Stories of Valor

[Ops NCO]

JOEL, LAWRENCE

Rank: Specialist Sixth Class
Organization: U.S. Army

Company: Headquarters Company
Division: 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade

Born: 22 February 1928, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Departed: Yes

Entered Service At: New York City, N.Y.
G.O. Number: 15

Date of Issue: 04/05/1967
Accredited To:

Place / Date: Republic of Vietnam, 8 November 1965

Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp6c. Joel demonstrated indomitable courage, determination, and professional skill when a numerically superior and well-concealed Viet Cong element launched a vicious attack which wounded or killed nearly every man in the lead squad of the company. After treating the men wounded by the initial burst of gunfire, he bravely moved forward to assist others who were wounded while proceeding to their objective. While moving from man to man, he was struck in the right leg by machine gun fire. Although painfully wounded his desire to aid his fellow soldiers transcended all personal feeling. He bandaged his own wound and self-administered morphine to deaden the pain enabling him to continue his dangerous undertaking. Through this period of time, he constantly shouted words of encouragement to all around him. Then, completely ignoring the warnings of others, and his pain, he continued his search for wounded, exposing himself to hostile fire; and, as bullets dug up the dirt around him, he held plasma bottles high while kneeling completely engrossed in his life saving mission. Then, after being struck a second time and with a bullet lodged in his thigh, he dragged himself over the battlefield and succeeded in treating 13 more men before his medical supplies ran out. Displaying resourcefulness, he saved the life of 1 man by placing a plastic bag over a severe chest wound to congeal the blood. As 1 of the platoons pursued the Viet Cong, an insurgent force in concealed positions opened fire on the platoon and wounded many more soldiers. With a new stock of medical supplies, Sp6c. Joel again shouted words of encouragement as he crawled through an intense hail of gunfire to the wounded men. After the 24 hour battle subsided and the Viet Cong dead numbered 410, snipers continued to harass the company. Throughout the long battle, Sp6c. Joel never lost sight of his mission as a medical aidman and continued to comfort and treat the wounded until his own evacuation was ordered. His meticulous attention to duty saved a large number of lives and his unselfish, daring example under most adverse conditions was an inspiration to all. Sp6c. Joel's profound concern for his fellow soldiers, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

[T10]

TIBOR RUBIN

It's fascinating to hear Rubin describe times in combat: defending a hill in Korea, for example, as his unit retreats. His Staff Sergeant had ordered him to defend the hill alone. The sergeant had called Ted a "stupid son-of-a-bitch Jew" but promised to come back and get the corporal in two days. It was Rubin's first combat mission, and here is how it is described by the Medal of Honor Foundation:
"Rubin single-handedly defended the hill for over 24 hours. He incapacitated or killed a staggering number of Korean troops, and slowed the remaining force to a standstill. His regiment made a successful retreat, but his sergeant never came to relieve him."
It was that kind of war for Rubin. A sergeant who assigned him to the most dangerous missions, and never processed the paperwork from the commanding officers who recommended the young Hungarian immigrant for Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor.
The day before this video shoot, when Jacobs and I were talking about the upcoming interview, Jack told me that decorated combat veterans often do not elaborate much on their time under fire. He was right. When Jacobs asked Rubin several times how he was able to persevere against such difficult odds, Rubin had two basic replies, "I was young and strong and somehow I made it, I don't know how," and, "You know, I never want to be a hero, I don't know what really a hero means."
I got a good idea of what being a hero is during my visit with Ted Rubin. To quote again from the Medal of Honor Foundation:
"The sergeant continued to send Rubin on impossible missions. Each time he not only survived, he fought brilliantly, and each time the sergeant deliberately withheld his commendation."
On another hill without a name near the border with North Korea, Ted Rubin's days in combat ended. He ran through enemy fire to fill in for a machine-gunner and his mate who had been killed. Rubin was wounded in the leg, arm and chest but kept firing the machine gun until he ran out of ammunition. He was taken prisoner. He was held for two and a half years in a POW camp where the Red Cross was not allowed to visit. Food was scarce, water was dirty and infected, and there was no medicine. It's a time Rubin doesn't like to talk about.
Here's the exchange between Rubin and Jacobs about how the young corporal would break out of prison camp - not to escape, but to steal.
"I try to steal everything I can."
"You stole? You stole from who? From the Chinese and the North Kor.."
"From the Chinese."
"..and you stole what, food?
"Corn. Barley. Millett, ah vegetables, whatever I can."
"And then what did you do?"
"I come back.. and then I give it to all the rest of the guys, because they was my brothers that needed.. that didn't have food."
Here, Rubin pauses a moment.
"It was very hard."
That Rubin, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, had to deal with anti-Semitism in the Army, even as he served with honor, is a deep injustice. It took 55 years for the Army and the leadership in the Pentagon to recognize his heroism. When President George Bush presented Rubin the Medal of Honor in 2005, there was only one brief reference by the president to the long wait: "By awarding the medal of Honor to Corporal Rubin, the United States acknowledges a debt that time has not diminished."

