President Barack Obama awards Clinton Romesha, a former active
duty Army staff sergeant, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry on
February 11, 2013.
Staff Sergeant Romesha received the Medal of Honor for his
courageous actions while serving as a section leader with Bravo Troop, 3d
Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
during combat operations against an armed enemy at Combat Outpost Keating,
Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on October 3, 2009.
He is the fourth living recipient to be awarded the Medal of
Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Video by Tiffany McCall, DVIDS (Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System)
Text of President Barack Obama's Remarks
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. And on behalf of Michelle and
myself, welcome to the White House.
Every day at the White House we
receive thousands of letters from folks all across America. And at night,
upstairs in my study, I read a few. About three years ago, I received a letter
from a mom in West Virginia. Her son, Stephan, a Specialist in the Army, just 21
years old, had given his life in Afghanistan. She had received the condolence
letter that I'd sent to her family, as I send to every family of the fallen. And
she wrote me back. “Mr. President,” she said, “you wrote me a letter telling me
that my son was a hero. I just wanted you to know what kind of hero he was.”
“My son was a great soldier,” she wrote. “As far back as I can remember,
Stephan wanted to serve his country.” She spoke of how he “loved his brothers in
B Troop.” How he “would do anything for them.” And of the brave actions that
would cost Stephan his life, she wrote, “His sacrifice was driven by pure love.”
Today,
we are honored to be joined by Stephan's mother Vanessa and his father Larry.
Please stand, Vanessa and Larry. (Applause.) We're joined by the families of the
seven other patriots who also gave their lives that day. Can we please have them
stand so we can acknowledge them as well. (Applause.) We're joined by members of
Bravo Troop whose courage that day was driven by pure love. And we gather to
present the Medal of Honor to one of these soldiers -- Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha.
Clint, this is our nation's highest military decoration. It
reflects the gratitude of our entire country. So we're joined by members of
Congress; leaders from across our Armed Forces, including Secretary of Defense
Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marty Dempsey, Army
Secretary John McHugh, and Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno. We are
especially honored to be joined by Clint's 4th Infantry Division -- “Iron Horse”
-- soldiers, and members of the Medal of Honor Society, who today welcome you
into their ranks.
Now, despite all this attention, you may already have a
sense that Clint is a pretty humble guy. We just spent some time together in the
Oval Office. He grew up in Lake City, California -- population less than a
hundred. We welcome his family, including mom and dad, Tish and Gary. Clint -- I
hope he doesn't mind if I share that Clint was actually born at home. These
days, Clint works in the oilfields of North Dakota. He is a man of faith, and
after more than a decade in uniform, he says the thing he looks forward to the
most is just being a husband and a father.
In
fact, this is not even the biggest event for Clint this week, because tomorrow,
he and his wife Tammy will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary. Clint and
Tammy, this is probably not the kind of intimate anniversary you planned.
(Laughter.) But we're so glad that you're here, along with your three beautiful
children -- Dessi, Gwen and Colin. Colin is not as shy as Clint. (Laughter.) He
was in the Oval Office, and he was racing around pretty good. (Laughter.) And
sampled a number of the apples before he found the one that was just right.
(Laughter.)
Now, to truly understand the extraordinary actions for which
Clint is being honored, you need to understand the almost unbelievable
conditions under which he and B Troop served. This was a time, in 2009, when
many of our troops still served in small, rugged outposts, even as our
commanders were shifting their focus to larger towns and cities.
So
Combat Outpost Keating was a collection of buildings of concrete and plywood
with trenches and sandbags. Of all the outposts in Afghanistan, Keating was
among the most remote. It sat at the bottom of a steep valley, surrounded by
mountains -- terrain that a later investigation said gave “ideal” cover for
insurgents to attack. COP Keating, the investigation found, was “tactically
indefensible.” But that's what these soldiers were asked to do -- defend the
indefensible.
The attack came in the morning, just as the sun rose. Some
of our guys were standing guard; most, like Clint, were still sleeping. The
explosions shook them out of their beds and sent them rushing for their weapons.
And soon, the awful odds became clear: These 53 Americans were surrounded by
more than 300 Taliban fighters.
What happened next has been described as
one of the most intense battles of the entire war in Afghanistan. The attackers
had the advantage -- the high ground, the mountains above. And they were
unleashing everything they had -- rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns,
mortars; snipers taking aim. To those Americans down below, the fire was coming
in from every single direction. They'd never seen anything like it.
With
gunfire impacting all around him, Clint raced to one of the barracks and grabbed
a machine gun. He took aim at one of the enemy machine teams and took it out. A
rocket-propelled grenade exploded, sending shrapnel into his hip, his arm, and
his neck. But he kept fighting, disregarding his own wounds, and tending to an
injured comrade instead.
