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FORWARD OPERATING BASE APACHE, Afghanistan - On Oct. 5, 2013, a
brown on blue incident occurred on Forward Operation Base Apache,
claiming the life of Spc. Angel Lopez, a mechanic for Bravo Company,
201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and
wounding Cpt. Christopher Turner, commander, Headquarters and
Headquarters Company.
Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team,
1st Infantry Division, prepare for the receiving of their combat
awards during a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Apache, Oct. 31,
2013. The soldiers received either a Purple Heart, ARCOM-V, combat
action badge or a combat infantry badge for the actions they took
during an incident on Oct. 5, 2013 which claimed the life of one
U.S. soldier and wounded another. (U.S Army photo by Sgt. Kandi
Huggins, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Public Affairs) |
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For their valorous acts during that incident, five Soldiers from
the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, were awarded combat related awards.
Turner, 1st Lt. Dan Kitchell, HHC executive officer, Sgt. 1st
Class Michael Hunter, brigade engineer noncommissioned officer, and
Sgt. Joseph Hall, operations noncommissioned officer, were each
awarded an Army Commendation Medal with Valor device.
In
addition to the ARCOMs, Turner was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds
received during the incident. Kitchell was awarded the combat action
badge. Hall was awarded the combat infantry badge and Sgt. Joshua
Livingston, geospatial intelligence noncommissioned officer, was
awarded an ARCOM and the combat action badge.
“I'm saddened because we lost a soldier that day,” said Turner,
Clearwater, Fla., native. “I am glad the five of us were in the
right place at the right time because it could've been worse if we
weren't there.”
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In a sworn statement made by Hunter, he stated he was in
the motor pool around 11:00 a.m. when he saw U.S. soldiers
firing their weapons while taking a knee, using their truck
as cover and concealment.
“I started walking towards
them to figure out what was going on when I saw them
engaging a Non-U.S. person wearing brown pants and a brown
shirt,” said the Ajo, Ariz., native. “The
non-U.S. person was wearing body armor and a helmet,
shooting his AK at U.S. Soldiers.”
At that point he
said he got behind a concrete wall to the side of the
Non-U.S. person and engaged him along with the other U.S.
Soldiers.
“It was all muscle memory,” said Hall,
Blanchester, Ohio, native. “I don't remember climbing under
the truck, I was just there. It was all involuntary.”
Kitchell, a Pekin, Ill., native, said the incident
really opened people's eyes.
“We were doing an
inventory, never expecting anything to happen,” said
Kitchell. “I think it made us all more aware that things can
happen here and for us to not ever be too comfortable and to
not let our guard down.”
“I'm proud of the four
other guys here as well as the vigilance and situational
awareness of the Romanians in the guard tower,” said Turner.
“The guy in the tower knew something was out of the ordinary
and with friendly elements in his sector of fire, he engaged
the enemy with his sniper rifle and provided over watch for
us.”
Col. William Ostlund, commander of 3rd Brigade
and CTF DUKE, stated “we train to react at the speed of
life, then we must own our actions. I am very proud these
men did just that – expected but appreciated just the same.”
By U.S Army Sgt. Kandi Huggins
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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