It’s election day, and this year, after a lot of soul-searching and careful consideration, I’ve decided to publicly endorse a man who put his life on the line to make our country a better place. His name is Clint Romesha, but he’s not on the ballot. Nor does he possess any political ambition, as far as I know. He does have a Medal of Honor, however, which was presented to him after another kind of election. An election held a few years after his involvement in one of the most harrowing battles in Afghanistan. A battle in which his fellow soldiers voted unanimously to see him receive our military’s highest honor.
With Veteran’s Day around the corner, I thought it might be good to hear from a true patriot who risked everything to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country, including our right to vote. Like other soldiers who have received this honor, Clint was uncomfortable with the prospect of being singled out for his valor.
“I was just doing my job,” he told me. “Just like my friends who didn’t make it home.”
Maybe. But on this particular day, Clint’s job required him to go above and beyond the call of duty. In short, Staff Sergeant Romesha and his platoon were hopelessly pinned down at a command outpost called Fort Keating, in the eastern part of Afghanistan. They were outnumbered 7-1, and about to be completely overrun when Clint rallied his men and led a remarkable counterattack. In the course of that 15-hour battle, now made famous in the book, Red Platoon, Clint lost eight of his men and sustained multiple wounds. But he never stopped fighting. He and his remaining men – under his leadership -repelled the insurgents, and somehow, lived to tell the tale.
It’s a tale worth listening to, and you can do so here, at your leisure. https://bit.ly/TWIHI413 A short clip is below.
PS I crossed paths with Clint through his involvement with America’s Warrior Partnership. americaswarriorpartnership.org/ Clint is deeply involved in stemming the plague of veteran suicide, and working closely with my friends over a Pure Talk who are likewise committed to fighting this problem from the ground up. They’re making a real difference.
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