[Ops NCO]

Staff Sergeant Michael E. Norton, 3/75th Ranger Regiment

Staff Sgt. Michael E. Norton is being awarded the Silver Star medal for extraordinary heroism during an assault on a heavily armed fighter camp in the mountains of Afghanistan Aug. 4 and 5, 2009.

Ambushed at close range, Norton ordered his squad to break contact. At great risk to his own life, he then braved multiple rocket-propelled grenades and withering machine gun fire and returned to recover two of his Rangers who lay unconscious in the beaten zone of enemy fire, saving their lives.

He then rallied his squad and continued the attack, eliminating two more enemy combatants in the course of the mission. His actions saved the lives of his squad and resulted in the destruction of an enemy headquarters camp.

[Brasso]

Staff Sergeant Michael E. Norton, 3/75th Ranger Regiment

Sorry for jumping in here Ops NCO, however I posted 2 new threads today one on Rocky Versace (MOH) (SP) and another on COL James Rowe (SS), but they have disappeared ????? You wouldn't know where they might be would you?

[Ops NCO]

Sorry for jumping in here Ops NCO, however I posted 2 new threads today one on Rocky Versace (MOH) (SP) and another on COL James Rowe (SS), but they have disappeared ????? You wouldn't know where they might be would you?

Not I, said the blind man!

I see you got your answer over in the other thread!

Best get to reposting, Brother. Looks like we're the primary stewards of this thread!

[Brasso]

Not I, said the blind man!

I see you got your answer over in the other thread!

Best get to reposting, Brother. Looks like we're the primary stewards of this thread!

ROGER THAT....no problem.....I think I'll do COL Rowe's first since he was the one who put Rocky in for the MOH after he escaped, however, it took a long time. It was a deep honor to have met an known such a man as COL Nick Rowe, he was so down to earth and yet so looked upon in awe by everyone in the Spec Ops community. A tragic thing to happen especially to the man who followed all the anti - counter terrorist rules to the max.......I was fortunate to have to go back to Bragg so I got to attend the services for him on Bragg before they took him to Arlington. It was packed and almost like a big reunion, since anybody who had been in spec Ops for a year or so had to have heard of COL James Nicholas Rowe. As I was leaving Oki I ran into an SF CPT I knew and he was the escort since he went through Tagalag (SP) in DLI with the COL, they were the only 2 in the class, so they became very close and Nick's wife asked for him since he was also in the 1/1st SFG (A) in Oki.

RIP COL

[Brasso]

Who was Colonel Nick Rowe? He was first and foremost a Special Forces Officer. He was a West Point graduate. He was a former POW, having suffered for five years at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors before escaping and making his way back to US forces on his own. He was a teacher in that he founded and taught the U.S. Army Special Forces Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Program which trains military of all branches how to survive if they are separated from their forces, how to evade the enemy and make their way back to friendly forces, how to resist the enemy if captured, and how to plan an escape. He was a devout Christian. He was a real live hero of our times who became a living legend in the Special Forces community until his untimely assassination by guerilla insurgents in the Philippines. Best of all, I had the opportunity to call him my friend.

