Obama confers award on Afghan war veteran

WASHINGTON (PAN): US President Barack Obama on Monday presented the Medal of Honour — the highest military award — to an Afghan war veteran in recognition of his valor on the battlefield.

While conferring the award on Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, Obama saluted the Afghan war veteran as “the essence of true heroism,” one still engaged in a battle against the lingering emotional fallout of war.

“Fifty-three American soldiers were suddenly surrounded by more than 300 Taliban fighters.  The outpost was being slammed from every direction — machine gunfire, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, sniper fire,” he said. 

He described the attack as chaos — the blizzard of bullets and steel — into which Ty ran, not once or twice, or even a few times, but perhaps 10 times.  And in so doing, the soldier displayed the essence of true heroism, Obama remarked.

While urging Ty to never forget the difference that he made on that day, the president said: “Because you helped turn back that attack, soldiers are alive today — like your battle buddy in that Humvee, Brad Larson, who told us ‘I owe Ty my life’.”

Obama said for the first time in nearly half a century, since the Vietnam War, the US had been able to present the Medal of Honour to two survivors of the same battle.

“Indeed, when we paid tribute to Clint Romesha earlier this year, we recalled how he and his team provided the cover that allowed three wounded Americans — pinned down in a Humvee — to make their escape…” he added.

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