One Ranger, Staff Sergeant Sean Keough, received the
Silver Star for action against Taliban insurgents during a raid on an enemy
compound last autumn. Leading his squad,
Keough saw one of his fellow Rangers shot and fall wounded, still under fire
from the enemy. Keough placed himself
between the fallen soldier and the enemy, returning fire in order to provide
cover for other members of the unit who administered aid and retrieved their
downed teammate. Keough and another Ranger
shot an insurgent who attacked them, but he received a gunshot wound to his arm. Despite his wound he remained in place, still
delivering effective fire at the enemy while his squad radioed for a medevac.
The award was presented by Lieutenant General John F
Mulholland, commander of the US Army Special Operations Command. In addition to Keough, the battalion received
two Valorous Unit Awards for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in summer
2005. Seven Rangers received the Bronze
Star Medal (‘V’) for actions in combat, and five received the Soldier’s Medal
for heroism in a non-combat role for rescuing two stranded climbers on Mount
McKinley (Denali) in Alaska, in addition to 17 who received the Purple Heart,
among other awards. During this latest
deployment, four Rangers and an attached junior officer were killed in action,
and many wounded, including 30 as a result of the explosion of an IED.
Since October 2001, the battalion has deployed 14 times
and conducted over 2500 raids. It is
preparing for its 15th deployment.
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