I met COL Rowe when I attended the SERE Instructor course in 1985. I had already read his book "Five Years To Freedom". I wasn't sure what to expect when I got to meet him, I guess maybe I expected a "John Wayne' type, but instead I was pleasantly surprised by a soft spoken gentleman who had one goal, one mission and that was to better prepare our military to prevent them from ever being captured and should that fail, prepare them to resist and escape capture. I liked him immediately. In 1988 - 1990 while attached to the 1^st Bn 1^st SFG (A) in Okinawa I worked with him on several projects in the Philippines. The last time I seen him was around April 5, 1989 before I went back to NC for a mission in Cherry Point. He was assassinated on April 21, 1989.

In May 1989, U.S. Veteran News and Report reported that according to a source who had served under Col. Rowe, the Vietnamese communist also wanted him dead and very likely collaborated with the Philippine insurgents to achieve that goal.
The source who wished to remain anonymous said that prior to Col. Rowe being assigned to the Philippines in 1987, at one point in Greece while he was on assignment, Delta Force, the U.S. anti-terrorist organization, moved in, secured the area and relocated him. They had received reports that Vietnamese communist agents were planning an action against him.
"He was a target when he went over there because of his dealings with the North Vietnamese and his time as a prisoner," Robert Mountel, a retired Special Forces colonel and former commander of the 5th Special Forces Group, subsequently explained, confirming what the other source had said. "They had him on their list."
There are several unanswered questions. Among them: How did the Guerilla's know where Colonel Rowe would be? Only the Embassy allegedly knew the route that Colonel Rowe was to take that day. Colonel Rowe consistently varied his schedule and routes of travel. Why is it that he was ordered NOT to be armed, though his name was known to be on the communist guerillas' "hit" List? And why did President Aquino, who Colonel Rowe was in the Philippines to help, later grant freedom to all of his killers?

Rowe spent more than half of his life as a Special Forces officer. In his own words from an oral history interview conducted before he left the Special Warfare Center and School for his assignment in the Philippines, Rowe recounts: "I took a different route from most and came into Special Forces... I had made a decision then that, as far as I was concerned, I had found what I wanted in the military, and I simply had to find a way to stay with it."

During his lifetime Rowe received the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, one with “V” device, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge. His nonmilitary awards included the American Patriot Award of Freedom's Foundation of Valley Forge (1969), the Outstanding Young Man of America award, the George Washington Honor Medal of Freedom's Foundation of Valley Forge (1974), and the Legion of Honor, International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay.

I was one of the hundreds of mourners crowded in and outside Fort Bragg's JFK Chapel for a memorial service a week after Rowe was killed. Brig. Gen. David J. Baratto, then the Special Warfare Center and School commander, said in a eulogy that Rowe "died in service to his country and gave all that mortality could give - his strength, his loyalty, his wisdom and his love. He died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in his heart, and hope in the last words he wrote: the hope that Right would prevail and that the oppressed would be liberated."

Colonel Rowe is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His grave is on the hill next to the monument of the Unknown Soldier.

