Medal of Honor (2018) s01e02 Episode Script
Clint Romesha
1 [narrator.]
More than 40 million Americans have served in the United States armed forces.
Of those, fewer than 3,600 have been awarded the military's highest honor.
[bomb dropping.]
- Whoa! Don't touch the weapon.
- Chocolate.
[ .]
- Whoa! You want candy? - Candy.
- Don't touch my weapon.
- Candy.
You want candy? [bomb exploding.]
[Ronald Reagan.]
Where did we find such men? We find them where we've always found them.
In our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms.
[Dwight H.
Johnson.]
Summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us.
[George W.
Bush.]
It recognizesÃÂ gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
[Barack Obama.]
We may not always hear of their success, but they are there, in the thick of the fight, in the dark of night, achieving their mission.
[man.]
Normally, when someone hears the term "the one percent" what comes to mind is that one percent Americans who have such a disproportionateÃÂ amount of the wealth of our great country, but there's another one percent.
That's the one percent that has served our country in uniform.
Sergeant Romesha is an even smaller partÃÂ of that one percent that serves, because not only had his father served in Vietnam, indeed in the same division in which Sergeant Romesha ultimately served.
But his grandfather served in World War II, as well.
There's something special about how each son or daughter feels this quiet but intense need to serve, to continue the legacy of one's family.
And that's particularly true in the post 9/11 period, uh, after which everyone who raises his or her right hand realizes that he or she is volunteering for the military at a time of war.
[aircraft engine roars.]
[man.]
Holy shit! [female newscaster.]
This just in.
You areÃÂ looking at obviously aÃÂ very disturbing live shot there.
[male newscaster.]
It does not appear that there's any kind of an effort up there yet.
- Now remember Oh, my God! - [woman.]
Oh, my God! My [male newscaster 2.]
I think we have a terrorist act of proportions that we cannot begin to imagine at this juncture.
My goodness! [man.]
On my orders, the United States Military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
[Petraeus.]
There had been this sense that the enemy's action began where the road ended.
And so for several commanders in Afghanistan there was an intent to continueÃÂ to extend the road, and as you extended the road, you would establish a combat outpost to secure that road.
And the idea was that you would have this spreading inkblot of security and that would enable further extensions.
It was an attempt to bring peaceÃÂ to the region, and Combat Outpost Keating was one of those camps, but it is also, as it happens, one of the deadliest parts of Afghanistan.
[gunshot.]
Sounds like it came from behind the switchbacks.
Red Patrol squad leaders, get me a sit rep on your squad.
[squad leader 1.]
Red One, accounted for.
[squad leader 2.]
Red Two, accounted for.
[squad leader 3.]
Red Three, accounted for.
[rear soldier.]
Tracks are old.
ÃÂ These fuckers haven't been here in a while.
Yeah.
Probably just haven't set up since we flagged it.
Maybe we should switch up our patrol route.
[rear soldier.]
Okay.
[man.]
We'd do two patrols a day, per platoon, so we knew, all right, that's a good spotÃÂ where they could possibly attack from or shoot at us from.
Clint was a really strong section sergeant.
I've been in the Army for a few years now and I wouldn't take anybody over Romesha.
Ever.
Ah, this is the spot.
Good cover.
Looking right fucking down on us.
Line of sight on LRAS 1, LRAS 2, TOC, front gate.
[softly, to himself.]
Son of a bitch! Raz, if that's my last Dr.
Pepper, you're digging the piss tubes next week.
[sniggers.]
[man.]
When I had first got there, I just, like,ÃÂ looked up, and I, like, did a circle and it was just mountains all around me.
And you're like, "What in the fuck is goin' on here?" [Petraeus.]
Combat Outpost Keating, called "COP Keating," is about as far out as any of the outposts that we had in Afghanistan.
[Tapper.]
In that part of the country, you're either on a mountain or at the bottom of a mountain.
Combat Outpost Keating was placed at the bottom of three steep mountains.
Why it was put at the bottom of three steep mountains, uh, is really just an example of how, in the military, quite often, you have five bad choices in front of you and you just have to pick the least horrific one.
[Raz.]
It's hard to defend and you're an easy target.
Everything you're looking at is up.
[chuckles.]
[Larson.]
Started looking around and going, "Oh, man! They could be right there, right now, or they could be right there.
" A lot of times they were, they just weren't shooting at us, but we could see 'em moving.
But just for [clicks fingers.]
that long, and then they were gone.
[man.]
It's funny because people are always, like, "Oh, what's the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan?" Or "Did you have some kind of guidance or understanding of war?" And the answer's no.
Afghanistan was the Wild West, man.
There was no buildings, there was no infrastructure.
It was just kind of this toe-to-toe fighting in the desolate land of the mountains.
[gunfire.]
[Larson.]
We got hit quite a bit.
I'd say at least once a day, if not twice a day.
We'd all jump up and rush to battle positions.
[rapid gunfire.]
[man.]
Single shots, or mortar attacks, or recoilless rifles, RPGs [relentless gunfire.]
[Raz.]
There's no safe space, really, I guess you could say, unless you're inside a building and even then, you know, the rockets will just punch right through.
[Rodriguez.]
This is our shower.
Of course, we have no power.
So you have to shower with a headlight on.
[Bundermann.]
We lived in a 20x40 building with bunks on each side.
I knew everything about these guys, and they knew everything about me, right? You just can't live two feet from someoneÃÂ for that long and not know what's going on with them.
I could tell when Ro had a blisterÃÂ on his hand 'cause he would change the way he was holding his remote control, right? Loves video games.
[Larson.]
Ro and I, we didn't get along at first, but, you know, we became really good friends, and our platoon got along really well.
We meshed really well together.
[Raz.]
Our platoon was like that.
That's just how we were.
We hung out all the time, everybody was friends.
It was very rare for other units to have that.
[Taliban soldiersÃÂ speaking Pashto.]
[Tapper.]
This is an area of Afghanistan where people areÃÂ bred to resist.
[Taliban soldiers continue speaking.]
[Tapper.]
They are smart.
They are strategic.
They are ruthless.
They study before they attack, and they have centuries' worth of experience as a people fighting.
[Petraeus.]
I was about 11 months into my timeÃÂ in command of U.
S.
Central Command in Afghanistan, and I had a lot of concerns about the vulnerability of these isolated combat outposts.
And, everything that happened in COP Keating was really the manifestation of our worst fears.
[Bundermann.]
Early, it was right around 6 a.
m [radio.]
This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
there's an immense amount of small arms fire.
Gallegos, it's Ro.
ÃÂ I'm on the way.
[Raz.]
I had woke up and we had that moment, like you didn't really talk, but you had a whole conversation.
And that's kind of when it all sank in, like this is We're gonna have to hunker down.
This is gonna be a long fight.
[distant gunfire.]
[Bundermann.]
It was obvious, quickly, that this wasÃÂ different than previous attacks.
We've had a couple of coordinated ones where it was small arms and indirect, but this was very much more than usual.
- [Taliban soldier speaking.]
- [machine gun fire.]
[Rodriguez.]
I stand up, I put my K-Pod on, my vest, and it was just fucking muzzle flashes everywhere.
[Raz.]
Thousands of bullets flying through the air.
Rockets everywhere, bullets bouncing off everything.
It's, you know, every it's just chaos.
[Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Raz.]
And they're also above us, looking down.
It's like looking down into a football field.
[rapid gunfire.]
[man.]
As a brigade commander, I wasÃÂ inÃÂ Jalalabad, which is about 160 km south.
We woke to news that Outpost Keating was under attack.
There was 300 attackers for the 50 that were at the outpost.
This was obviouslyÃÂ something very different, very extreme.
[radio.]
RPG coming in.
RPG.
RPG.
- [indistinct radio response.]
- [intense gunfire.]
[radio.]
Three machine gun nests on the north face, firing directly down.
[indistinct radio response.]
Repeat, 155.
[Bundermann.]
They attacked from everywhere, all four sides, we started taking direct fire.
That kind of volume of fire and the number of weapon systems that were trained on us was justÃÂ unbelievable.
[radio.]
This is GallegosÃÂ in LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Is anyone there? - [gunfire.]
- [loud explosion.]
[Tapper.]
At LRAS 2, which is an armored Humvee used for fortification, there were a few soldiers that were stuck.
They were trapped.
[explosion.]
[Gallegos.]
50-cal is destroyed.
