SGT. JAMES
BRASHER U.S. ARMY, SILVER STAR
By Henry Maurer Stephens Media
LLC 2009
Standing atop a hill, he couldn't see
the Taliban snipers shooting at him in the first light of day. Even
after dropping several mortar rounds on their suspected locations. Sgt.
1st Class James Brasher knew his unit had to go into the village.
It
became clear we weren't going to get anything done unless we went down
there, he said of the Dec. 8. 2007. incident.
Brasher's unit had spent
months clearing out the Helmand River Valley in Afghanistan. And U.S.
coalition and Afghan forces had launched a final attack to clear Musa Qala.
a village controlled by the Taliban for nine months. The paratroopers
had air-assaulted near the town and spent most of the night hiking
to a large hill with a cell phone tower.
They expected an attack that
night, but the Taliban waited. Then, using a series of thick, mud-walled
compounds and lush green fields as cover, the enemy opened fire at daybreak.
Brasher, a platoon sergeant from the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, and 1st Lt. Joseph McGovern led their platoon through
the maze of compounds and irrigation ditches at the base of the hill.
Taliban fighters waited, seemingly behind every comer, armed with machine
guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Rushing through a web of alleys.
Brasher and his squad ran straight into a Taliban gunman, whom Brasher
killed.
Each time the paratroopers moved, they ran into more fire. Several
times. Brasher hurled grenades so his men could find cover
When McGovern's
unit was attacked with machine-gun fire and RPGs. Brasher joined the
other paratroopers. Taking his platoon to flank the gun site, Brasher's
arm was shattered by a machine-gun burst.
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"It was like I got whacked with something .and it pushed me
back and to the right." Brasher said. "I hit the ground and was screaming. He continued barking orders, and medics had to force him
to submit to care. He desperately wanted to get the machine gunner who
hit him. We need to kill this guy, he urged his men. We need to make
sure he suffers in a very painful way.
Brasher was evacuated after the
fight but learned later that he and his men had killed 20 Taliban fighters
during the three-hour battle.
"Usually the guys you kill are the guys
in charge because they are braver, Brasher said. We had killed so many
people in that spot they didn't have anybody else to go up against us.
For his gallantry. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of
the 82nd Airborne Division, presented Brasher with a Silver Star, the
Army's third-highest award for bravery, at a ceremony in October 2008.
He was always out front exposing himself, making sure it was safe before
he put his men in any danger, McGovern, Brasher's platoon leader
during the battle, said in a TV interview. He would rather get hit than any of his other guys.
Rehabilitating
his arm has not been easy. Surgery three months ago allowed him to regain
range of motion.
Brasher plans to stay in the Army and doesn't see his
actions as heroic.
"When you ask most people who get awards, you are
just doing your job, really," Brasher said. So if that merits an award.
I guess it does.
"The real honor is the guys that I was with seem to
think I deserve that little bit of extra. They are the heroes. I am
just the guy that shows them where to go."
[Hawaii Tribune-Herald. Hilo, HI, 24 Nov 2009, Tue, Pages 1 & 6] |