SILVER STAR CITATION


Major James N. Rowe, Artillery, United States Army, distinguished himself by outstanding gallantry in action on 31 December 1968 while a prisoner of the Viet Cong in the U Minh Forest of South Vietnam. During the period 22 to 31 December 1968, after more than five years in Viet Cong prison camps, Major Rowe was forced by his captors to move at least twice daily to avoid friendly air strikes. On 31 December at approximately 0900 hours, two helicopter gunships began firing into an area approximately 300 meters from his location. The guard detail consisted of one Viet Cong cadreman and five guards, one of whom was assigned to remain with Major Rowe at all times. The guard detail, while monitoring a radio, learned that South Vietnamese infantrymen were searching the terrain nearby. Becoming frightened, the guard moved Major Rowe into a large field of reeds, hoping to evade the infantry force. Major Rowe realized that if he were to escape, he must first get away from some of his guards, so he tricked them into splitting into smaller groups in order to exfiltrate the area. Major Rowe persuaded his one remaining guard that they were being surrounded and kept him moving in a circle through the dense underbrush. While doing so, Major Rowe was able to remove the magazine from the weapon slung across his guard's back. Finding a club, he overpowered the guard, knocking him unconscious, seized his radio, and moved 200 meters into a grassy area. At great personal risk he quickly cleared a section and signaled one of the circling helicopters which landed and picked him up. His first action after rescue was to request permission to re-enter the area with combat troops and to continue the fight based upon his intimate knowledge of the area. Major Rowe's burning determination to escape, undiminished after five years of intimidation and deprivation, his clearheadedness in formulating an effective plan, and his audacity in executing it successfully, reflect the highest credit on his professionalism and extraordinary courage and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

"WE CAN NEVER FORGET"

[Brasso]

35 Years After His Death, Army Vietnam POW Earns a Medal of Honor for Bravery in Captivity By Steve Vogel Thursday, May 23, 2002More than 35 years after he was executed by his Viet Cong captors in Vietnam, Rocky Versace is close to receiving his nation's highest honor.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld recently forwarded to the White House a package that would award Versace, a former Alexandria resident, the Medal of Honor, according to family members and military officials. Legislation authorizing the medal for Versace already has been passed by Congress and signed by President Bush. A date for presenting the medal will be set by the White House.
"The family is just elated about this," said Rocky's brother, Steve Versace, an administrator with the University of Maryland in College Park.


Unlike the Air Force, Navy and Marines, the Army has never awarded the Medal of Honor to a POW from Vietnam for actions during captivity. Pentagon officials said it would be the first time in the modern era that the medal has gone to an Army POW for heroism during captivity in any war.


Green Beret Capt. Humbert Roque Versace was taken prisoner in October 1963, during an operation near U Minh Forest, a Viet Cong stronghold. Over the next two years, Versace defied his captors' attempts to indoctrinate him, so infuriating them that they executed him in 1965. He was 27.


"He told them to go to hell in Vietnamese, French and English," one of Versace's fellow captives, Dan Pitzer, who died in 1997, told an oral historian. "He got a lot of pressure and torture, but he held his path. As a West Point grad, it was duty, honor,country. There was no other way. He was brutally murdered because of it."


Another prisoner who was held with Versace, Maj. Nick Rowe, escaped after five years and later made an impassioned plea to President Richard M. Nixon that Versace receive the Medal of Honor, describing how his resistance deflected punishment from other captives and steeled their will to resist. The Army instead awarded a Silver Star to Versace.


Brother Steve Versace credits the Special Operations Command, Rocky's classmates from the West Point Class of 1959 and a group of Alexandrians called Friends of Rocky Versace for influencing the Medal of Honor decision.


The award ceremony will be "the culmination of three years of intense work on their part," Steve Versace said. "These people have put their lives on hold to help with this."


The Medal of Honor is one of two salutes for Rocky Versace in the coming months.On July 6, 2002 a plaza in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria where Versace grew up is scheduled to be dedicated, honoring him and more than 60 other Alexandrians who died in the Vietnam War. The plaza will include a bronze statue of Versace being sculpted by Toby Mendez.