We need support.
We can't move.
We can't get up.
They're firing RPGs.
Gallegos, it's Ro.
I'm about to lay down cover fire.
When the incoming lets up, get the fuck outta there.
[Bundermann.]
We need more air support directed to RPG Rock.
[Gallegos.]
Ro, this isn't working.
We can't move! [gunfire continues.]
[Gallegos.]
I got enemy fire.
I got RPGs coming in.
Enemy's just running all over the place.
Take care of the RPGs.
[Gallegos.]
Ro, it's too hot! Get the fuck outta here! Sit tight! [Tapper.]
Clint Romesha is this very intense guy.
He's a man of very few words, but when he utters them, they mean a lot.
He's from a small town in California.
A traditional Mormon background.
His father and others in his family were leaders in the church.
And, in fact, for a while, he went to school early in the morning, seminary, to be a leader.
But, ultimately, he decidedÃÂ that it wasn't for him, and he fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He has this religious fervor in him, not for God, not for gifts after this life, but for his men, and for surviving this life.
[Larson.]
Coming out of Iraq, you have a bond that you can't break.
You relate with guys that have been through a similar situation.
Clint and I figured out we could actually work together really well, and I understood his way of thinking.
[Larson.]
Whoa! - Want another? Whoa! Back up.
- [boy.]
Candy! - No.
Don't touch my weapon, Okay? - Candy.
- [Larson.]
Back up.
I don't have candy.
- [boy.]
Chocolate! I don't have chocolate.
You want chocolate? Look.
Candy man.
Chocolate man.
Yeah, there.
- [Romesha.]
Hey! Don't touch the weapon.
- [boy.]
Chocolate? Don't touch the I don't have candy or chocolate.
- [boy.]
Candy? - I got a protein bar.
It's all I have.
I have no candy.
Little shit! [Larson.]
Me and Ro, we really clicked.
He's a small little guy, but he knows what to do and when to do it, so he doesn't get him or his soldiers killed.
[volley of gunfire.]
[soldier over radio.]
Enemy fire, I've got RPGs [Romesha.]
Fuck! [soldier 2 over radio.]
I need mortar fire on target GRP-125.
[soldier 3 over radio.]
50-cal is destroyed.
Need support.
[relentless gunfire.]
[explosion.]
[soldier 4 over radio.]
Three machine gun nests up on the north face, firing directly down.
Red Platoon squad leaders, get meÃÂ a sit rep on your squad.
[soldier 5 over radio.]
Jesus Christ! They got an RPG pointed right at us! [explosion.]
[Bundermann.]
Reports came in immediately.
"We can't get to this location.
" "We can't get to that location.
" And what that means when soldiers are saying that is "If I move from where I'm at, I will get killed.
" My commander and another platoon leader weren't at the COP.
So, I was left in command of the troop [into radio.]
I need air support.
and I was working with Sergeant Romesha to figure out where everybody was at, right, so we had guys, we didn't know where they were.
[Raz.]
Lieutenant Bundermann is nowÃÂ the acting CO, and Romesha's the acting Platoon Sergeant and it all falls on both of their shoulders, and I don't think either one of them would have expected that.
[soldier over radio.]
There's a sniper on my six.
I've got a sniper on my six.
I'm on my way.
[squad leader 1.]
Koppes is under heavy fire at LRAS 1.
Ro went back and forth to different gun positions, and he's doing it without any regard for himself.
And Koppes would say things like, "Can you shoot this sniper? I really need that guy needs to go.
" [Koppes.]
Hey, there's a sniper on my back! [Larson.]
Now, Romesha picked up a Dragonov, which is a Russian sniper rifle.
And thought, "Well, if there's a sniper hitting Koppes, maybe I can hit him.
" [soldier over radio.]
I need mortar fire on Target GRP-125.
[indistinct radio communication.]
[gunfire continues.]
Sergeant Romesha has to expose himself enough so that he can draw a bead on that enemy sniper, which means, of course, that he has to be visible to the enemy as well.
[gunfire continues.]
[Larson.]
Romesha waited for the sniper to pull back up to get on Koppes [continuous gunfire.]
caught his breath [gunfire continues.]
and Koppes's sniper problems were fixed at that point.
[Bunnermann over radio.]
e have enemy in the wire.
ÃÂ I repeat.
We have enemy in the wire.
"Enemy in the wire.
" That means that the Taliban are inside the camp.
[soldier.]
Fuck! [relentless gunfire.]
I see this Taliban dude poke his head around the corner and I was like, "Oh, fuck!" In some ways, they were just walking on like it was a Sunday stroll, and I don't know if they thought this was going to be over, um, but once they were in there, you know, it's always real, but you're going [takes a deep breath.]
- [gunfire.]
- [Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Taliban soldiers talking.]
"Enemy inside the wire," it makes your I mean, that makes yourÃÂ heart skip a beat.
It completely changes what was already, you know, a near impossible situation with 300 plus enemy attackers.
We have enemy in the wire.
I repeat.
We have enemy in the wire.
I need air support now.
[explosion.]
Gotta be fuckin' kidding me! [George.]
The challenge with air supporting was, unfortunately, there weren't ApachesÃÂ up there.
They had to come all the way from Jalalabad.
What I remember is trying to get the assets up there as quickly as possible.
[pilot.]
I think we can do that, man.
[George.]
With Combat Outpost Keating, the problem was remoteness.
Five minutes in that kind of an attack, ten minutes, twenty minutes, that's too long.
[soldier over radio.]
Copy, Lieutenant.
Ten wounded.
Three confirmed KIAs.
[response over radio.]
Scrambling air support.
- [soldier over radio.]
Standby.
- [Romesha.]
Fuck! [Bundermann.]
We had a couple confirmed KIAs, right.
So, Sergeant Kirk had been killed by that point in time, Scusa, and Thompson.
And uh, that was that was intense for me.
I was, um you know, not expecting that, right.
In the past, we we had some guys get hurt, but no one had gotten killed.
[soldier 1.]
Sir, they've breached the front gate.
- Sir, we need to prep for - Oh, God damn it! [soldier 1.]
Hunker down.
Kill anything that comes through this door.
[soldier 2.]
I'm not doing that.
[pilot over radio.]
Scrambling air support.
Stand by for ETA.
[soldier over radio.]
Need close air supportÃÂ directed to RPG Rock.
[Bundermann.]
I guess I haven't found a way to categorize itÃÂ any way differently than we were losing.
They controlled the initiative, they had a higher volume of fire.
And they were imposing their will on us.
The truth is that the odds were they were gonna die.
The odds were they were gonna get killed.
[soldier.]
Sir, we need to prep for Alamo Position.
We got soldiers unaccounted for.
[soldier.]
Guys, if we don't fall back, there won't be a base left to save.
Fuck that! Taliban have fire superiority.
We sit here, we're dead.
What do you wanna do? Take it back.
Two six-men assault teams.
You take the first team east for cover fire, I take the second team west, secure the front gate.
[Bundermann.]
Your team's gonna be walking right through the kill zone.
I've never seen Ro back down from anything and I think that's just how he is.
Okay, Ro.
Get her done.
Romesha mapped out the plan to retake the front entrance of the COP.
[Tapper.]
It was very strategically important.
If the enemy was there, that was just their beachhead for taking more of the American camp.
So he needed to stop them in their tracks.
I need volunteers to take this bitch back.
Clint's one of the maybe one or two people on the face of the Earth that I would do anything for, without question.
I'd just do it.
[gunfire continues.]
It was like that: "Okay.
This is where I'm gonna die today.
" Like, "But at least I'm gonna take as many of 'emÃÂ with me as possible.
" Let's do this.
Go! Move! [relentless gunfire.]
Running and gunning at the same time.
You can't stop.
You gotta keep going.
It's almost like you're two different people.
Your brain's thinking one thing and your body's just going.
- [soldier over radio.]
Enemy fire - Blue Four, where's my cover fire? [soldier in the distance.]
Working on it! - We can't secure it from here.
- [Raz.]
Incoming! Where's my machine gun, Blue Four? I need cover fire! [Blue Four.]
Negative, Ro! We're pinned down at the ANA building! This could get bad.
Okay, we're gonna take it.
[ .]
And there was about 30 or 40 guys getting ready to breach the front gate.
Romesha, he was the mastermind behind the whole counterattack.
We're holding this gate.
[gunfire continues.]
