An Army Special Forces soldier will receive the Medal of Honor for fighting through an enemy ambush and saving his teammates’ lives 10 years ago in Afghanistan, the White House announced Friday.
Former Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II, who had already received a Silver Star for his actions, will be honored with the nation’s highest award for valor by President Donald Trump during an Oct. 1 ceremony at the White House.
On April 6, 2008, Shurer and his team were assigned to take out high-value targets of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin in Shok Valley, according to the Army.
As the soldiers moved through the valley, they were attacked by enemy machine gun, sniper and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to the White House.
The lead assault element suffered several casualties and became pinned down on the mountainside. Shurer ran through enemy fire to treat a soldier who had been hit in the neck by shrapnel from an RPG blast.
He then fought for an hour through a barrage of bullets and enemy fighters and up the mountain to the rest of the lead element, the White House said.
There, Shurer treated and stabilized four more wounded soldiers before evacuating them, carrying and lowering them down the mountainside, using his body to shield them from enemy fire and debris, according to the White House.
He simultaneously fought the enemy and treated the wounded for several hours, including a teammate who had suffered a traumatic amputation to his right leg, according to the Army.
After loading the wounded soldiers into the medevac helicopter, Shurer took control of the remaining team and rejoined the fight.
Shurer was initially awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor. The award is being upgraded after an extensive review.
In January 2016, the Pentagon ordered the services to conduct a sweeping review of valor medals awarded since the 9/11 terror attacks and directed service leaders to determine whether individual military members were shortchanged in the medals they received.
Shurer joined the Army in 2002 and was deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan from November 2007 to May 2008. He was honorably discharged in May 2009.
He went on to serve with the Secret Service, working as a special agent assigned to the Phoenix Field Office before being selected for the agency’s Counter Assault Team and assigned to its Special Operations Division.
He lives in Burke, Virginia, with his wife and two sons. – Army Times
Category: Military issues, Terror War
I would hope this process is tightly controlled; if not, it could turn into a “Which Branch can upgrade the most awards” competition.
That being said, Bravo Zulu, SSgt. Shurer.
Shurer probably thinks the same thing. These awards take on a life of their own. Never met a MOH recipient that thought he deserved one.
I did. SFC Bondsteel told me all about his medal and what he did. I was sent to the base gym one day while in casual status awaiting OCS; SFC Bondsteel was the gym manager — he just took it on himself to tell me he had the MoH, then told me every last detail of his actions (13 bunkers destroyed, if I recall).
Thought he was pulling my chain, but when I got back to the barracks, the senior drill told me it was true.
War History Online Link
Pfft, it was only 10 bunkers.
Do I need the /sarc tag? Hope not. His juevos needed their own reflective belts.
BZ SSG Shurer.
Well done SSG. Damned well done indeed.
I certainly would want to know that he DOES live in my neighborhood.
Well done, SSGT Shurer.
More, please.
10 years? Our awards system is so messed up. They’ve turned the MoH process into something akin to the Catholic Church’s canonization process.
Agree, we all see the need for due diligence, but the process does seem to drag on more than it should.
At least in this case his Silver Star was upgraded after a review starting two years ago.
In that context the time frame isn’t quite so bad.
Unless this narrative is the updated model, you’d thought SSG Shurer would of been awarded the MoH initially. Read like true War Hero Action to me. Bravo Zulu. He musta been too busy kicking ass and saving lives to take down any names. Is there a special SS Detail to push the wheel barrow that he carries his brass ones in?
There are folks who will say:
We -expect- heroics from (group X). They don’t get medals for doing their job.
That seems wrong.
So few receive such recognition while alive.
That is amazing in and of itself.
Spot on, Garold.
Re this warrior, he got a two step up. Reading the citation I have no idea how his heroics warranted ‘only’ a Silver Star. I believe a higher award would have been warranted initially while the review process was undertaken for possible upgrade to Medal of Honor.
I am genuinely humbled by men and women such as this.
I completely understand the awarding of the Silver Star and Service Crosses initially. This is to quickly acknowledge a warrior’s heroics while a more-thorough review can be initiated for a possible upgrade.
Great to see that recognition is being give where it is due. Hold you head up high Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer. You deserve it.
Congratulations to the new MOH recipient.
My comment doesn’t deal with this man’s heroism, but the constant misuse of the name of the award.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR! It’s the Medal of Honor. We shouldn’t f it up by getting the name wrong, just because TV and Hollywood do it constantly.
I live in a major military town. Two things they consistently get wrong re the Medal of Honor.
First, they refer to it as the CONGRESSIONAL Medal of Honor, which I believe to be incorrect.
Secondly, they refer to the recipient as ‘winning’ or ‘won’ the Medal of Honor. I routinely correct them, often with a letter to the editor, but they ain’t reele smarte.