Green Beret was shot twice but kept fighting

Green Beret killed 6 insurgents and saved his men despite being shot twice and hit with a grenade
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
1 day ago

A 12-man team from the Colorado-based 10th Special Forces Group was advising Iraqi National Police on Sept. 10, 2007, during a mission to capture a high value target from the Islamic State of Iraq in the area of Samarra, Iraq.

(Left to right) Halbisengibbs, Lindsay, Chaney. (Army)

Two helicopters were originally scheduled to deliver the men at 2 a.m. to a field on the outskirts of the village, but when the pilots saw the planned landing zone covered in water, they had to set the assault teams down closer to the target.

The noisy arrival alerted the bodyguards of Abu Obaeideah, the area’s kingpin who had been wanted for a year for killing Iraqis — and their families — who considered joining the police force.

Over the course of a hellish 10 minutes, the three-man assault team killed Abu Obaeideah and 11 of his crew and helped free a hostage.

“Pretty much the three of them single-handedly secured that objective,” Maj. Will Beaurpere, the men’s commander, told Stars and Stripes.

All three would recover from their injuries.

For his actions, Jarion Halbisengibbs received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second highest award for valor.

Capt. Matthew Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay were presented with Silver Stars.
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MOH: Combat Medic proved there are no limits to love

Love? Yes! Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II put his life on the line when he joined the military. Why do they do it? Love, pure and simple. Sure, they have to have courage, but the fact they could all do something else with their lives, choosing service requires something beyond courage.

Shurer wanted to save lives and became a combat medic. According to the Citation for the Medal of Honor he will receive, he was ready to sacrifice everything to save someone else. He did it so that others may live even if it meant he could die.

Army Special Forces Medic Will Get Medal of Honor for Afghanistan Heroism
Military.com
Hope Hodge Seck
September 21, 2108

"With disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Shurer took off through a hail of bullets and began scaling the rock face to get to the casualties," his dramatic Silver Star citation states. "During initial movement to the base of the mountain, he treated a teammate wounded by shrapnel to his neck from an RPG blast that blew him off his feet."

Ronald J Shurer II

An Army medic who braved enemy rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire in Afghanistan to treat wounded soldiers will receive the military's highest honor, the White House announced late Friday.

Ronald J. Shurer II will receive the Medal of Honor, an upgrade to the Silver Star he had been previously awarded for his actions in April 2008. The medal will be presented at an Oct. 1 ceremony, according to the White House announcement.

"Sergeant Shurer rendered life saving aid to four critically wounded casualties for more than five and a half hours," the citation reads. "As the lone medic at the besieged location, and almost overrun and fighting against nearly 200 insurgent fighters, Sergeant Shurer's bravery and poise under fire saved the lives of all wounded casualties under his care."

Before the day was over, Shurer had evacuated three critically wounded soldiers down a "near-vertical" 60-foot cliff, using a rig of nylon webbing he designed himself and shielding the wounded from falling rocks with his own body.
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During tragedy, blessings from Samaritans

Good Samaritans help military Humvee submerged in Florence floodwaters
ABC 11 News
Gary Cooper
September 11, 2018

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- What happens when the rescuers need rescuing?

That's what happened in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Saturday after rains from Hurricane Florence flooded the city.

A marine and two first responders from Onslow County tried to get a military Humvee through a very flooded Half Moon Creek.

And when the Humvee didn't make it, several good Samaritans, who were taking supplies from back to the other side of the creek, jumped in to help.
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"Cajun Navy" volunteers help evacuate North Carolina nursing home residents
CBS News
September 17, 2018

A group of volunteers all too familiar with devastating flooding have gone to North Carolina to help in the aftermath of Florence. Cajun Navy Relief and Rescue is a non-profit group of volunteers from across the country. The group was created after flooding hit southern Louisiana in 2016.

CBS News was with the team in Lumberton as they evacuated 40 people from Highland Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Many of the residents were bedridden.