When he led the charge, it provided the first and only amount of hope that the camp could actually be retaken.
You cannot overstate the importance of that victory.
[Raz.]
To fight, sunup to sundown like that, and to be the ground guy in charge, making all the decisions he rose to the occasion and he went above and beyond.
[pilot over radio.]
We need enemy coordinates.
[Raz.]
He was talking to Lt.
Bundermann and TOC, he was talking to the helicopters.
[George.]
And it was at that point, they were able to start calling in some, you know, close air support, which started making a significant difference.
[pilot.]
We're going hot.
Take cover! [Raz.]
And, you know,ÃÂ he's getting these Apaches to come in and start running gun runs on everything.
That's when I knew we got this.
And there's a momentum that comes with that.
We just started pummeling.
And we could take back what was ours.
[pilot.]
Come on.
Light 'em up! [Raz.]
Bombs started droppingÃÂ and they knew they were screwed, so they took off running.
[Petraeus.]
Ultimately, the Taliban realizes that this is not their day.
Although our forces had paid an extraordinary price for that.
[Larson.]
Romesha came up withÃÂ this plan to recover our fallen.
[Bundermann.]
One of the things you always look for is accountability.
Do you have accountability of your soldiers? That means you have them.
Doesn't necessarily mean that they're all alive, but you have them.
The new mission now is that we have to find Hardt, we have to find Martin, and we have to go get Gallegos.
We wanted to make sure we got everybody and we didn't give up looking.
Everybody's got a family.
They've got friends.
And they did an amazing thing, right? They did something incredible.
And they [inhales deeply.]
They madeÃÂ a sacrifice that is hard to fathom.
And we owe it to them that they're respected in the proper way.
So, it's important to do whatever it takes.
This is Red Four.
Respond in sequence.
[squad leader 1.]
Red One, accounted for.
[squad leader 2.]
Red Two, accounted for.
[squad leader 3.]
Red Three, accounted for.
[Raz.]
It was 12 hours, start to finish, sunrise to sunset.
You know, we took on 400 Taliban.
And if it hadn't been for Clint, they might have won that fight.
[narrator.]
It was a win, but not without shattering loss.
Eight Americans killed.
Eight Americans with loved ones waiting back home.
[man.]
To be celebrated for your courage, your heroics, you know, was flattering.
It's But I don't look at anything I did that day as heroic or courageous, it was doin' a job.
You know, eight other guys gave up more than was ever required of them.
So, why do I get celebrated when those guys will never [breathes shakily.]
never again get to see hugs, smiles, say anything to their families.
[narrator.]
A changed and shaken Sergeant Romesha returned home to his three children.
[inaudible dialogue.]
His oldest, Desiree, like her father's men, has learned something about coping.
The most important thing he's taught me is don't let things get to you.
If something affects you, you needÃÂ to learn how to deal with it and then move on from it.
And learn from that.
[Romesha.]
My defining moments will be when my kids grow up, carry the torch to the next generation.
That they are productive and successful members of this great country.
It's the only thing we can really ever ask for is making sure our kids carry on our legacies for us.
[narrator.]
But what would the sergeant'sÃÂ own legacy be? That was not yet clear.
In the more than 11 years that the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan, Presidents Bush and Obama have awarded six American service members the highest honor one can receive, the Medal of Honor, for actions in that war.
On Monday, President Obama will award the seventh American service member the Medal of Honor, former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha.
When I first heard the news of the Medal of Honor, my first thought was "What the heck is that?" But then,ÃÂ as this started to unroll, many people come up to me and say, "Tell your father thank you for everything he's done.
" And you're always like, "Go, Dad!" [Romesha.]
Before the ceremony started, we got brought into the Oval Office and met President Obama.
The two youngest kids, they got in there and they're messing with the fruit, and they started running on the furniture.
I'm sitting there thinking, "Oh my goodness, I got a one-and-a-half-year-old son jumping on the couch in the Oval Office.
" [Barack Obama.]
We just spent some time together in the Oval Office, along with your three beautiful children, Dessi, Gwen, and Colin.
Colin is not as shy as Clint.
[audience laughs.]
Uh, he was in the Oval Office and - he was racing around pretty good.
- [audience laughs.]
And sampled a number of the apples.
Receiving the medal that day, I I don't remember hardly any of it.
We gather to present the Medal of Honor to one of these soldiers, Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha.
The explosions shook themÃÂ 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.
Keating, it seemed, was gonna 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.
[Romesha.]
The only thing I rememberÃÂ that day, I was up on stage, the ceremony had started, and in the first row was my family.
Right behind them was the families of the eight guys we'd lost.
[muffled applause.]
Just off to my left was guys I'd served with at COP Keating that day, and I just rememberlooking at all of them and kinda thinking to myself that it was just really good to be able to know I wasn't there alone.
I had everybody there with me.
And I would ask theseÃÂ soldiers, this band of brothers, to stand and accept the gratitude of our entire nation.
[audience applauds.]
[Romesha.]
And then, it came time to stand up.
I remember standing up and, I mean,ÃÂ it was just such a whirlwind, so many emotions, so many things goin' on.
Just kinda thinking to myself that, you know, it sucked that such a tragic thing had to happen to get everybody here together.
But what a blessing, sharing this one moment together.
[ .]
[inaudible dialogue.]
[audience applauds.]
[little girl.]
When I heard that Dad got a Medal of Honor, I was proud for him, happy.
Excited.
Hmm But I didn't know he was gonna turn this famous.
[man.]
And you didn't know the exact number at the time,ÃÂ but you knew you were outmanned, right? Yeah, I didn't have them in formation for a head count beforehand, but [David and audience laugh.]
[Romesha.]
And all of sudden being thrustÃÂ into the limelight.
You know, it was a lot to handle at first.
Then I really kinda realized that we, as veterans, are kinda doing ourselfÃÂ a disservice by not sharing our experiences.
[narrator.]
For Clint Romesha, the limelight wasÃÂ about to spark an epiphany.
He and his brothers-in-arms needed to share their experiences.
The challenge, one that so many soldiers face to overcome an innate stoicism would be met in a vivid and powerful way.
[Larson.]
When Ro was starting to write Red Platoon, I was I was in favor of it.
[Romesha.]
Then I went to the guys and said,ÃÂ "All right, we'll do a book, but it's gonna come with your help, and it's not gonna be a book about Clint Romesha did this, or Clint did that.
It's gonna be our story.
[narrator.]
This new chapter in his life has providedÃÂ something surprising: catharsis.
[Romesha.]
One of my biggest fears that day was not what was gonna happen to me.
That didn't scare me at all.
Didn't care about gettin' shot, didn't care about comin' home.
What scared me was leaving someone behind.
[Larson.]
It is very important that people hear these stories and understand what soldiers went through.
I think it really opens up the eyes of the American people of what soldiers go through on a day-to-day basis.
[audience applauds.]
[Romesha.]
Every time we tell the story, every time we talk about those guys, that's how I look at it now.
Don't hide it away.
Don't bottle it up.
It weighs heavy, but to sit here and talk about it, to sit here and share it with others, I get to dump a little bit of that weightÃÂ on you.
You get to help me carry it now.
'Cause you know the sacrifice, you You know their names, you Maybe you have a little more understanding of what "service to country" really means.
[Larson.]
Romesha is continuing the legacyÃÂ of those we lost, just keeping them in memory.
When we do get to reunite, the ones that came away from Keating, we usually have a lot of fun together.
- [Larson.]
That'll work.
- [Romesha.]
That's working.
- Oh! - Oh, yeah! Woo! [Raz.]
We all keep in really close contact with each other.
We check on each other all the time, we're hanging out, you know, two, three times a year.
[Larson.]
Clint Romesha.
That's all I gotta say.
[Romesha.]
Y'know, the guys I served with, Larson and Raz and Bundermann, it's you know, almost It's more family than friends.
- There we go.
- You got this.
[Romesha.]
You've shared it together, you've lost it together, you've kept it together with each other.
And when push comes to shove, they're gonna be there for you, and when the dust settles, it's never never seems to be just one person that did everything.
It's a whole group of guys that supported you along the way.
And it's kind of a package deal.
You get one, you get 'em all.
[narrator.]
A potent reminder that although only one name is ascribed to a Medal of Honor, it rarely belongs to just one person.
In battle, a band of brothers fights for one another.
In doing so, it also fights for family, for country, and for humanity itself.
[ .]
