MEDAL OF HONOR
Operation Enduring FreedomLive Webcast: Medal of Honor Ceremony
Watch the Medal of Honor ceremony live webcast, at
President will award the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Kyle J. White for his heroic acts during the Operation Enduring Freedom.
Live Webcast: Hall of Heroes Induction
Watch the Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony live webcast, at
The U.S. Army will induct Sergeant Kyle J. White into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. The Pentagon ceremony will add Sergeant Kyle J. White's name to the distinguished roster in the Hall of Heroes, the Defense Department's permanent display of record for all recipients of the Medal of Honor.
Sergeant Kyle J. White
hometown
Seattle, Washington
Enlistment date
Feb. 15, 2006
Military Occupation (MOS)
Infantryman (11B)
Unit
Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Deployments
Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan
Sgt. Kyle Jerome White joined the Army in 2006, from Washington State. He attended basic training, advanced individual training, and U.S. Army Airborne School consecutively, at Fort Benning, Ga., before being assigned to the 2-503rd, at Camp Ederle, Italy, from 2006 to 2008. While assigned to the 2-503rd, White deployed to Aranas, Afghanistan, in spring 2007, where he served as a platoon radio telephone operator. He was assigned to the 4th Ranger Training Battalion, at Fort Benning, from 2008 to 2010. White departed the active-duty Army in May 2011.
His civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he majored in finance. He currently resides in Charlotte, where he is an investment analyst with the Royal Bank of Canada.
His military education includes the Combat Life Saver Course, U.S. Army Airborne School, U.S. Army Air Assault School, the Infantryman Course (One-Station Unit Training), the Primary Leadership Development Course, and the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course.
White’s awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster and “V” device, the Army Achievement Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 2 device, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Parachutists Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Valorous Unit Award.
A LONG DARK NIGHT
Learn more about Sergeant Kyle J. White's survival and actions that allowed for the successful evacuation of all wounded and fallen personnel from the ambush.
The Battle
November 9, 2007 | Nuristan Province, Afghanistan
173RD AIRBORNE BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM
The shoulder patch insignia of the 173rd Airborne Brigade
Sky Soldiers continue the distinction of honored service dating back to World War I and proudly represent the Airborne fighting spirit wherever they serve. The 173rd Airborne Brigade was constituted in 1917 as an infantry brigade and deployed to France in 1918 as part of the 87th Division. Returning to the United States the brigade was demobilized in 1919. Read Full Unit Profile
On Nov. 8, 2007, members of 1st Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, headquartered at Combat Outpost Bella, prepared for movement to the village of Aranas, Afghanistan, for a Shura meeting with village elders. There had been little communication with the village after their suspected collusion on a major attack months earlier on Combat Outpost Ranch House - a former American post situated on the mountain overlooking the large village, that resulted in eleven wounded and the closure of the out-post.
Moving under cover of darkness, the 14 Americans and approximately one squad of Afghan National Army, or ANA, soldiers, made for the American-built schoolhouse in the heart of the village, where they would bunk for the night.
Upon daybreak, the Americans and their ANA counterparts prepared for the meeting at the mosque. The villagers delayed the meeting - saying the elders were praying - for several hours until finally beginning in the afternoon, around 1- 1:30 p.m.
Villager turnout for the Shura was unusually large. There were more questions and villager engagement than the Americans had experienced in the past. At first, team members were hopeful about the level of interest from the village males. Then, the Marine Embedded Training Team member, Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, alerted leadership that his interpreter was hearing radio chatter in a language he didn’t recognize. Bocks advised the platoon leader, then-1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, it was best to leave immediately.
Several villagers followed the unit on their ten to twenty minute trek up the mountain to the shallow mountain–side trail back to Combat Outpost Bella. No sooner did the followers break-off to the ridge above, did the ridgelines echo with accurate small arms fire. The enemy initiated a three-pronged attack, simultaneously hitting the patrol from Aranas, the scouts providing over watch of the patrol on the ridge to the southeast, and their home – Combat Outpost Bella.
Carrying a fully-automatic M4A1 rifle, Spc. Kyle White emptied his magazine in the direction of suspected and known enemy targets. After White dropped his magazine and clicked the next 30-round magazine into his weapon, an enemy rocket propelled grenade detonated near his location, knocking him unconscious.
PHOTO: Members of 1st Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade gather for a ceremony in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, Nov. 6, 2007.
