|
Sergeant
James Witkowski (photo
courtesy of DoD) |
|
In the
early morning hours of
October 26, 2005, Sgt.
James Witkowski and 100 soldiers
were traveling in a supply
convoy from Camp Anaconda
near Balad, Iraq, to a
forward operating base
northeast of Kirkuk. As the
line of vehicles slowly
maneuvered down a four–lane
highway, suddenly, several
improvised explosive devices
(IEDs) detonated as the
soldiers were passing
through a small village.
Before the dust settled,
insurgents hiding behind a
sand berm poured down a rain
of fire, using small arms
and rocket propelled
grenades.
As the convoy
struggled to make it through
the mile-long ambush,
Witkowski, who was manning
the gun in the turret of a
Humvee, kept firing on the
attackers. As Witkowski
continued firing, he noticed
that a grenade had suddenly
landed inside his turret.
Witkowski had a split second
to make a decision: jump out
of the vehicle, endangering
his unknowing comrades, or
shelter the grenade's
terrible explosion.
For Witkowski, the choice was
simple. Shouting for his
fellow soldiers to get down,
he covered the grenade with
his body, shielding the
other soldiers from the
blast. Witkowski took the
full brunt of the
detonation, saving the lives
of the three soldiers in the
Humvee. Despite being hit
with shrapnel, the driver
and two other soldiers
continued through the
ambush, arriving at their
destination with only minor
injuries.
Thanks to
the sacrifice and heroism of
Sergeant James Witkowski,
all of the soldiers in his
Humvee survived the attack
that day. For his actions,
Witkowski was posthumously
awarded the Silver Star on
November 21, 2005. |