You know, as I had time to look back at it, and kind of digest and think about it more Everything we did that day you know, we didn't do it 'cause we hated the enemy.
We didn't do it out of anger 'cause of what they were doing to us.
There were times you were pissed off, that you were, you know, getting attacked and getting shot at and you have your buddies dying around you.
Of course, you get mad, you get frustrated, but that wasn't the driving force.
The driving force was loving those guys so much that they were gonna come get you.
And that's what we had to do for them.
It was that I mean,ÃÂ people don't understand.
Combat is not a great thing to be inÃÂ and it's not a motivation to hate,ÃÂ by no means.
It's aÃÂ motivational love for your brothers.
ÃÂ Absolutely.
When you live in a a room that small with 20 people, it's not gonna be good.
Like Raz was my roommate, and he was he's 6'5" and our room was 6'4 " by 6'4".
And we did have an air-conditioner in our room, uh, but every time or a rocket would come in, or we'd get gunfire, he'd wake up real fast and smoke his head on the uh, air-conditioner unit.
So, it was worth it.
We had gun positions that one person was at, and they were at it all day.
Right? Think about that.
You're by yourself, you've got several hundred enemy people trying to kill you, and you've got people running around and you're covering one sector of fire.
Right, his job, this soldier's job, was to cover that one sector of fire.
He's got bullets hitting his truck behind him.
He can't turn around and look at it, can't do anything.
His job is not to worry if he's gonna get shot in the back, because he's focusing on his job.
And he did that for a whole day.
I come around the corner, and the gunfire is pretty significant.
The rockets are coming in, you know, a little bit more than usual.
It wasn't anything that threw me off.
I thought we were just getting hit extra-hard because that's just how it was in the mornings or before you go to bed.
Um, and I came around the corner, and when I got past the aid-station wall that was the last barrier before openness, my first thought was, like, is it I didn't think it was raining.
My first thought was, "Is it raining?" Because when I was running, I just had my head down, I could just see, uh, dirt, like flipping up off the ground, like dirt specks that looked like rain.
I was like And then it hit me, as I ranÃÂ around it.
I was like, "Oh, shit, those are bullets.
" This was about three o'clock in theÃÂ afternoon, I'm guessing.
I didn'tÃÂ stop and look at my watch and write it down in my journal, but I'm guessing it was about three.
And I was out of chew, and I was thirsty.
Well, some of the barracks were on fire, and they said ours was probably gonnaÃÂ catch on fire.
Well, I had a 12-pack of Dr.
Pepper and a log of Copenhagen in there.
I told Ro I was gonna be right back.
So I ran to our barracks, grabbed my Dr.
Pepper, my Copenhagen, stopped in his room and grabbed his cigarettes and went running back to the shura building.
And him and I sat down, took our helmets off, had a sip of Dr.
Pepper, and we just kinda got to relax for just a little bit.
A couple days after it happened, maybe a week after it happened, um Ro and I were sitting outside a building at FOB Bostick, and you know, he was talking to he talked to his dad.
And, um you know, they had talked, and it was a relatively mundane conversation, until, uh until he kinda At the end of it, he said, "You know, I'm" He was happy that I was there with him.
And he was proud of that.
That meant a lot to me.
Not just Granted, at that point in time,ÃÂ there were no awards.
It wasn't about that.
But, he was the soldier that said, "Lt.
Bundermann, you did what we were supposed to do.
" And that meant a lot and I guess I don't really talk We don't talk about the actions and stuff like that.
What we talk about is general BSing.
Right? Whether it's Ro and I, or Raz, or Larson or any of these guys, it's it's not like, "Hey, you remember this time you did that?" Or, you know, or maneuvering here and there,ÃÂ it's much more about BSing and much more focusing on the good things about life.
A lot of people in these modern-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is they don't have to sacrifice anything.
You know, you look at World War II and everything got rationed, everybody went to work for factories, that, you know, make parts for airplanes and tanks and bombs and Um, the American people haven't really had to sacrifice anything for these wars.
Um, so it's kind of a background event and they read about in the news and theyÃÂ might know somebody who's got a kid in the military, and they're like, "Oh yeah, you know, so-and-so's son's overÃÂ in Baghdad.
" You know, and in my eyes and my perception, that's kind of as far as it goes for a lot of people and You know, it's not their fault, you know,ÃÂ it's just kinda how it is.
Um, and it plays into, like, our responsibility, you know, it's our job to come back and make sure that there's Y'know, still to this day, there'sÃÂ people in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting.
They're fighting ISIS, they're fighting still fighting Taliban in Afghanistan.
Um the wars are still happening and it'sÃÂ important that people know that there's still sacrifices being made by these young men and women on the front lines, um so that we can go about our lives every day and not worry about, you know, somebody coming and hurting us or attacking us.
They're over there making sure that stuff stays in check over there.
The one thing I'd like my legacy to be would be that everyone understands there is greatness in all of us, and it's that It's that time in everyone's life that that moment will come along.
That Don't ever think that you're too small, too insignificant, that something'sÃÂ too hard, too challenging.
But those moments will present themselves, that you'll sit there and have to make the choice.
Do I sit here and let it pass me by, and say nothing, do nothing, or do I stand up and do the right thing? To truly understand the extraordinary actions for which Clint is being honored, uh, you need to understand the almostÃÂ unbelievable conditions under which he and B Troop served.
This was a time in 2009 when many of our troops still servedÃÂ 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 trenchesÃÂ and sand bags.
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 soldiersÃÂ 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, uh, 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 sharpnel that 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 ten 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 themÃÂ later compared to the Alamo.
One of them later compared it to the Alamo.
Keating, it seemed, was gonna 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 hundred-meter run through a hail of bullets.
They reached their fallen friends, and they brought them home.
Throughout history, uh, the question has often been asked, uh, "Why? Why do those in uniform take suchÃÂ 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 fightÃÂ 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, uh, 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 Thompson, 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,ÃÂ 18 Bronze Stars.
For their gallantry, nine 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.
[audience applauds.]
There are many lessons from COP Keating.
One of them is that our troops shouldÃÂ never, ever be put in a position where they have to defend the indefensible.
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 homeÃÂ 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'll 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.
"We're not gonna back down in theÃÂ face of adversity like that.
We were just gonna 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.
With that, I'd like the citation to be read.
[male speaker.]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha, United States Army.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty.
Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a section leader with Bravo Troop, Third 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 3rd, 2009.
On that morning, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his comrades awakened to an attack by an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on allÃÂ four sidesÃÂ of the complex, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars,ÃÂ and small arms fire.
Staff Sergeant Romesha moved, uncovered, under intense enemy fire to conduct a reconnaissance of the battlefield and seek reinforcements from the barracks before returning to action with the support of an assistant gunner.
Staff Sergeant Romesha took out an enemy machine-gun team and, while engaging a second, the generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, inflicting him with shrapnel wounds.
Undeterred by his injuries, Staff Sergeant Romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid him and the assistant gunner, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble additional soldiers.
Staff Sergeant Romesha then mobilizedÃÂ a five-man team and returned to the fight equipped with a sniper rifle.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Romesha continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield, engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban fighters who had breached the combat outpost's perimeter.
While orchestrating a successful plan to secure and reinforce key points of the battlefield, Staff Sergeant Romesha maintained radio communication with the Tactical Operations Center.
As the enemy forces attacked with even greater ferocity, unleashing a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle rounds, Staff Sergeant Romesha identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30 enemy fighters.
After receiving reports that seriously injured soldiers were at a distant battle position, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his team provided covering fire to allow the injured soldiers to safely reach the aid station.
Upon receipt of orders to proceed to the next objective, his team pushed forward 100 meters under overwhelming enemy fire to recover and prevent the enemy fighters from taking the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Staff Sergeant Romesha's heroic actions throughout the day-long battle were critical in suppressing an enemy that had far greater numbers.
His extraordinary efforts gave Bravo Troop the opportunity to regroup, reorganize, and prepare for the counterattack that allowed the troop to account for its personnel and secure Combat Outpost Keating.
Staff Sergeant Romesha's discipline and extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
[infants chattering and crying in the audience.]
[inaudible dialogue.]
[audience applauds.]
More than 40 million Americans have served in the United States armed forces.
Of those, fewer than 3,600 have been awarded the military's highest honor.
[bomb dropping.]
- Whoa! Don't touch the weapon.