Then, over the radio, came words no soldier ever
wants to hear -- “enemy in the wire.” The Taliban had penetrated the camp. They
were taking over buildings. The combat was close; at times, as close as 10 feet.
When Clint took aim at three of them, they never took another step.
But
still, the enemy advanced. So the Americans pulled back, to buildings that were
easier to defend, to make one last stand. One of them was later compared to the
Alamo -- one of them later compared it to the Alamo. Keating, it seemed, was
going to be overrun. And that's when Clint Romesha decided to retake that camp.
Clint gathered up his guys, and they began to fight their way back. Storming
one building, then another. Pushing the enemy back. Having to actually shoot up
-- at the enemy in the mountains above. By now, most of the camp was on fire.
Amid the flames and smoke, Clint stood in a doorway, calling in airstrikes that
shook the earth all around them.
Over the radio, they heard comrades who
were pinned down in a Humvee. So Clint and his team unloaded everything they had
into the enemy positions. And with that cover, three wounded Americans made
their escape -- including a grievously injured Stephan Mace.
But more
Americans, their bodies, were still out there. And Clint Romesha lives the
Soldier's Creed -- “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” So he and his team
started charging, as enemy fire poured down. And they kept charging -- 50
meters; 80 meters -- ultimately, a 100-meter run through a hail of bullets. They
reached their fallen friends and they brought them home.
Throughout history, the question has often been asked, why?
Why do those in uniform take such extraordinary risks? And what compels them to
such courage? You ask Clint and any of these soldiers who are here today, and
they'll tell you. Yes, they fight for their country, and they fight for our
freedom. Yes, they fight to come home to their families. But most of all, they
fight for each other, to keep each other safe and to have each other's backs.
When I called Clint to tell him that he would receive this medal, he
said he was honored, but he also said, it wasn't just me out there, it was a
team effort. And so today we also honor this American team, including those who
made the ultimate sacrifice -- Private First Class Kevin Thomson, who would have
turned 26 years old today; Sergeant Michael Scusa; Sergeant Joshua Kirk;
Sergeant Christopher Griffin; Staff Sergeant Justin Gallegos; Staff Sergeant
Vernon Martin; Sergeant Joshua Hardt; and Specialist Stephan Mace.
Each
of these patriots gave their lives looking out for each other. In a battle that
raged all day, that brand of selflessness was displayed again and again and
again -- soldiers exposing themselves to enemy fire to pull a comrade to safety,
tending to each other's wounds, performing “buddy transfusions” -- giving each
other their own blood.
And if you seek a measure of that day, you need to
look no further than the medals and ribbons that grace their chests -- for their
sustained heroism, 37 Army Commendation Medals; for their wounds, 27 Purple
Hearts; for their valor, 18 Bronze Stars; for their gallantry, 9 Silver Stars.
These men were outnumbered, outgunned and almost overrun. Looking back,
one of them said, “I'm surprised any of us made it out.” But they are here
today. And I would ask these soldiers -- this band of brothers -- to stand and
accept the gratitude of our entire nation. (Applause.)
Members of Red Platoon, 61st Cavalry
Regiment, including Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha (far left), after the
battle of Combat Outpost Keating, 2009.
There were many
lessons from COP Keating. One of them is that our troops should never, ever, be
put in a position where they have to defend the indefensible. But that's what
these soldiers did -- for each other, in sacrifice driven by pure love. And
because they did, eight grieving families were at least able to welcome their
soldiers home one last time. And more than 40 American soldiers are alive today
to carry on, to keep alive the memory of their fallen brothers, to help make
sure that this country that we love so much remains strong and free.
What was it that turned the tide that day? How was it that so few Americans
prevailed against so many? As we prepare for the reading of the citation, I
leave you with the words of Clint himself, because they say something about our
Army and they say something about America; they say something about our spirit,
which will never be broken: “We weren't going to be beat that day,” Clint said.
“You're not going to back down in the face of adversity like that. We were just
going to win, plain and simple.”
God bless you, Clint Romesha, and all of
your team. God bless all who serve. And God bless the United States of America.
In
fact, this is not even the biggest event for Clint this week, because tomorrow,
he and his wife Tammy will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary. Clint and
Tammy, this is probably not the kind of intimate anniversary you planned.
(Laughter.) But we're so glad that you're here, along with your three beautiful
children -- Dessi, Gwen and Colin. Colin is not as shy as Clint. (Laughter.) He
was in the Oval Office, and he was racing around pretty good. (Laughter.) And
sampled a number of the apples before he found the one that was just right.
(Laughter.) 