MEDAL OF HONOR


VERSACE, HUMBERT ROQUE
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army. Place and Date: An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam, 29 October 1963 to 26 September 1965. Born: 2 July 1937, Honolulu, HI, Entered Service At: Norfolk, VA
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while a prisoner of war during the period of 29 October 1963 to 26 September 1965 in the Republic of Vietnam. While accompanying a Civilian Irregular Defense Group patrol engaged in combat operations in Thoi Binh District, An Xuyen Province, Republic of Vietnam on 29 October 1963, Captain Versace and the CIDG assault force were caught in an ambush from intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire from elements of a reinforced enemy Main Force battalion. As the battle raged, Captain Versace fought valiantly and encouraged his CIDG patrol to return fire against overwhelming enemy forces. He provided covering fire from an exposed position to enable friendly forces to withdraw from the killing zone when it was apparent that their position would be overrun, and was severely wounded in the knee and back from automatic weapons fire and shrapnel. He stubbornly resisted capture with the last full measure of hisstrength and ammunition. Taken prisoner by the Viet Cong, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and resolute adherence to the tenants of the Code of Conduct from the time he entered into a prisoner of war status. Captain Versace assumed command of his fellow American prisoners, and despite being kept locked in irons in an isolation box, raised their morale by singing messages to popular songs of the day, and leaving inspiring messages at the latrine. Within three weeks of captivity, and despite the severity of his untreated wounds, he attempted the first of four escape attempts by dragging himself on his hands and knees out of the camp through dense swamp and forbidding vegetation to freedom. Crawling at a very slow pace due to his weakened condition, the guards quickly discovered him outside the camp and recaptured him. Captain Versace scorned the enemy's exhaustive interrogation and indoctrination efforts, and inspired his fellow prisoners to resist to the best of their ability. When he used his Vietnamese language skills to protest improper treatment of the American prisonersby the guards, he was put into leg irons and gagged to keep his protestations out of earshot of the other American prisoners in the camp. The last time that any of his fellow prisoners heard from him, Captain Versace was singing God Bless America at the top of his voice from his isolation box. Unable to break his indomitable will, his faith in God, and his trust in the United States of America and his fellow prisoners, Captain Versace was executed by the Viet Cong on 26 September 1965. Captain Versace's extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army, and reflect great credit to himself and the U.S. Armed Force.


"SOME GAVE ALL"

[Skysoldier]

Excellent post OpsNCO.....and thanks to Brasso too for his contribution.

Is this thread just about MOH winners?

Can I post a few stories about some guy's that only got the DSC?

[Ops NCO]

Excellent post OpsNCO.....and thanks to Brasso too for his contribution.

Is this thread just about MOH winners?

Can I post a few stories about some guy's that only got the DSC?

You sure can, Kim. Anything that's a good example of acting with valor is welcome. I don't mind even having stories that never earned an award, as long as the person posting it can vouch for it's authenticity.

I'm hoping some young people will take time to read these and learn from these examples.

[Skysoldier]

I wanted to share these two stories of Valor.

http://www.1stcavmedic.com/DSCs-CAV/Rowland.htm

http://www.1stcavmedic.com/DSC-Medics/Comer.htm

I have been researching this particular battle that occured on 22Jun70 for many years.

(As some of you probably know, 2LT John Rowland was my older brother.)

I have interviewed over a dozen guy's that were in that Company on that fateful day. Their combined stories and recollections should be in a book for everyone in America to read!

In any other war, these guy's would have come home heroes. But they were forgotten, because back then nobody cared!

Although my brother John was a 2LT, it was his third tour in Vietnam.

John was a Mustang.......he made it to E6 and then got a Combat Commission to 2LT. Not many guy's in Vietnam got Combat Commissions!

He never graduated from High School, much less went to college.

But, to a man, every grunt that served with him said he was the finest LT they ever served with, because he cared about the men in his Platoon.

I am getting drunk now......but I just wanted to post this.

And if you guy's ever find Billy R. Comer on the internet, please tell him I want to talk to him! I been looking for him for years!

[Brasso]

SS, Great post. Glad to see them get those awards. I know what you mean by "Mustang" and in most cases they turn out to be dam good officers, like COL Howard (MOH) but their not into politics so they will very rarely move up to the GEN's arena and I think that even brings out more of a" Mustang attitude in them.

Soldiers know if your the real deal or your just into it for the hell of it or for yourself. The medics in the Nam did a hell of a job which in most cases was with very limited training & resources which have vastly improved in the present ranks.

[yrualeg]

Thank you for your Honorable service Sir!!

BARFOOT, VAN T.