- Chocolate.
[ .]
- Whoa! You want candy? - Candy.
- Don't touch my weapon.
- Candy.
You want candy? [bomb exploding.]
[Ronald Reagan.]
Where did we find such men? We find them where we've always found them.
In our villages and towns, on our city streets, in our shops, and on our farms.
[Dwight H.
Johnson.]
Summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us.
[George W.
Bush.]
It recognizesÃÂ gallantry that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
[Barack Obama.]
We may not always hear of their success, but they are there, in the thick of the fight, in the dark of night, achieving their mission.
[man.]
Normally, when someone hears the term "the one percent" what comes to mind is that one percent Americans who have such a disproportionateÃÂ amount of the wealth of our great country, but there's another one percent.
That's the one percent that has served our country in uniform.
Sergeant Romesha is an even smaller partÃÂ of that one percent that serves, because not only had his father served in Vietnam, indeed in the same division in which Sergeant Romesha ultimately served.
But his grandfather served in World War II, as well.
There's something special about how each son or daughter feels this quiet but intense need to serve, to continue the legacy of one's family.
And that's particularly true in the post 9/11 period, uh, after which everyone who raises his or her right hand realizes that he or she is volunteering for the military at a time of war.
[aircraft engine roars.]
[man.]
Holy shit! [female newscaster.]
This just in.
You areÃÂ looking at obviously aÃÂ very disturbing live shot there.
[male newscaster.]
It does not appear that there's any kind of an effort up there yet.
- Now remember Oh, my God! - [woman.]
Oh, my God! My [male newscaster 2.]
I think we have a terrorist act of proportions that we cannot begin to imagine at this juncture.
My goodness! [man.]
On my orders, the United States Military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
[Petraeus.]
There had been this sense that the enemy's action began where the road ended.
And so for several commanders in Afghanistan there was an intent to continueÃÂ to extend the road, and as you extended the road, you would establish a combat outpost to secure that road.
And the idea was that you would have this spreading inkblot of security and that would enable further extensions.
It was an attempt to bring peaceÃÂ to the region, and Combat Outpost Keating was one of those camps, but it is also, as it happens, one of the deadliest parts of Afghanistan.
[gunshot.]
Sounds like it came from behind the switchbacks.
Red Patrol squad leaders, get me a sit rep on your squad.
[squad leader 1.]
Red One, accounted for.
[squad leader 2.]
Red Two, accounted for.
[squad leader 3.]
Red Three, accounted for.
[rear soldier.]
Tracks are old.
ÃÂ These fuckers haven't been here in a while.
Yeah.
Probably just haven't set up since we flagged it.
Maybe we should switch up our patrol route.
[rear soldier.]
Okay.
[man.]
We'd do two patrols a day, per platoon, so we knew, all right, that's a good spotÃÂ where they could possibly attack from or shoot at us from.
Clint was a really strong section sergeant.
I've been in the Army for a few years now and I wouldn't take anybody over Romesha.
Ever.
Ah, this is the spot.
Good cover.
Looking right fucking down on us.
Line of sight on LRAS 1, LRAS 2, TOC, front gate.
[softly, to himself.]
Son of a bitch! Raz, if that's my last Dr.
Pepper, you're digging the piss tubes next week.
[sniggers.]
[man.]
When I had first got there, I just, like,ÃÂ looked up, and I, like, did a circle and it was just mountains all around me.
And you're like, "What in the fuck is goin' on here?" [Petraeus.]
Combat Outpost Keating, called "COP Keating," is about as far out as any of the outposts that we had in Afghanistan.
[Tapper.]
In that part of the country, you're either on a mountain or at the bottom of a mountain.
Combat Outpost Keating was placed at the bottom of three steep mountains.
Why it was put at the bottom of three steep mountains, uh, is really just an example of how, in the military, quite often, you have five bad choices in front of you and you just have to pick the least horrific one.
[Raz.]
It's hard to defend and you're an easy target.
Everything you're looking at is up.
[chuckles.]
[Larson.]
Started looking around and going, "Oh, man! They could be right there, right now, or they could be right there.
" A lot of times they were, they just weren't shooting at us, but we could see 'em moving.
But just for [clicks fingers.]
that long, and then they were gone.
[man.]
It's funny because people are always, like, "Oh, what's the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan?" Or "Did you have some kind of guidance or understanding of war?" And the answer's no.
Afghanistan was the Wild West, man.
There was no buildings, there was no infrastructure.
It was just kind of this toe-to-toe fighting in the desolate land of the mountains.
[gunfire.]
[Larson.]
We got hit quite a bit.
I'd say at least once a day, if not twice a day.
We'd all jump up and rush to battle positions.
[rapid gunfire.]
[man.]
Single shots, or mortar attacks, or recoilless rifles, RPGs [relentless gunfire.]
[Raz.]
There's no safe space, really, I guess you could say, unless you're inside a building and even then, you know, the rockets will just punch right through.
[Rodriguez.]
This is our shower.
Of course, we have no power.
So you have to shower with a headlight on.
[Bundermann.]
We lived in a 20x40 building with bunks on each side.
I knew everything about these guys, and they knew everything about me, right? You just can't live two feet from someoneÃÂ for that long and not know what's going on with them.
I could tell when Ro had a blisterÃÂ on his hand 'cause he would change the way he was holding his remote control, right? Loves video games.
[Larson.]
Ro and I, we didn't get along at first, but, you know, we became really good friends, and our platoon got along really well.
We meshed really well together.
[Raz.]
Our platoon was like that.
That's just how we were.
We hung out all the time, everybody was friends.
It was very rare for other units to have that.
[Taliban soldiersÃÂ speaking Pashto.]
[Tapper.]
This is an area of Afghanistan where people areÃÂ bred to resist.
[Taliban soldiers continue speaking.]
[Tapper.]
They are smart.
They are strategic.
They are ruthless.
They study before they attack, and they have centuries' worth of experience as a people fighting.
[Petraeus.]
I was about 11 months into my timeÃÂ in command of U.
S.
Central Command in Afghanistan, and I had a lot of concerns about the vulnerability of these isolated combat outposts.
And, everything that happened in COP Keating was really the manifestation of our worst fears.
[Bundermann.]
Early, it was right around 6 a.
m [radio.]
This is Gallegos at LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
there's an immense amount of small arms fire.
Gallegos, it's Ro.
ÃÂ I'm on the way.
[Raz.]
I had woke up and we had that moment, like you didn't really talk, but you had a whole conversation.
And that's kind of when it all sank in, like this is We're gonna have to hunker down.
This is gonna be a long fight.
[distant gunfire.]
[Bundermann.]
It was obvious, quickly, that this wasÃÂ different than previous attacks.
We've had a couple of coordinated ones where it was small arms and indirect, but this was very much more than usual.
- [Taliban soldier speaking.]
- [machine gun fire.]
[Rodriguez.]
I stand up, I put my K-Pod on, my vest, and it was just fucking muzzle flashes everywhere.
[Raz.]
Thousands of bullets flying through the air.
Rockets everywhere, bullets bouncing off everything.
It's, you know, every it's just chaos.
[Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Raz.]
And they're also above us, looking down.
It's like looking down into a football field.
[rapid gunfire.]
[man.]
As a brigade commander, I wasÃÂ inÃÂ Jalalabad, which is about 160 km south.
We woke to news that Outpost Keating was under attack.
There was 300 attackers for the 50 that were at the outpost.
This was obviouslyÃÂ something very different, very extreme.
[radio.]
RPG coming in.
RPG.
RPG.
- [indistinct radio response.]
- [intense gunfire.]
[radio.]
Three machine gun nests on the north face, firing directly down.
[indistinct radio response.]
Repeat, 155.
[Bundermann.]
They attacked from everywhere, all four sides, we started taking direct fire.
That kind of volume of fire and the number of weapon systems that were trained on us was justÃÂ unbelievable.
[radio.]
This is GallegosÃÂ in LRAS 2.
We're under heavy attack.
Is anyone there? - [gunfire.]
- [loud explosion.]
[Tapper.]
At LRAS 2, which is an armored Humvee used for fortification, there were a few soldiers that were stuck.
They were trapped.
[explosion.]
[Gallegos.]
50-cal is destroyed.
We need support.
We can't move.
We can't get up.
They're firing RPGs.
Gallegos, it's Ro.
I'm about to lay down cover fire.
When the incoming lets up, get the fuck outta there.