As White awoke, an enemy round fragmented near his head sending shrapnel into his face. The forward observer, Spc. Kain Schilling, White, Ferrara, Bocks and the interpreter were now cut-off from the rest of the patrol, whose members had been forced to slide down the cliff to the ground, 50-meters below and 150 meters to the west. White relayed a situation report to Staff Sgt. Conrad Begaye, who was part of the element that had jumped down the cliff.
White made an assessment of the situation and saw that Schilling had been shot in the arm. He moved to Schilling and applied a tourniquet to the arm, which stopped the bleeding. White dropped his pack and realized his radio was now hit and not operational. Schilling’s and White’s only concealment came from the loose canopy of a single tree jutting up from the side of the cliff below them. The tree provided just enough shade to make the two Americans difficult targets for accurate enemy fire.
"It's just a matter of time before I'm dead. I figured, if that's going to happen, I might as well help someone while I can."
- Sergeant Kyle J. White, Medal of Honor recipient
White now noticed that Bocks was badly wounded – in the open – about 10 meters away from his location to the east. He yelled to Bocks to use all his strength and to crawl to his position. Bocks tried, but his wounds were too severe to make any progress. White sprinted across the 10-meter expanse, with enemy rounds ricocheting around his feet and snapping past his head. White reached Bock’s and yelled to the interpreter to go and treat Schilling. The interpreter’s attempts to move to Schilling were met with enemy fire, so he stayed at his location.
White began to drag Bocks in the direction of Schilling’s location. He realized the enemy fire was now concentrated on him, which was further endangering Bocks, so he sprinted back to the relative concealment of the tree canopy momentarily to draw their fire away from Bocks. White moved back to Bocks, dragged him a little further - until the enemy fire was too concentrated- and then moved back to the relative shade of the tree. He did the sprint and drag several times, before finally getting Bocks to a more protected location. White applied a tourniquet to the Marine’s leg and treated him until he succumbed to his wounds.
PHOTO: Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White speaks about the Battle of Aranas and the six service members killed during the Nov. 9, 2007, battle in Afghanistan. He spoke at the Pentagon, May 14, 2014, during his induction into the Hall of Heroes, one day after receiving the Medal of Honor. (Army News Service photo by Lisa Ferdinando). Video: Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
White then looked back to Schilling, and saw Schilling get hit again -- this time in his leg. White sprinted to Schilling, pulled his own belt from his pants and tied it around the leg as a tourniquet, stopping the hemorrhaging.
Once Schilling’s bleeding was under control, White noticed his platoon leader lying still, face down on the trail. White exposed himself to fire once again, crawling to Ferrara’s position. Upon discovering that his platoon leader was dead, White moved back to Schilling.
Both Soldiers’ radios had been destroyed in the gunfire. White moved back to Bocks location, under enemy fire, hoping to locate a functional radio. Finding that Bocks’ radio was still operational, White established communication with friendly elements and began to render a situation report. As the only paratrooper capable of controlling his fighting position, White provided key information that enabled his company and battalion to sufficiently understand the enemy and friendly situation well-enough to begin bringing mortars, artillery, air strikes and helicopter gun runs into the fight. This helped prevent the enemy from massing on the friendly positions.
White then heard a hiss and felt a large explosion from the cliff below. It was a friendly 120-mm mortar round. The blast caused another concussion for White. As he shook-off the effects of the blast, he heard Schilling yell to answer the radio.
After nightfall, White began giving the interpreter commands to relay to the he ANA, and he established them into a security perimeter. The enemy was still conducting a recon by fire – shooting blindly into the darkness in hopes of having Americans return fire and reveal their location. White was able to consolidate the sensitive items – radios and weapons -- in a central location, ensuring that no equipment was lost to the enemy.
PHOTO: Kyle White on a routine patrol around the perimeter of COP Ranch House, above the village of Aranus, in summer of 2007. Photo: U.S. Army.
The effects of multiple concussions were weighing on White. As he felt his physical condition deteriorating he requested immediate MedEvac of Schilling. He knew if he passed-out the helicopters wouldn’t be able to find them, and Schilling and the injured ANA soldiers could die. White marked the landing zone and assisted the flight medic in hoisting the wounded Soldiers into the helicopter. Only after all wounded were off the trail did White allow himself to be evacuated.