Rank: Second Lieutenant
Organization: U.S. Army

Company:
Division: 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division

Born: Edinburg, Miss.
Departed: No

Entered Service At: Carthage, Miss.
G.O. Number: 79

Date of Issue: 10/04/1944
Accredited To:

Place / Date: Near Carano, Italy, 23 May 1944








Citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then Tech. Sgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

[lz_NorthPole]

It is said that a Picture is worth a thousand words. This one is wort much more...

[Ops NCO]

Staff Sergeant Matthew Matlock, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
Posted by Milktruckcopilot on 12/29/09

VICENZA, Italy -- Hundreds of maroon-bereted Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team gathered Nov. 30 to honor Staff Sgt. Matthew Matlock, a noncommissioned officer from Company C, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, for actions he took under fire to save Soldiers in Afghanistan.

Paratroopers stood at attention at Caserma Ederle's post theater as Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, fastened the Silver Star to Matlock's uniform.

During the ceremony, Matlock's thoughts turned to guys who were with him that day and what they endured, he said. Matlock said he was just doing his job as an NCO, not something he deserved an award for. Soldiers in combat are brothers, like family, he added.

"They were wounded and couldn't fight back. I was going to make sure they made it out of there," Matlock said. "They would have done it for me, so I did it for them."

Still, a day seldom passes when Matlock doesn't think about June 20, 2008, when his convoy was moving through Zerok, in Afghanistan's Paktika province.

"It was one of those days," Matlock said. "We were on our way back to Orgun-E from our last mission. We were getting ready to go home."

Just a few miles from their destination, the patrol drove into enemy fighters who attacked Matlock's patrol with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

"Everything broke loose. We kept trying to push through. But they targeted our truck with RPG's and disabled it," Matlock said. "They just kept hitting us one after the other, until finally the truck caught on fire and I had to get everybody out of there."

An RPG struck an external fuel tank, sending flames and shrapnel inside - seriously wounding three Soldiers from Matlock's squad. Under direct fire and wounded himself, Matlock evacuated his injured comrades and treated them with first aid. He fired back and directed his squad to shoot at enemy positions.

But RPGs poured in, sending hot metal fragments through the air. Each time, Matlock used his body to shield fellow Soldiers, receiving shrapnel wounds in the process. That's where training pays off, allowing instincts to take over, Matlock said.

"You never know, really, what you're made of until you're put into that situation," Matlock said. "You don't really think about anything else except getting your guys out of there. That was all that was going through my head - these guys are going to make it home. And I made sure of that."

Eighteen months passed since that day in Afghanistan. Matlock listened from the theater's front row as Garrett spoke of his actions.

"Staff Sgt. Matlock fought with such incredible bravery, deliberately putting himself at risk time and time again to save the lives of his men," Garrett said. "He stepped forward without hesitation and did everything we expect of a seasoned combat leader of any rank."

Matlock, 26, a native of Amarillo, Texas, followed in the footsteps of his father, William Matlock, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces master sergeant. In 2002, he joined the infantry and underwent airborne training before joining 1-503rd, the battalion known as "First Rock," where he served in the scout platoon sniper section. In March 2003, Matlock served a yearlong tour in Iraq. In 2005, he served a year in Afghanistan. Afterward, Matlock joined Company C, 1-503rd, rising from team leader to squad leader. In 2007, Matlock deployed again to Afghanistan. It was during that second Afghanistan tour when his actions merited the Silver Star, the military's third highest award, given only for valor and gallantry in combat.

Matlock currently serves as a weapons squad leader with Company C. This month, he returns to Afghanistan with his unit. He's inspired by young volunteers filling the ranks, "ready to learn and ready to fight," still knowing they will be sent into harm's way, he said. During training, he pushes his troops to their limits, to prepare them for combat. He hopes his recognition sets an example and the standard for other Soldiers.

"Everything we're going to do is real life-and-death situations. I just want them to know it's real, the bullets are real out there," Matlock said. "It's not a game.