[Bundermann.]
We need more air support directed to RPG Rock.
[Gallegos.]
Ro, this isn't working.
We can't move! [gunfire continues.]
[Gallegos.]
I got enemy fire.
I got RPGs coming in.
Enemy's just running all over the place.
Take care of the RPGs.
[Gallegos.]
Ro, it's too hot! Get the fuck outta here! Sit tight! [Tapper.]
Clint Romesha is this very intense guy.
He's a man of very few words, but when he utters them, they mean a lot.
He's from a small town in California.
A traditional Mormon background.
His father and others in his family were leaders in the church.
And, in fact, for a while, he went to school early in the morning, seminary, to be a leader.
But, ultimately, he decidedÃÂ that it wasn't for him, and he fought in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He has this religious fervor in him, not for God, not for gifts after this life, but for his men, and for surviving this life.
[Larson.]
Coming out of Iraq, you have a bond that you can't break.
You relate with guys that have been through a similar situation.
Clint and I figured out we could actually work together really well, and I understood his way of thinking.
[Larson.]
Whoa! - Want another? Whoa! Back up.
- [boy.]
Candy! - No.
Don't touch my weapon, Okay? - Candy.
- [Larson.]
Back up.
I don't have candy.
- [boy.]
Chocolate! I don't have chocolate.
You want chocolate? Look.
Candy man.
Chocolate man.
Yeah, there.
- [Romesha.]
Hey! Don't touch the weapon.
- [boy.]
Chocolate? Don't touch the I don't have candy or chocolate.
- [boy.]
Candy? - I got a protein bar.
It's all I have.
I have no candy.
Little shit! [Larson.]
Me and Ro, we really clicked.
He's a small little guy, but he knows what to do and when to do it, so he doesn't get him or his soldiers killed.
[volley of gunfire.]
[soldier over radio.]
Enemy fire, I've got RPGs [Romesha.]
Fuck! [soldier 2 over radio.]
I need mortar fire on target GRP-125.
[soldier 3 over radio.]
50-cal is destroyed.
Need support.
[relentless gunfire.]
[explosion.]
[soldier 4 over radio.]
Three machine gun nests up on the north face, firing directly down.
Red Platoon squad leaders, get meÃÂ a sit rep on your squad.
[soldier 5 over radio.]
Jesus Christ! They got an RPG pointed right at us! [explosion.]
[Bundermann.]
Reports came in immediately.
"We can't get to this location.
" "We can't get to that location.
" And what that means when soldiers are saying that is "If I move from where I'm at, I will get killed.
" My commander and another platoon leader weren't at the COP.
So, I was left in command of the troop [into radio.]
I need air support.
and I was working with Sergeant Romesha to figure out where everybody was at, right, so we had guys, we didn't know where they were.
[Raz.]
Lieutenant Bundermann is nowÃÂ the acting CO, and Romesha's the acting Platoon Sergeant and it all falls on both of their shoulders, and I don't think either one of them would have expected that.
[soldier over radio.]
There's a sniper on my six.
I've got a sniper on my six.
I'm on my way.
[squad leader 1.]
Koppes is under heavy fire at LRAS 1.
Ro went back and forth to different gun positions, and he's doing it without any regard for himself.
And Koppes would say things like, "Can you shoot this sniper? I really need that guy needs to go.
" [Koppes.]
Hey, there's a sniper on my back! [Larson.]
Now, Romesha picked up a Dragonov, which is a Russian sniper rifle.
And thought, "Well, if there's a sniper hitting Koppes, maybe I can hit him.
" [soldier over radio.]
I need mortar fire on Target GRP-125.
[indistinct radio communication.]
[gunfire continues.]
Sergeant Romesha has to expose himself enough so that he can draw a bead on that enemy sniper, which means, of course, that he has to be visible to the enemy as well.
[gunfire continues.]
[Larson.]
Romesha waited for the sniper to pull back up to get on Koppes [continuous gunfire.]
caught his breath [gunfire continues.]
and Koppes's sniper problems were fixed at that point.
[Bunnermann over radio.]
e have enemy in the wire.
ÃÂ I repeat.
We have enemy in the wire.
"Enemy in the wire.
" That means that the Taliban are inside the camp.
[soldier.]
Fuck! [relentless gunfire.]
I see this Taliban dude poke his head around the corner and I was like, "Oh, fuck!" In some ways, they were just walking on like it was a Sunday stroll, and I don't know if they thought this was going to be over, um, but once they were in there, you know, it's always real, but you're going [takes a deep breath.]
- [gunfire.]
- [Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Taliban soldiers shouting.]
[Taliban soldiers talking.]
"Enemy inside the wire," it makes your I mean, that makes yourÃÂ heart skip a beat.
It completely changes what was already, you know, a near impossible situation with 300 plus enemy attackers.
We have enemy in the wire.
I repeat.
We have enemy in the wire.
I need air support now.
[explosion.]
Gotta be fuckin' kidding me! [George.]
The challenge with air supporting was, unfortunately, there weren't ApachesÃÂ up there.
They had to come all the way from Jalalabad.
What I remember is trying to get the assets up there as quickly as possible.
[pilot.]
I think we can do that, man.
[George.]
With Combat Outpost Keating, the problem was remoteness.
Five minutes in that kind of an attack, ten minutes, twenty minutes, that's too long.
[soldier over radio.]
Copy, Lieutenant.
Ten wounded.
Three confirmed KIAs.
[response over radio.]
Scrambling air support.
- [soldier over radio.]
Standby.
- [Romesha.]
Fuck! [Bundermann.]
We had a couple confirmed KIAs, right.
So, Sergeant Kirk had been killed by that point in time, Scusa, and Thompson.
And uh, that was that was intense for me.
I was, um you know, not expecting that, right.
In the past, we we had some guys get hurt, but no one had gotten killed.
[soldier 1.]
Sir, they've breached the front gate.
- Sir, we need to prep for - Oh, God damn it! [soldier 1.]
Hunker down.
Kill anything that comes through this door.
[soldier 2.]
I'm not doing that.
[pilot over radio.]
Scrambling air support.
Stand by for ETA.
[soldier over radio.]
Need close air supportÃÂ directed to RPG Rock.
[Bundermann.]
I guess I haven't found a way to categorize itÃÂ any way differently than we were losing.
They controlled the initiative, they had a higher volume of fire.
And they were imposing their will on us.
The truth is that the odds were they were gonna die.
The odds were they were gonna get killed.
[soldier.]
Sir, we need to prep for Alamo Position.
We got soldiers unaccounted for.
[soldier.]
Guys, if we don't fall back, there won't be a base left to save.
Fuck that! Taliban have fire superiority.
We sit here, we're dead.
What do you wanna do? Take it back.
Two six-men assault teams.
You take the first team east for cover fire, I take the second team west, secure the front gate.
[Bundermann.]
Your team's gonna be walking right through the kill zone.
I've never seen Ro back down from anything and I think that's just how he is.
Okay, Ro.
Get her done.
Romesha mapped out the plan to retake the front entrance of the COP.
[Tapper.]
It was very strategically important.
If the enemy was there, that was just their beachhead for taking more of the American camp.
So he needed to stop them in their tracks.
I need volunteers to take this bitch back.
Clint's one of the maybe one or two people on the face of the Earth that I would do anything for, without question.
I'd just do it.
[gunfire continues.]
It was like that: "Okay.
This is where I'm gonna die today.
" Like, "But at least I'm gonna take as many of 'emÃÂ with me as possible.
" Let's do this.
Go! Move! [relentless gunfire.]
Running and gunning at the same time.
You can't stop.
You gotta keep going.
It's almost like you're two different people.
Your brain's thinking one thing and your body's just going.
- [soldier over radio.]
Enemy fire - Blue Four, where's my cover fire? [soldier in the distance.]
Working on it! - We can't secure it from here.
- [Raz.]
Incoming! Where's my machine gun, Blue Four? I need cover fire! [Blue Four.]
Negative, Ro! We're pinned down at the ANA building! This could get bad.
Okay, we're gonna take it.
[ .]
And there was about 30 or 40 guys getting ready to breach the front gate.
Romesha, he was the mastermind behind the whole counterattack.
We're holding this gate.
[gunfire continues.]
When he led the charge, it provided the first and only amount of hope that the camp could actually be retaken.
You cannot overstate the importance of that victory.
[Raz.]