After more than four hours, the three-pronged attack on Chosen Company ended with the loss of six American lives, and many wounded. Spc. Kyle White exhibited extraordinary personal bravery distinguishing himself above his comrades. He took charge of his element, arranged security and provided critical aid to wounded Soldiers in terrain that provided very little cover or concealment. White exhibited extraordinary disregard for his own safety by exposing himself numerous times to effective and accurate fire, providing aid to two coalition Soldiers, despite being wounded him self – saving the life of one Soldier. His ability to take command and control of the situation and render critical situation reports to his higher command also enabled Close Air Support and Close Combat Air to disrupt the enemy attack, allowing for the successful evacuation of all wounded and fallen personnel from his location.
"During a long dark night, Spc. White's uncommon valor and perseverance saved lives and prevented the loss of U.S. bodies and equipment - Extraordinary and consistently selfless actions by a young paratrooper."
- - Lt. Col. William B. Ostlund, battalion commander,
Task Force Rock, Feb. 20, 2008
The Ceremony
“It has been said that true courage is “a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to incur it.” For more than 12 years, with our nation at war, the men and women of our armed forces have known the measure of danger that comes with military service. But year after year, tour after tour, they have displayed a selfless willingness to incur it -- by stepping forward, by volunteering, by serving and sacrificing greatly to keep us all safe.”
President Barack Obama,
White House Medal of Honor Ceremony, May 13, 2014
RELATED STORIES FROM ARMY.MIL
173RD AIRBORNE BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM
The 173rd Airborne Brigade
The 173rd Airborne Brigade was constituted in 1917 as an infantry brigade and deployed to France in 1918 as part of the 87th Division. Returning to the United States the brigade was demobilized in 1919.
Redesignated as the 87th Reconnaissance Troop, it fought in three European campaigns. Although not part of the Brigade in World War II, the history of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment is significant to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, comprising half of its current fighting strength. The 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment was formed in 1941 at Ft Bragg. They jumped into New Guinea, in September 1943 as part of the first successful airborne combat jump in the Pacific Theater. On Feb. 16, 1945 they jumped onto the island of Corregidor where they earned the Presidential Unit Citation.
The 173rd Infantry Brigade was activated on Okinawa in 1963 as the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep). The unit earned the nickname “Tien Bien” or “Sky Soldiers,” from the Nationalist Chinese paratroopers.
In 1965, the Brigade became the first major unit of the United States Army to serve in Vietnam. They conducted the only combat parachute jump of the war in February 1967. During more than six years of continuous combat, the brigade earned 14 campaign streamers and four unit citations. Sky Soldiers serving in Vietnam earned 13 Medals of Honor. The brigade was deactivated in 1972.
Reactivated in June 2000, the brigade conducted numerous deployments across Europe. On March 26, 2003, the 173rd added to its distinguished history when nearly 1,000 Sky Soldiers parachuted into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I. During the operation one Sky Soldier was awarded the Silver Star.
In 2005, the 173rd deployed to Afghanistan along the contentious Pakistan border in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) VI. Five Sky Soldiers were awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in battle.
Upon returning to Italy in 2006, the brigade transformed into the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. In the spring of 2007, the 173rd ABCT executed an extended deployment to eastern Afghanistan in support of OEF VIII where Soldiers exhibited incredible bravery earning one Medal of Honor, one Distinguished Service Cross, and 32 Silver Stars.
In 2009, the brigade returned to Afghanistan for a third time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom X continuing its proud tradition of selfless service, while executing a difficult build mission south of Kabul.
In 2012, the brigade returned to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XIII returning to Logar and Wardak Provinces where they executed the difficult task of reducing the footprint of the Brigade while continuing to train their Afghan counterparts.
Upon returning to Italy in 2013, the Brigade was redesignated as the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne). Today, Sky Soldiers continue the distinction of honored service dating back to World War I and proudly represent the Airborne fighting spirit wherever they serve.
Description/Blazon
A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/4 inches (3.18 cm) in height overall consisting of a semi-circle divided into three sections each with concave base, the outer two sections silver and the center section of red, a vertical silver unsheathed sword point to base, the hilt resting on the red section of the semi-circle the lower edge of the guard coinciding with the concave base and the ends conjoined with the silver sections the blade between two lightning flashes points to base the points converging toward the point of the blade the flashes parallel to and enclosed by two narrow inclined silver lines starting at the diameter periphery of the semi-circle and meeting beneath the point of the sword, the area so enclosed of blue all above a stylized motto scroll, the ends simulating wings and terminating at the base of the semi-circle, bearing the inscription "SKY SOLDIERS" in blue letters; the areas between the narrow silver lines and motto scroll recessed and of silver.