"Yeah, we are risking our lives, but this is worth it," said Chris Russell, one of the volunteers.

It took five hours to rescue the residents and deliver them to area hospitals.

"I think what we were able to accomplish tonight, was to give these people some dignity, holding their hand, asking them if they would like to somebody to pray with them," said Allen Lenard, another volunteer. "As much as I believe were were a blessing to those people, I know as a matter of fact, that they were a blessing to me tonight."
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Marine almost melted barrel with fierce shooting, after his leg was blown off?

‘Fighting for his guys’ lives’ in Afghanistan: Marine got off over 400 rounds after having his leg blown off
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
4 hours ago

After nearly melting the barrel from sending over 400 rounds toward enemy positions, Gustafson finally acquiesced to the requests of other Marines to tend to his wounds when he swapped his place in the turret with another Marine.

Then-Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson is presented the Navy Cross, the Marine Corps' second highest award for valor. (Pfc. Michael T. Gams/Marine Corps)

Brady Gustafson and the Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were rolling through the village of Shewan, Afghanistan, in July 2008 when they suddenly noticed villagers shrinking away from the convoy of mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, an ominous sign of what was to come just moments later.

With the streets virtually clear of civilians, all hell broke loose as an estimated 100 Taliban fighters attacked the convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire, part of a calculated, multiple angle ambush.

Gustafson’s MRAP was quickly struck by an RPG that ripped through the hull and exploded inside. The blast shredded his lower leg and sent an inferno up through the turret, where he was manning the mounted M240B machine gun.
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Burning fuel tank did not stop Fort Knox soldier from saving a life

Fort Knox soldier earns Soldier’s Medal for saving man from burning fuel truck
Army Times
By: Charlsy Panzino
September 8, 2018

“He was upside down and his feet were stuck under the dash,” King said. “He managed to grab and push out the windshield.” The sergeant first class pulled Bowling out of the vehicle and dragged him about 150 feet away as the truck’s fuel tank was engulfed in flames and its tires were exploding.

Sgt. 1st Class Mario King, Army Human Resources Command information technology specialist career adviser, is presented the Soldier's Medal during a ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Jason Evans, Army Human Resources Command commanding general. (Master Sgt. Brian Hamilton/Army)

Sgt. 1st Class Mario King and his wife, fellow soldier Sgt. Adriane King, were driving in Kentucky when a movie-like scene unfolded in front of them.

The information technology specialist at Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, received the Soldier’s Medal on Friday for his actions that day.

It was May 13, and the Kings were coming back from a surprise visit to Mario’s parents for Mother’s Day.

“Normally we take a different route back, but because of all the traffic that weekend, we took a detour,” King told Army Times.

They were behind a small car and a fuel truck on a two-lane highway when they noticed the small car had veered off to the left, as if to make a turn.

“But then all of a sudden, it went back to the right in front of the fuel truck, and that’s when the accident occurred,” said King, who has served in the Army for 17 years.
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Brave lighthouse keeper makes history at Arlington National Cemetery

Lighthouse keeper who rescued mariners will be the first woman honored with a street name at Arlington National Cemetery
Washington Post
By Michael E. Ruane
September 5, 2018

In its 154-year history, all of the more than 40 roadways have been named after men — such as Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ulysses S. Grant, and Gens. George Patton and John Pershing, the cemetery said.

Ida Lewis saved at least a dozen people during her service at the Lime Rock Lighthouse in Newport, R.I. (Library of Congress)

In her day, she was the heroine of the Lime Rock Lighthouse, the intrepid young woman who by herself rowed into the stormy waters of Newport harbor in Rhode Island to rescue mariners in distress.

She was Ida Lewis, the shy daughter of a disabled sea captain. And after bold rescues in the late 1800s, she was front page news. She was given awards. VIPs clamored to see her. A polka, “The Ocean Waves Dashed Wildly High,” was written in her honor, and the sheet music bore her image.

But since she died in 1911, her deeds have been largely forgotten.