To fight, sunup to sundown like that, and to be the ground guy in charge, making all the decisions he rose to the occasion and he went above and beyond.
[pilot over radio.]
We need enemy coordinates.
[Raz.]
He was talking to Lt.
Bundermann and TOC, he was talking to the helicopters.
[George.]
And it was at that point, they were able to start calling in some, you know, close air support, which started making a significant difference.
[pilot.]
We're going hot.
Take cover! [Raz.]
And, you know,ÃÂ he's getting these Apaches to come in and start running gun runs on everything.
That's when I knew we got this.
And there's a momentum that comes with that.
We just started pummeling.
And we could take back what was ours.
[pilot.]
Come on.
Light 'em up! [Raz.]
Bombs started droppingÃÂ and they knew they were screwed, so they took off running.
[Petraeus.]
Ultimately, the Taliban realizes that this is not their day.
Although our forces had paid an extraordinary price for that.
[Larson.]
Romesha came up withÃÂ this plan to recover our fallen.
[Bundermann.]
One of the things you always look for is accountability.
Do you have accountability of your soldiers? That means you have them.
Doesn't necessarily mean that they're all alive, but you have them.
The new mission now is that we have to find Hardt, we have to find Martin, and we have to go get Gallegos.
We wanted to make sure we got everybody and we didn't give up looking.
Everybody's got a family.
They've got friends.
And they did an amazing thing, right? They did something incredible.
And they [inhales deeply.]
They madeÃÂ a sacrifice that is hard to fathom.
And we owe it to them that they're respected in the proper way.
So, it's important to do whatever it takes.
This is Red Four.
Respond in sequence.
[squad leader 1.]
Red One, accounted for.
[squad leader 2.]
Red Two, accounted for.
[squad leader 3.]
Red Three, accounted for.
[Raz.]
It was 12 hours, start to finish, sunrise to sunset.
You know, we took on 400 Taliban.
And if it hadn't been for Clint, they might have won that fight.
[narrator.]
It was a win, but not without shattering loss.
Eight Americans killed.
Eight Americans with loved ones waiting back home.
[man.]
To be celebrated for your courage, your heroics, you know, was flattering.
It's But I don't look at anything I did that day as heroic or courageous, it was doin' a job.
You know, eight other guys gave up more than was ever required of them.
So, why do I get celebrated when those guys will never [breathes shakily.]
never again get to see hugs, smiles, say anything to their families.
[narrator.]
A changed and shaken Sergeant Romesha returned home to his three children.
[inaudible dialogue.]
His oldest, Desiree, like her father's men, has learned something about coping.
The most important thing he's taught me is don't let things get to you.
If something affects you, you needÃÂ to learn how to deal with it and then move on from it.
And learn from that.
[Romesha.]
My defining moments will be when my kids grow up, carry the torch to the next generation.
That they are productive and successful members of this great country.
It's the only thing we can really ever ask for is making sure our kids carry on our legacies for us.
[narrator.]
But what would the sergeant'sÃÂ own legacy be? That was not yet clear.
In the more than 11 years that the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan, Presidents Bush and Obama have awarded six American service members the highest honor one can receive, the Medal of Honor, for actions in that war.
On Monday, President Obama will award the seventh American service member the Medal of Honor, former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha.
When I first heard the news of the Medal of Honor, my first thought was "What the heck is that?" But then,ÃÂ as this started to unroll, many people come up to me and say, "Tell your father thank you for everything he's done.
" And you're always like, "Go, Dad!" [Romesha.]
Before the ceremony started, we got brought into the Oval Office and met President Obama.
The two youngest kids, they got in there and they're messing with the fruit, and they started running on the furniture.
I'm sitting there thinking, "Oh my goodness, I got a one-and-a-half-year-old son jumping on the couch in the Oval Office.
" [Barack Obama.]
We just spent some time together in the Oval Office, along with your three beautiful children, Dessi, Gwen, and Colin.
Colin is not as shy as Clint.
[audience laughs.]
Uh, he was in the Oval Office and - he was racing around pretty good.
- [audience laughs.]
And sampled a number of the apples.
Receiving the medal that day, I I don't remember hardly any of it.
We gather to present the Medal of Honor to one of these soldiers, Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha.
The explosions shook themÃÂ 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.
Keating, it seemed, was gonna 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.
[Romesha.]
The only thing I rememberÃÂ that day, I was up on stage, the ceremony had started, and in the first row was my family.
Right behind them was the families of the eight guys we'd lost.
[muffled applause.]
Just off to my left was guys I'd served with at COP Keating that day, and I just rememberlooking at all of them and kinda thinking to myself that it was just really good to be able to know I wasn't there alone.
I had everybody there with me.
And I would ask theseÃÂ soldiers, this band of brothers, to stand and accept the gratitude of our entire nation.
[audience applauds.]
[Romesha.]
And then, it came time to stand up.
I remember standing up and, I mean,ÃÂ it was just such a whirlwind, so many emotions, so many things goin' on.
Just kinda thinking to myself that, you know, it sucked that such a tragic thing had to happen to get everybody here together.
But what a blessing, sharing this one moment together.
[ .]
[inaudible dialogue.]
[audience applauds.]
[little girl.]
When I heard that Dad got a Medal of Honor, I was proud for him, happy.
Excited.
Hmm But I didn't know he was gonna turn this famous.
[man.]
And you didn't know the exact number at the time,ÃÂ but you knew you were outmanned, right? Yeah, I didn't have them in formation for a head count beforehand, but [David and audience laugh.]
[Romesha.]
And all of sudden being thrustÃÂ into the limelight.
You know, it was a lot to handle at first.
Then I really kinda realized that we, as veterans, are kinda doing ourselfÃÂ a disservice by not sharing our experiences.
[narrator.]
For Clint Romesha, the limelight wasÃÂ about to spark an epiphany.
He and his brothers-in-arms needed to share their experiences.
The challenge, one that so many soldiers face to overcome an innate stoicism would be met in a vivid and powerful way.
[Larson.]
When Ro was starting to write Red Platoon, I was I was in favor of it.
[Romesha.]
Then I went to the guys and said,ÃÂ "All right, we'll do a book, but it's gonna come with your help, and it's not gonna be a book about Clint Romesha did this, or Clint did that.
It's gonna be our story.
[narrator.]
This new chapter in his life has providedÃÂ something surprising: catharsis.
[Romesha.]
One of my biggest fears that day was not what was gonna happen to me.
That didn't scare me at all.
Didn't care about gettin' shot, didn't care about comin' home.
What scared me was leaving someone behind.
[Larson.]
It is very important that people hear these stories and understand what soldiers went through.
I think it really opens up the eyes of the American people of what soldiers go through on a day-to-day basis.
[audience applauds.]
[Romesha.]
Every time we tell the story, every time we talk about those guys, that's how I look at it now.
Don't hide it away.
Don't bottle it up.
It weighs heavy, but to sit here and talk about it, to sit here and share it with others, I get to dump a little bit of that weightÃÂ on you.
You get to help me carry it now.
'Cause you know the sacrifice, you You know their names, you Maybe you have a little more understanding of what "service to country" really means.
[Larson.]
Romesha is continuing the legacyÃÂ of those we lost, just keeping them in memory.
When we do get to reunite, the ones that came away from Keating, we usually have a lot of fun together.
- [Larson.]
That'll work.
- [Romesha.]
That's working.
- Oh! - Oh, yeah! Woo! [Raz.]
We all keep in really close contact with each other.
We check on each other all the time, we're hanging out, you know, two, three times a year.
[Larson.]
Clint Romesha.
That's all I gotta say.
[Romesha.]
Y'know, the guys I served with, Larson and Raz and Bundermann, it's you know, almost It's more family than friends.
- There we go.
- You got this.
[Romesha.]
You've shared it together, you've lost it together, you've kept it together with each other.
And when push comes to shove, they're gonna be there for you, and when the dust settles, it's never never seems to be just one person that did everything.
It's a whole group of guys that supported you along the way.
And it's kind of a package deal.
You get one, you get 'em all.
[narrator.]
A potent reminder that although only one name is ascribed to a Medal of Honor, it rarely belongs to just one person.
In battle, a band of brothers fights for one another.
In doing so, it also fights for family, for country, and for humanity itself.
[ .]
You know, as I had time to look back at it, and kind of digest and think about it more Everything we did that day you know, we didn't do it 'cause we hated the enemy.