Symbolism
The simulated parachute and stylized wings refer to the airborne mission of the brigade. The unsheathed sword, point to base (implying from sky to ground) and the hilt against the red section of the parachute canopy, alludes to the combat assault jump made by the Brigade in February 1967, the first such jump made by any unit in Vietnam indicated by the "V" formed by the two lightning flashes on the V-shaped silver edged blue area. The single sword also alludes to other Brigade "firsts" such as first American ground unit in Vietnam, first in War Zones C and D and first in the Iron Triangle. The lightning flashes are also symbolic of the brigade's striking power and surprise and rapidity of movement. The numerical designation of the brigade can be readily simulated by various combinations of the design elements, i.e., the sword indicating one (1), the sum of the wings, the two lightning flashes and the three sections of the parachute canopy being Seven (7) and the latter by itself also being used for three (3).
Background
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Aug. 10, 1967. The insignia was redesignated for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team with the description updated Oct. 11, 2006.
2ND BATTALION (AIRBORNE), 503RD INFANTRY REGIMENT
The unit was originally constituted March 14, 1941, as Company B, 503rd Parachute Battalion, and was activated, Aug. 22, 1941, at Fort Benning, Ga. On Feb. 24, 1942, it was consolidated with and renamed to Company B, 503rd Parachute Infantry.
2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, conducted the first combat jump in U.S. history from C-47 aircraft, which took off in England, and dropped the battalion onto a drop zone near Lourmel, Algeria. The jump initiated the North Africa campaign.
During the war, the unit participated also participated in campaigns in the Pacific: New Guinea, Leyte, Luzon and Southern Philippines. One of its missions in the Philippines was an airborne assault on an island called Corregidor, which was nicknamed “the Rock.” This is where the unit got its own nickname and its motto. It was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during this mission.
On Dec. 24, 1945, the unit was inactivated at Camp Anza, Calif. The unit was re-designated as Company B, 503rd Airborne Infantry, 11th Airborne Division, Feb. 1, 1951. A month later, on March 2, 1951, it was activated at Fort Campbell, Ky. Almost exactly six years later, on March 1, 1957, the unit – in Germany at the time – was relieved from its assignment to the 11th Airborne Division and inactivated. The unit did not see combat during the Korean War.
On. Sept. 1, 1958, the unit was re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division, and activated at Fort Bragg, N.C. On June 24, 1960, 503rd Infantry was relieved from assignment to the 82nd Airborne Division and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. A year later, on July 1, 1961, it was relieved from that assignment.
The Rock was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, March 26, 1963, in Okinawa, Japan. Later in the year – on June 25, 1963 – it was reorganized and re-designated as the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry.
As the 173rd Airborne Brigade was the Pacific Command's quick-reaction strike force, the unit became the first U.S. Army combat unit committed to the Vietnam War. The unit participated in many campaigns in Vietnam, such as the Tet Counteroffensive and the Sanctuary Counteroffensive. It was also awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for Vietnam 1965-1967 and Presidential Unit Citations for Phuoc Vinh and Dak To.
On Jan. 14, 1972, it was relieved of assignment to the 173rd Airborne Brigade and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. Eleven years later, on Oct. 1, 1983, it was relieved from assignment and inactivated at Fort Campbell, Ky.
On Dec. 16, 1986, the Rock was activated and assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. Four years later, it was relieved from assignment and inactivated on Sept. 29, 1990.
The unit was activated in Vicenza, Italy, and once again assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade on Dec. 16, 2001. From March 2003 to February 2004, the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The unit participated in everything from conducting night combat parachute assaults to establishing local police forces and securing normalcy for communities.
The unit was awarded the Meritorious Unit commendation for Iraq 2003. On Oct. 1, 2005, the unit was re-designated as the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. The Rock deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom VI, where it fought with Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Helmand, Zabul and Kandahar provinces and participated in parliamentary elections in fall 2005.
On Sept. 16, 2006, the larger 173rd Airborne Brigade was re-designated as the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. From May 2007 to July 2008, the unit deployed for Operation Enduring Freedom VIII. Among many tasks, the unit conducted counterinsurgency operations in Kunar and Nuristan provinces and partnered with Afghan forces in the Korengal and Shuryak vallies.