As Arlington National Cemetery opens its new $81.7 million section with solemn fanfare on Thursday, she will become the first woman to have one of the cemetery’s drives named for her.

“It’s a big deal,” Karen Durham-Aguilera, executive director of Army National Military Cemeteries, said this week. “It’s a huge commemoration.”
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Fort Carson Soldier stopped attack on bus

Fort Carson soldier steps in to help after bus crash, stops suspect from running
KRDO News
By: Krystal Story
Posted: August 21, 2018

Colorado Springs, Colo. - A Fort Carson soldier is being hailed a hero for stepping up to help after he witnessed a bus crash along Interstate 25 Monday evening.

Nathaniel Barrett-Frieson was in the car with his wife and newborn baby when they came upon a Greyhound bus on top of a guardrail near South Academy.

When Barrett-Frieson got out of the car to make sure everyone was okay, he quickly realized a man, now identified as Edmundo Arellanes-Audelo, was allegedly threatening passengers with a knife.

"He ended up slipping through one of the broken windows on the bus and he came out and that's when I saw he had the knife and I told him to drop the knife and move over by some bushes to get some good distance between me and him," said Barrett-Frieson.
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VA Employees saved suicidal man on I 10 overpass

VA employee helps save man's life on Interstate 10 overpass
FOX Phoenix 10 News
August 21, 2018

"He has just that absolute frustrated look on his face. That look on someone's face. You can tell deep inside, he was really hurting," said Odis Bailey. "You could tell the mixed emotions of rage, sadness."

PHOENIX (KSAZ) -- A man shut down part of the I-10 freeway in Downtown Phoenix during the morning rush hour, threatening to jump from an overpass into oncoming traffic.

Four people pulled over to help, and one man even climbed to the top of the overpass, in an effort to try and save a stranger's life.

The man was on top of the 3rd Avenue pedestrian bridge. Before law enforcement got involved, a group of Phoenix VA employees stopped their morning commute to help. The man was a stranger to them, but his distress was all too familiar.

Bailey climbed up the fence too, and they spent about 15 minutes talking. 

"The first part was basically trying to comfort him, that I do care, I was up here because I cared about him," said Bailey. "He had some family issues. Father who had passed away, battling drugs, dealing with not having contact with his son, and the straw that broke the camels back was he was sleeping behind a bush, and someone kicked him out."
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Iraq veteran died trying to save kids first day of school

Army veteran mom of 2 dies after being struck by car while trying to protect her kids, officials say
Fox News
Katherine Lam
August 15, 2018

A Texas mother was killed Monday when she was struck by a vehicle while trying to protect three children -- including two of her own -- on the first day of school, officials said.

Kharisma Ashlee James, who was an Iraq War veteran and a nurse, died in the tragic accident in the parking lot of Tippin Elementary School, El Paso Times reported. 

The 33-year-old was picking up her two children, ages 6 and 7, when a vehicle began accelerating toward them. James jumped in front of her two children and a 10-year-old, officials said.
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Fort Hood Soldier victim of hit and run after trying to help some else

Woman killed, soldier injured after 2 consecutive hit-and-run crashes
WSMV 4 NBC News
Meredith Digial Staff
August 4, 2018

A Good Samaritan, Kalen Lawson, 20, of Fort Hood, Texas, who is also an active duty member of the U.S. Army, stopped to help the woman. As he was helping the woman, another vehicle traveling on N Galloway, hit and struck Lawson and the woman he was helping. The woman died at the scene of the crash.

LAKELAND, Fla. (Meredith/WFTS) -- A woman is dead and a Good Samaritan U.S. Army soldier coming to her aid was seriously injured after two consecutive hit-and-runs in Polk County on Thursday morning.

One of the drivers, 20-year-old Corey Wesley Jones of Lakeland, was arrested in the case. He is also known as "DB Da Kid," and is a rapper. He was driving a 2002 black GMC SUV and left the scene after hitting 40-year-old Kelli Black.

Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference on Thursday that he had spoken to Jones and Jones has promised to turn himself in. Now he has been taken into custody and charged with the leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury and reckless driving with serious bodily injury.
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Vietnam veteran killed protecting kids from deadly driver

Sanford woman charged after deadly hit-and-run at baseball game
by WGME
June 3rd 2018

Sharrow's car hit a closed gate and she drove back toward the main gate, where she struck Douglas Parkhurst, 68, of West Newfield before speeding away from the scene.

SANFORD (WGME) -- A Sanford woman faces a manslaughter charge after police say she struck and killed a West Newfield man after driving on to the field of a baseball game Friday night.

Carol Sharrow, 51, was arrested after police said she drove a car on to the field at Goodall Park shortly after 7 p.m. Friday.
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Truck driver Iraq veteran saved State Trooper

Iraq War vet, now a trucker, puts suspect in chokehold to save trooper from being shot
USA Today
Joel Shannon
June 2, 2018

“I did two tours in Iraq, and I never had to put a choke hold on anyone. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done."

The Wyoming Highway Patrol is praising an Iraq War veteran for his role in apprehending a suspect and helping a trooper who was in danger of being shot.

Trucker Darren Phillips of Taylorsville, Utah, pulled over after seeing an altercation between a trooper and a suspect Thursday near Green River, Wyoming, about 140 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

“I put my brakes on, and I jump out. And by this time, the trooper is on his back and the guy is on top of him," Phillips told KSL-TV, Salt Lake City. "The trooper saw me running over and as soon as I got up to him, he says, ‘He’s going for my gun.' "

Phillips put the suspect in a chokehold. A Facebook post from the TV station quotes Phillips: It was the "craziest thing" he's ever done despite serving two tours in Iraq.

Phillips said his training in the Marines and Army National Guard helped him subdue the man and pull him off the trooper.
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Heroes, teacher, civilian and National Guardsman responded to gunmen

2 civilians rushed to their cars to get their guns before fatally shooting Oklahoma City restaurant gunman
ABC News
By JULIA JACOBO MEGHAN KENEALLY
May 25, 2018

Not one, but two men ran to their respective cars to grab their guns when a shooter opened fire at an Oklahoma City restaurant Thursday.

Police Capt. Bo Matthews said today that both of those men shot suspect Alexander C. Tilghman on Thursday. Tilghman died as a result of those gunshots.

The two civilians have been identified by police as Juan Carlos Nazario, 35, and Bryan Whittle, 39.

"You are welcome," Nazario said to local ABC affiliate KOCO after the shooting. "Just did what was trained to do to neutralize the situation."

Whittle’s family told ABC News that he served in Afghanistan and has been in the National Guard for almost 20 years.
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Jason Seaman is teacher credited with stopping school shooting, according to students
Mother says Seaman was shot 3 times
RTV 6 News
Matt McKinney, Rafael Sanchez
May 25, 2018

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- The mother of the teacher credited with helping to stop a school shooting at Noblesville West Middle School says her son, Jason Seaman, was shot three times.

Seaman is a science teacher at the school.

Multiple students on the scene say Seaman was the teacher who helped stop the shooter

His mother, Kristi, says her son was shot in the abdomen, the hip and the forearm, according to her Facebook page. She says Jason is out of surgery and is "doing well."
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Hero stopped gunman at Waffle House

CAPTURED

Shortly after 1 p.m., police announced Reinking had been arrested in a wooded area near Mountain Springs Drive — less than one mile from the scene of the shooting and close to Cane Ridge Elementary.

A tip from a construction worker led police to Reinking, officials said. Detectives from the department's narcotics unit swarmed the area.