We didn't do it out of anger 'cause of what they were doing to us.
There were times you were pissed off, that you were, you know, getting attacked and getting shot at and you have your buddies dying around you.
Of course, you get mad, you get frustrated, but that wasn't the driving force.
The driving force was loving those guys so much that they were gonna come get you.
And that's what we had to do for them.
It was that I mean,ÃÂ people don't understand.
Combat is not a great thing to be inÃÂ and it's not a motivation to hate,ÃÂ by no means.
It's aÃÂ motivational love for your brothers.
ÃÂ Absolutely.
When you live in a a room that small with 20 people, it's not gonna be good.
Like Raz was my roommate, and he was he's 6'5" and our room was 6'4 " by 6'4".
And we did have an air-conditioner in our room, uh, but every time or a rocket would come in, or we'd get gunfire, he'd wake up real fast and smoke his head on the uh, air-conditioner unit.
So, it was worth it.
We had gun positions that one person was at, and they were at it all day.
Right? Think about that.
You're by yourself, you've got several hundred enemy people trying to kill you, and you've got people running around and you're covering one sector of fire.
Right, his job, this soldier's job, was to cover that one sector of fire.
He's got bullets hitting his truck behind him.
He can't turn around and look at it, can't do anything.
His job is not to worry if he's gonna get shot in the back, because he's focusing on his job.
And he did that for a whole day.
I come around the corner, and the gunfire is pretty significant.
The rockets are coming in, you know, a little bit more than usual.
It wasn't anything that threw me off.
I thought we were just getting hit extra-hard because that's just how it was in the mornings or before you go to bed.
Um, and I came around the corner, and when I got past the aid-station wall that was the last barrier before openness, my first thought was, like, is it I didn't think it was raining.
My first thought was, "Is it raining?" Because when I was running, I just had my head down, I could just see, uh, dirt, like flipping up off the ground, like dirt specks that looked like rain.
I was like And then it hit me, as I ranÃÂ around it.
I was like, "Oh, shit, those are bullets.
" This was about three o'clock in theÃÂ afternoon, I'm guessing.
I didn'tÃÂ stop and look at my watch and write it down in my journal, but I'm guessing it was about three.
And I was out of chew, and I was thirsty.
Well, some of the barracks were on fire, and they said ours was probably gonnaÃÂ catch on fire.
Well, I had a 12-pack of Dr.
Pepper and a log of Copenhagen in there.
I told Ro I was gonna be right back.
So I ran to our barracks, grabbed my Dr.
Pepper, my Copenhagen, stopped in his room and grabbed his cigarettes and went running back to the shura building.
And him and I sat down, took our helmets off, had a sip of Dr.
Pepper, and we just kinda got to relax for just a little bit.
A couple days after it happened, maybe a week after it happened, um Ro and I were sitting outside a building at FOB Bostick, and you know, he was talking to he talked to his dad.
And, um you know, they had talked, and it was a relatively mundane conversation, until, uh until he kinda At the end of it, he said, "You know, I'm" He was happy that I was there with him.
And he was proud of that.
That meant a lot to me.
Not just Granted, at that point in time,ÃÂ there were no awards.
It wasn't about that.
But, he was the soldier that said, "Lt.
Bundermann, you did what we were supposed to do.
" And that meant a lot and I guess I don't really talk We don't talk about the actions and stuff like that.
What we talk about is general BSing.
Right? Whether it's Ro and I, or Raz, or Larson or any of these guys, it's it's not like, "Hey, you remember this time you did that?" Or, you know, or maneuvering here and there,ÃÂ it's much more about BSing and much more focusing on the good things about life.
A lot of people in these modern-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, is they don't have to sacrifice anything.
You know, you look at World War II and everything got rationed, everybody went to work for factories, that, you know, make parts for airplanes and tanks and bombs and Um, the American people haven't really had to sacrifice anything for these wars.
Um, so it's kind of a background event and they read about in the news and theyÃÂ might know somebody who's got a kid in the military, and they're like, "Oh yeah, you know, so-and-so's son's overÃÂ in Baghdad.
" You know, and in my eyes and my perception, that's kind of as far as it goes for a lot of people and You know, it's not their fault, you know,ÃÂ it's just kinda how it is.
Um, and it plays into, like, our responsibility, you know, it's our job to come back and make sure that there's Y'know, still to this day, there'sÃÂ people in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting.
They're fighting ISIS, they're fighting still fighting Taliban in Afghanistan.
Um the wars are still happening and it'sÃÂ important that people know that there's still sacrifices being made by these young men and women on the front lines, um so that we can go about our lives every day and not worry about, you know, somebody coming and hurting us or attacking us.
They're over there making sure that stuff stays in check over there.
The one thing I'd like my legacy to be would be that everyone understands there is greatness in all of us, and it's that It's that time in everyone's life that that moment will come along.
That Don't ever think that you're too small, too insignificant, that something'sÃÂ too hard, too challenging.
But those moments will present themselves, that you'll sit there and have to make the choice.
Do I sit here and let it pass me by, and say nothing, do nothing, or do I stand up and do the right thing? To truly understand the extraordinary actions for which Clint is being honored, uh, you need to understand the almostÃÂ unbelievable conditions under which he and B Troop served.
This was a time in 2009 when many of our troops still servedÃÂ 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 trenchesÃÂ and sand bags.
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 soldiersÃÂ 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, uh, 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 sharpnel that 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 ten 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 themÃÂ later compared to the Alamo.
One of them later compared it to the Alamo.
Keating, it seemed, was gonna 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 hundred-meter run through a hail of bullets.
They reached their fallen friends, and they brought them home.
Throughout history, uh, the question has often been asked, uh, "Why? Why do those in uniform take suchÃÂ 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 fightÃÂ 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, uh, 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 Thompson, 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,ÃÂ 18 Bronze Stars.
For their gallantry, nine 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.
[audience applauds.]
There are many lessons from COP Keating.
One of them is that our troops shouldÃÂ never, ever be put in a position where they have to defend the indefensible.
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 homeÃÂ 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'll 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.
"We're not gonna back down in theÃÂ face of adversity like that.
We were just gonna 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.
With that, I'd like the citation to be read.
[male speaker.]
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863, has awarded, in the name of Congress, the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha, United States Army.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty.
Staff Sergeant Clinton L.
Romesha distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity, at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a section leader with Bravo Troop, Third 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 3rd, 2009.
On that morning, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his comrades awakened to an attack by an estimated 300 enemy fighters occupying the high ground on allÃÂ four sidesÃÂ of the complex, employing concentrated fire from recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars,ÃÂ and small arms fire.
Staff Sergeant Romesha moved, uncovered, under intense enemy fire to conduct a reconnaissance of the battlefield and seek reinforcements from the barracks before returning to action with the support of an assistant gunner.
Staff Sergeant Romesha took out an enemy machine-gun team and, while engaging a second, the generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, inflicting him with shrapnel wounds.
Undeterred by his injuries, Staff Sergeant Romesha continued to fight and upon the arrival of another soldier to aid him and the assistant gunner, he again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble additional soldiers.
Staff Sergeant Romesha then mobilizedÃÂ a five-man team and returned to the fight equipped with a sniper rifle.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Romesha continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved confidently about the battlefield, engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban fighters who had breached the combat outpost's perimeter.
While orchestrating a successful plan to secure and reinforce key points of the battlefield, Staff Sergeant Romesha maintained radio communication with the Tactical Operations Center.
As the enemy forces attacked with even greater ferocity, unleashing a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle rounds, Staff Sergeant Romesha identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30 enemy fighters.
After receiving reports that seriously injured soldiers were at a distant battle position, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his team provided covering fire to allow the injured soldiers to safely reach the aid station.
Upon receipt of orders to proceed to the next objective, his team pushed forward 100 meters under overwhelming enemy fire to recover and prevent the enemy fighters from taking the bodies of their fallen comrades.
Staff Sergeant Romesha's heroic actions throughout the day-long battle were critical in suppressing an enemy that had far greater numbers.
His extraordinary efforts gave Bravo Troop the opportunity to regroup, reorganize, and prepare for the counterattack that allowed the troop to account for its personnel and secure Combat Outpost Keating.
Staff Sergeant Romesha's discipline and extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty reflect great credit upon himself, Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
[infants chattering and crying in the audience.]
[inaudible dialogue.]
[audience applauds.]