DISTINCTIVE UNIT INSIGNIA
Description/Blazon
A silver color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86cm) in height overall, consisting of the shield and motto of the coat of arms, “THE ROCK.”
Symbolism
The colors, blue and white, are those of Infantry. The inverted triangle terminating in the broken fort symbolizes the drop on Corregidor, whereas the three parachutes represent the three other battle honors awarded the organization.
Background
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment on April 28, 1952. It was amended to change the motto on May 28, 1952. On June 29, 1958, the insignia was redesignated to the 503rd Infantry.
COAT OF ARMS
Symbolism
The dragon and the colors scarlet and yellow refer to the Republic of Vietnam where the regiment participated in thirteen campaigns; scarlet also alludes to the award of the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The arrowhead indicates the unit’s participation in an assault landing during the Counteroffensive, Phase II, and the swords with blue grips represent the Presidential Unit Citation awarded three times for service in the Republic of Vietnam.
Background
Background: The Coat of Arms was originally approved for the 503rd Airborne Regiment on April 28, 1952. It was amended to change the motto on May 28, 1952. The coat of arms was re-designated for the 503rd Infantry on Jan. 29, 1958.
Official Citation
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has posthumously awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to
Sergeant Kyle J. White
United States Army
Specialist Kyle J. White 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 radio telephone operator with Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on November 9, 2007. On that day, Specialist White and his comrades were returning to Bella Outpost from a shura with Aranas Village elders. As the soldiers traversed a narrow path surrounded by mountainous, rocky terrain, they were ambushed by enemy forces from elevated positions. Pinned against a steep mountain face, Specialist White and his fellow soldiers were completely exposed to enemy fire. Specialist White returned fire and was briefly knocked unconscious when a rocket-propelled grenade impacted near him. When he regained consciousness, another round impacted near him, embedding small pieces of shrapnel in his face. Shaking off his wounds, Specialist White noticed one of his comrades lying wounded nearby. Without hesitation, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire in order to reach the soldier and provide medical aid. After applying a tourniquet, Specialist White moved to an injured Marine, similarly providing aid and comfort until the Marine succumbed to his wounds. Specialist White then returned to the soldier and discovered that he had been wounded again. Applying his own belt as an additional tourniquet, Specialist White was able to stem the flow of blood and save the soldier's life. Noticing that his and the other soldier’s radios were inoperative, Specialist White exposed himself to enemy fire yet again in order to secure a radio from a deceased comrade. He then provided information and updates to friendly forces, allowing precision airstrikes to stifle the enemy’s attack and ultimately permitting medical evacuation aircraft to rescue him, his fellow soldiers, Marines and Afghan Army soldiers. Specialist Kyle J. White’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company C, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, 173d Airborne Brigade and the United States Army.
President's Remarks
2:44 P.M. EDT, May 13, 2014
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Please, be seated. Welcome to the White House. It has been said that true courage is “a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to incur it.” For more than 12 years, with our nation at war, the men and women of our armed forces have known the measure of danger that comes with military service. But year after year, tour after tour, they have displayed a selfless willingness to incur it -- by stepping forward, by volunteering, by serving and sacrificing greatly to keep us all safe.
Today, our troops are coming home. By the end of this year, our war in Afghanistan will be over. And we’ll welcome home this generation -- the 9/11 Generation -- that has proven itself to be one of America’s greatest.
And today, we pay tribute to a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation -- a young man who was a freshman in high school when the Twin Towers fell, and who just five years later became an elite paratrooper with the legendary 173rd Airborne -- the Sky Soldiers. Today, we present our nation’s highest military decoration -- the Medal of Honor -- to Sergeant Kyle J. White.
Kyle is the second Sky Soldier to be recognized with the Medal of Honor for service above and beyond the call of duty in Afghanistan. Today, he joins Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta, and a proud brotherhood of previous honorees, members of the Medal of Honor Society -- some of whom are with us here today.
We have a lot of VIPs here, but I’d like to acknowledge the most important -- Kyle’s parents, Cheryl and Curt, and Kyle’s girlfriend, Helen. I am told that back home in Bonney Lake, Washington when Kyle wanted to enlist, at first he had his sights set on the Marines. But his dad Curt is a veteran of the Army, Special Forces. So I’m told there was a difference of opinion. (Laughter.) And, I suspect, a good family discussion. As Commander-in-Chief, I cannot take sides in this debate. (Laughter.) The bottom line is Kyle joined the Army. And in doing so he carried on his family’s proud tradition of service, which found its expression on a November day over six years ago.
