Ganjgal valley near the
Pakistan border on Sept. 8, 2009. The fight claimed five Americans, 10
Afghan army troops and an interpreter.
Swenson
is the second Medal of Honor recipient from that fight, just the second
time in half a century that the medal has been awarded to two survivors
of the same battle, Obama said. Two years ago, Obama presented the
Medal of Honor to Marine Cpl. Dakota Meyer for heroic actions in the
2009 fight.
Obama noted that although
America's highest military honor has been bestowed nearly 3,500 times,
never before had the public been able to see any of the bravery it was
designed to recognize. Video taken by the medevac crew's helmet cameras
shows Swenson delivering a severely wounded soldier to the helicopter
and kissing him on the head before returning to the heat of battle.
"A
simple act of compassion and loyalty to a brother in arms," Obama said
at the East Room ceremony attended by Swenson's parents, Julia and Carl,
along with Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel and others.
Swenson also invited some of the Army soldiers and Marines who fought alongside him, and survivors of the five Americans.
Swenson,
34, of Seattle has been unemployed since leaving the military in
February 2011. He has requested to return to active duty, rare for a
Medal of Honor recipient, and his request is being reviewed, Army
spokesman George Wright said.
A sober Swenson
said the medal didn't belong to him alone. "This award was earned with a
team, a team of our finest. This medal represents them. It represents
us," he said in a brief statement afterward. He declined to answer
questions.
Swenson was a trainer and adviser
embedded with the Afghan Border Police Mentor Team in support of 1st
Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th
Mountain Division when dozens of Taliban insurgents ambushed him and his
team that September morning as they headed on foot to meet with village
elders in rural Ganjgal in Kunar Province in northeastern Afghanistan.
Under
a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and mortar and machine-gun fire,
Swenson returned fire before risking his life to help evacuate a
wounded comrade, Army Sgt. Kenneth W. Westbrook, 41, of Shiprock, N.M.
Westbrook later died from his wounds.
Swenson
then made several trips to pick up injured Afghan soldiers and the
fallen Americans, first by driving an unarmored Ford Ranger truck into
battle and then grabbing a Humvee when the pickup gave out. He finally
climbed into a second Humvee with a crew that included Meyer to retrieve
the other fallen Americans.
Obama said
Swenson is a "pretty low key guy" who would prefer a Pacific Northwest
mountain trail surrounded by cedar trees to White House pomp. But,
perhaps alluding to the partisan budget dispute gripping Washington, he
said: "I think our nation needs this ceremony today."
Swenson
complained to military leaders after the fight that many of his calls
for help were rejected by superior officers. After an investigation, two
Army officers were reprimanded for being "inadequate and ineffective"
and for "contributing directly to the loss of life."
Swenson was first nominated for the award in 2009 but the paperwork was lost. It was resubmitted in 2011.
Swenson
is the sixth living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq
or Afghanistan, and the first army officer so decorated since the
Vietnam War, the Army said. Swenson's previous military honors include a
Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal.