Nude gunman kills four at Waffle House restaurant near Nashville
AOL
Thomson Reuters
Apr 22nd 2018

"The shots had stopped so he decided to rush the gunman, actually wrestled that assault rifle away, tossed it over the counter and, at that point, the gunman fled," said police spokesman Don Aaron.
Shaw's fast actions were credited with saving lives, but in an interview with the Tennessean newspaper he dismissed the idea that he was hero.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 22 (Reuters) - A nearly nude gunman killed at least four people at a Waffle House restaurant near Nashville, Tennessee early on Sunday and then fled after a patron saved lives by wrestling the assault-style rifle from his hands.

The suspected shooter, identified by authorities as Travis Reinking, 29, was still at large and murder warrants were being issued for him, the Metropolitan Nashville Police said.

Reinking, of Morton, Illinois was believed to live near the restaurant. The gunman's vehicle was registered to him and a shirtless man wearing pants believed to be Reinking was spotted in woods nearby, police said.

The gunman, who was naked but for a green jacket, first shot and killed two people in the parking lot of the restaurant in Antioch, a section of southeast Nashville, shortly before 3:30 a.m. (0830 GMT).
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Days before wedding, Navy Corpsman saved life

Navy Corpsman likely saved life of Calif. football player hit by car
USA TODAY
By: Tim Whelan Jr.
High School Sports
April 4, 2018

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world than there in that moment. I’m glad I was there,” Bustos told KNSD.

Family members are identifying the freshman football player hit by a car Monday night.

They say 16-year-old Maddox Sanders, a Granite Hills (El Cajon, Calif.) freshman, was crossing a street in El Cajon, Calif., at around 8 p.m. when it happened.

The victim’s brother, Brandon Sanders, told San Diego’s KNSD-TV that Maddox is in critical care but stable condition at a nearby hospital.

As KNSD tells it, the fast action of U.S. Navy Corpsman Emily Bustos may have been key to Sanders’ survival. One of the first people to reach him as he laid in the street, she performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Bustos was on leave from the Navy and was less than 24 hours away from departing for her own wedding in Hawaii.
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Air Force veteran died saving kids from drowning

Veteran dies trying to save 2 kids from drowning at Florida beach
Military Times
By: Kyle Rempfer
3 hours ago

"Robidoux was deemed critically injured, and he was airlifted to a local hospital, where he later died. "He died as he lived — a hero," Robidoux's cousin, Annette, told Fox News. She added that he was “a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.”"

An Air Force veteran and pilot died after attempting to save two kids from drowning at a beach along the Florida Panhandle on Saturday.

Michael Robidoux saw two kids struggling in rough surf at Navarre Beach and jumped in to try and save them, Fox News reported. The current proved too strong, though.

Navarre Fire Chief Danny Fureigh said Robidoux got "caught in an undertow" as he swam out to the struggling kids, according to WEAR TV. The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office said the incident happened just after 6 p.m, the local ABC affiliate reported.
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Disabled Navy Vietnam veteran saved from burning house

Vietnam vet who is disabled rescued from Schenectady fire
WNYT News 13
March 28, 2018

SCHENECTADY – A Navy Veteran who served in Vietnam is being treated at the Westchester Medical Center’s Burn Unit, according to his nephew. Fire broke out inside Rick Batcher’s house at the corner of Fifth Ave. and Glendale Pl. in Schenectady around 7:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Neighbors knowing Batcher, 69, has a prosthetic leg rushed up the block in the Mont Pleasant section of the city to get him out. Clarence Cohen and his son-in-law tried to break in the door to save the man they called “Ricky.”

"He must have made it right to the door because when I kicked the door in it went on top of him,” Cohen said.

Batcher has lived at his house for 30 years. He is a Life member of VFW Post 357 in Schenectady. He was initially taken to Ellis Hospital, rerouted to Albany Medical Center and then flown to the Westchester Medical Center’s burn unit and in critical condition.
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Heroic Iraq Veteran/Police Officer killed in France

French officer who swapped places with a hostage in terror attack dies
CNN
Nicole Chavez, associate writer CNN Digital
By Hilary Clarke and Nicole Chavez
March 24, 2018

Married with no children, Beltrame had served in the French military police and received a number of awards for bravery. He served in Iraq in 2005, and was given an award for bravery in 2007, Macron said. For four years, he was a commander in the Republican Guard, which provides security at the Élysée Palace, home of the French president.