Across Afghanistan, base commanders were glued to their radios, listening as American forces fought back an ambush in the rugged mountains. One battalion commander remembered that “all of Afghanistan” was listening as a soldier on the ground described what was happening. They knew him by his call sign -- “Charlie One Six Romeo.” We know it was Kyle, who at the time was just 20 years old and only 21 months into his military service.
Earlier that afternoon, Kyle and the 13 members of his team, along with a squad of Afghan soldiers, left an Afghan village after a meeting with elders. The Americans made their way back up a steep hill -- single file, along a narrow path, a cliff face rising to their right, and a slope of rocky shale dropping on their left. They knew not to stop, that they had to keep moving. They were headed into an area known as “ambush alley”.
And that’s when a single shot rang out. Then another. And then the entire canyon erupted, with bullets coming from what seemed like every direction. It was as if, Kyle said, the whole valley “lit up.”
The platoon returned fire. Kyle quickly emptied a full magazine, but as he went to load a second, an enemy grenade exploded and knocked him unconscious. He came to with his face pressed against a rock. And as he moved to get up, enemy rounds hit a rock just inches from his head, sending shrapnel and rock shards across his face.
Most of the unit had been forced to slide down the cliff to the valley below. But Kyle saw a teammate -- Specialist Kain Schilling -- trying to treat his own shattered arm, using a tree as cover -- what Kain later called “the smallest tree on Earth.” I’m sure that’s how it felt. Kyle sprinted through enemy fire to Kain’s side and began applying a tourniquet -- shielding Kain with his own body as gunfire shredded that tree.
Then Kyle saw another man down -- Marine Sergeant Phillip Bocks -- in the open, 30 feet behind them, but too injured to reach cover. Kyle remembers thinking, “It’s just a matter of time before I’m dead. If that’s going to happen, I might as well help someone while I can.”
With bullets impacting all around him, Kyle ran to Bocks and began to pull the injured Marine to cover. But worried that he’d expose Bocks to more gunfire, Kyle retreated. The enemy rounds followed him. He ran out again, pulling Bocks a little farther. And once more he retreated to distract the enemy fire. Once more he went out -- over and over thinking to himself, “I’m not going to make it.” Kyle could feel the pressure of the rounds going by him. But somehow, miraculously, they never hit him. Not once. One of his teammates said it was as if Kyle was moving “faster than a speeding bullet”.
And finally, Kyle succeeded in pulling his comrade to cover. Tragically, there on that cliff, Sergeant Bocks succumbed to his wounds. But in his final moments, this American Marine surely found some solace in Kyle White -- the American soldier who, until the very end, was there by his side.
Now, that other injured soldier, Kain Shilling, was still out there. And he had sustained another injury, this time to his knee. Kyle ran out once more to Kain’s side. Kyle ripped off his own belt for a tourniquet, and soon got his hands on a working radio. The voice of Charlie One Six Romeo came into base. Crouching behind that lone tree, Kyle began calling in airstrikes to take out enemy positions.
Kyle stayed with Specialist Schilling as night fell. And Kain was too badly injured to move. Kyle was starting to feel the fog of his own concussions set in, but he knew that he was Kain’s best chance to get out alive, so Kyle took charge and ordered the Afghan soldiers to form a security perimeter. He called in a MEDEVAC and made sure Kain and the other injured were safely on board. And only then did Kyle finally allow himself to be lifted out.
As the helicopter pulled away, Kyle looked out the window, watching the darkness as they pulled away from that single tree on the cliff. “When you’re deployed,” he later said, “those people become your family. What you really care about is: I want to get this guy to the left and to the right home.”
This family was tested that day. Not a single one of them escaped without injury, and six brave Americans gave their lives -- their last full measure of devotion. And we remember them today. Sergeant Phillip A. Bocks. Captain Matthew C. Ferrara. Specialist Joseph M. Lancour. Sergeant Jeffery S. Mersman. Corporal Lester G. Roque. And Kyle’s best friend, Corporal Sean K. A. Langevin. Some of their families are here today. I’d ask them to please stand so we can recognize their extraordinary sacrifice. (Applause.)
