Today, the Medal of Honor will be awarded to SGT Kyle J. White, who will accept it in honor of the five Soldiers and one Marine “who gave their lives in the defense of freedom and the American way of life.”
“On May 13th, when I’m awarded the Medal of Honor, I will tell their stories and preserve their memories. They will not be forgotten,” the Seattle native told the press and bloggers. “Their sacrifice and the sacrifices of so many others is what motivates me to wake up each and every day to be the best I can. Everything I do in my life is done to make them proud.”
The Battle
On Nov. 8, 2007, members of 1st Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, headquartered at Combat Outpost Bella, prepared for movement to the village of Aranas, Afghanistan, for a Shura meeting with village elders. There had been little communication with the village after their suspected collusion on a major attack months earlier on Combat Outpost Ranch House – a former American post situated on the mountain overlooking the large village, that resulted in eleven wounded and the closure of the out-post.
Moving under cover of darkness, the 14 Americans and approximately one squad of Afghan National Army, or ANA, soldiers, made for the American-built schoolhouse in the heart of the village, where they would bunk for the night. READ ABOUT THE BATTLE