(CNN)A police officer who swapped places with a female hostage during an attack by an ISIS supporter on a supermarket in southern France has died of his wounds, French authorities said.

Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, 45, was shot in the neck Friday after offering to take the place of a woman during a gunman's assault on the Super U supermarket in Trèbes.

Police found two unexploded homemade bombs, a 7.65 mm pistol and a hunting knife when they searched the market after the attack, a French judicial source told CNN.

The attacker, Radouane Lakdim, 26, a Moroccan-born French national, was a petty criminal already on the radar of French police for his links to radical Salafist networks, authorities said.
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Inspirational Hero Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal

James C. Roberts wrote in The Washington Post about heroes who should be wearing the Medal of Honor around their necks.

The fact that not a single living Iraq War veteran has received the Medal of Honor is a serious injustice to the 1.5 million Americans who served in that conflict.

This story brought to mind the fact our National Media stations, calling their programs "news" need a refresher on what they used to find important enough to cover. 

The one group, who represent what can be achieved when people work together, are those who risk their lives side by side no matter what. Would be great if the news stations would remember that when all they want to cover is political divisions in this country.

When you read about Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal, you'll wish you saw the report on your news station.

"Emblematic is the story of Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal. On Nov. 13, 2004, then-1st Sgt. Kasal entered an enemy-occupied building in Fallujah, a death trap our troops had dubbed “Hell House,” to assist fellow Marines who were pinned down by a superior enemy force. Under withering fire, Kasal killed an insurgent immediately; then, while dragging a wounded Marine to safety, he was struck with seven rounds of small-arms fire. Severely wounded, Kasal used the few bandages he had to treat his injured comrade rather than himself."

A seriously injured 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal, center, is carried by fellow Marines from a house in Fallujah, Iraq. (Lucian Read)

"When the insurgents lobbed a grenade at them, Kasal rolled on top of the wounded Marine, absorbing the impact of the blast and suffering 43 shrapnel wounds. He refused to leave the house until all of the other Marines were safe. A photograph taken of Kasal staggering from the house, pistol in hand, supported by fellow Marines, his uniform soaked in blood, became an iconic image of the Iraq War." read more here

Mr. Roberts, thank you for telling this story. I saw this picture a long time ago and always wondered what happened to him.

Fitzgerald Survivors battle PTSD without brothers

Former Fitzgerald XO: Navy crew members battling PTSD after fatal collision
Navy Times
Geoff Ziezulewicz
March 15, 2018

Navy spokesman Cmdr. William Speaks said about 85 percent of the Fitz’s crew was reassigned when the ship went stateside for repairs and upgrades.

Sailors who survived the warship Fitzgerald's June collision with a merchant vessel off Japan are suffering from post-traumatic stress when returning to sea, according to Cmdr. Sean Babbitt, the ship's executive officer at the time, shown here two days after the disaster that killed seven sailors. Babbitt took command and led the crew in its efforts to bring the Fitz back to port under her own power. (MC2 Richard L.J. Gourley/Navy)

Many crew members of the destroyer Fitzgerald who survived the warship’s catastrophic collision with a merchant vessel last summer are experiencing post-traumatic stress after returning to sea, according to the ship’s former second-in-command.

Writing on the U.S. Naval Institute’s blog this week, former executive officer Cmdr. Sean Babbitt spoke of the lingering trauma the Fitz’s crew now face after fighting for survival and losing seven shipmates in June.

“While many of our sailors have returned to normal lives on board other ships, many have experienced relapses and manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brought back by returning to sea,” Babbitt writes.

“I personally know of a number of sailors who served on board the USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) who have held their hands up and said I need more help, and some of those sailors may never see a ship again.”
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