The legacy of these fallen heroes endures in the courage and strength of their unit -- 14 men, forever brothers-in-arms. We’re proud to welcome those who fought so valiantly that day: Specialist Kain Schilling, the soldier that Kyle saved, and members of the 2nd Battalion, Chosen Company of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Would you please stand. (Applause.)
We honor Kyle White for his extraordinary actions on that November day. But his journey from that day to this speaks to the story of his generation. Kyle completed the rest of a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan. He came back home and trained other young paratroopers as they prepared to deploy. When he completed his service, Kyle decided to pursue a different dream, and with the help of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, he went to college, he graduated, and today works for a bank in Charlotte, North Carolina.
When Kyle walks into the office every day, people see a man in a suit headed to work. And that’s how it should be -- a proud veteran welcomed into his community, contributing his talents and skills to the progress of our nation. But Kyle will tell you that the transition to civilian life -- and dealing with the post-traumatic stress -- hasn’t always been easy. More than six years later, he can still see the images and hear the sounds of that battle. Every day, he wakes up thinking about his battle buddies.
And if you look closely at that man in the suit on his way to work, you’ll notice the piece of the war that he carries with him tucked under his shirt sleeve -- a stainless steel bracelet around his wrist etched with the names of his six fallen comrades who will always be with him. “Their sacrifice motivates me,” he says, to “be the best [that] I can be. Everything I do in my life is done to make them proud.”
Kyle, members of Chosen Company, you did your duty, and now it’s time for America to do ours: After more than a decade of war, to welcome you home with the support and the benefits and opportunities that you’ve earned. You make us proud, and you motivate all of us to be the best we can be as Americans, as a nation; to uphold our sacred obligations to your generation and all who have faced that “measure of danger” and “the willingness to incur it.”
May God bless you, and may your courage inspire and sustain us always. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.
With that, I’d like to have the citation read.
[the citation is read and the medla is presented]
(Applause.)
(Prayer.)
THE PRESIDENT: That concludes the ceremony, but not the celebration. I hear the food here is pretty good. (Laughter.) And the drinks are free. (Laughter.) Who gave a big shout on that? I heard somebody. (Laughter.) But I hope all of you enjoy the hospitality of the White House. I hope we all remember once again those who are fallen. We are grateful to the families who are here. And to Kyle and all who serve in America’s Armed Forces, we want you to know that we will always be grateful for your extraordinary service to our country.
Thank you very much, everybody. Have a great afternoon. (Applause.)
END 3:04 P.M. EDT
Hall of Heroes Induction
CEREMONY REMARKS | May 14, 2013
Under Secretary of the Army
Families of the fallen. Deputy Secretary of Defense, Mr. Work, the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Odierno, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense McCord, and other distinguished visitors. Gen. Paxton, the members of Chosen Company.
Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning.
We are here to induct Sgt. White into the Hall of Heroes. Now the word induction means the installation of someone into a position of responsibility, but it also means to introduce new ideas, new knowledge, new beliefs. And so we are here, as an institution, as an Army, as the Defense Department, perhaps to learn from Sgt. White and also from his predecessors, the Medal of Honor recipients past, whose names we also honor today, if only in silence.
So what do we learn from Sgt. White? One has only to look out into the audience to see the obvious answer as the Chief pointed out because of Sgt. White's decision to remain with the wounded, to never accept defeat, to never quit, to never leave a fallen comrade - Mr. Kain Schilling lives today.
But Sgt. White's fortitude under fire teaches us many other things, things more intangible perhaps that speak directly to our Army's institutional values. For in his life, in his heroic example, he teaches us what soldiers mean when they do raise that right hand and recite the creed.
For much of what soldiers profess - selfless service, honor, loyalty, duty; Sgt. White made manifest during the battle of nine November, enduring some of the most trying circumstances fate could see fit to contrive.
This is not to mention that he also, on that day, performed an exquisite exhibition of soldierly skills - stabilizing injured soldiers, reestablishing communication, and rising to the challenge of suddenly taking charge in a terrifying situation.
And while we know where Sgt. White's soldierly skills came from, we must ask the more interesting question- from where did Sgt. White learn these values and what brings our Soldiers, all of them, whether their names are inscribed in the Hall of Heroes or whether their names are instead largely forgotten to history, what brings them to perform so valiantly?
Since the six survivors of the Mitchell Raid were awarded the first Medals of Honor in 1863, citizens -- from presidents to privates - have received the medal.
The stories of the medal's recipients come from every imaginable background, and from every station in life that this great land maintains. I think when I'm in the Hall of Heroes and I see that long list of names I think of Sergeant Desmond Doss, who, who was drafted in World War II, was drawn by religious conviction -- he was a 7th Day Adventist - to petition as a conscientious objector, but he still wanted to serve nonetheless. As a medic, he exposed himself repeatedly to enemy fire in order to carry back the wounded over the Urasoe-Mura Escarpment of Okinawa. When he himself was wounded, he threw himself from the litter carrying him off the battlefield so that a soldier with still greater wounds might be removed from peril.
And I think of the story of another soldier, from World War I this time, whose battlefield prowess would result in the single handedly led to the surrender of an entrenched machine gun nest and the capture of 132 enemy soldiers. His name you, it was Sergeant Alvin York.
” But Sgt. White's fortitude under fire teaches us many other things, things more intangible perhaps that speak directly to our Army's institutional values. For in his life, in his heroic example, he teaches us what Soldiers mean when they do raise that right hand and recite the creed. ”
With the history of Vernon Baker, an African American, who, trained in army camps during World War II in the stifling racism of the south, rose above all of that to earn the nation's highest honor - leading his men, outnumbered and outgunned, on the rugged hills of Italy.
Or perhaps another name on that wall of Sadao Munemori, a Japanese American, he was awarded the medal posthumously after diving onto a grenade to save the lives of his fellow Soldiers in the same series of actions as Vernon Baker was recognized for.
Sadao's parents received notice of his death while they were living in the same internment camp from which he had volunteered for duty in the United States Army.
So Why, why to use a phrase of Oliver Wendell Holmes, offered in remembrance of the Civil War heroes he had personally known, why were all of these hearts so "touched by fire?"
And where do we find such people?
Perhaps it is President Reagan who noted best in his radio address on Armed Forces Day in 1982, when asked that very question, he replied "We find them where we've always found them. They are the product of the freest society man has ever known. They make a commitment to the military--make it freely, because the birthright we share as Americans is worth defending."
I believe that President Reagan is correct, but I also believe that we can look a bit more close to home for some of Sgt. White's values and the sources of his character.
In the audience we have Sgt. White's father, Mr. Curt White, who perhaps taught him a little of that humility that Sgt. White is already so famous for.
Mr. White, if you could please stand, we talked a little bit earlier and eight years United States Army from 1972-1980 and 31 years at the Boeing corporation. Please join me in congratulating him. Thank you. Like all the veterans from that conflict we owe him an inestimable debt.
And Mrs. White, Cheryl White, Sgt. White's mother, if you might stand as well and be recognized.
[addressing Ms. White] You know it is a truism, a bromide, that "[one's] character shapes [one's] fate." That is no doubt quite right, that character shapes fate, but I would say one's mother shapes one's character. Please give a round of applause.
Curt and Cheryl thank you -- and a job well done.
I do wish to convey gratitude, not just to you and your son, but to all the soldiers of Chosen Company -- for the service and sacrifice of all of them.
Your work, their work inspires us, and for those of Chosen Company who have made the ultimate sacrifice -- the names that the chief has already read, but worth repeating again: Cpt. Ferrara, Sgt. Mersman, Cpl. Roque, Cpl. Langevin, Spc. Lancour, and from the Marine Corps, Sgt. Bocks.
President Lincoln's words serve best - There is little that we can do to commemorate their sacrifice. "...[rather] it is for us the living to be dedicated here to the unfinished work" that lies ahead. And the work of the Army continues -- to empower our soldiers abroad, to care for, with dignity, those soldiers wounded, to honor our obligations to soldiers whose service is now honorably completed, to remember those soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and to ready future soldiers for when the nation calls again -- for the nation will call again.
Shaped by our nation's values, and forged by the values of the Army so present today -- we will be ready.
May God bless you, may God bless Sgt. White and his family, and may God bless all of those who choose a life of service to this country, and who, in the poet's words, have left the vivid air signed with their honor.
Thank you.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
To the family and friends, acquaintances and comrades in arms of Sgt. Kyle White. Good Morning on this absolutely splendid day in May.
It is singularly an honor for me to represent Secretary Hagel, who is a former Army sergeant. He would be right here if he was in the country, but he is out of the country today and has asked me to represent him. I do so with great honor. Joining the Chief, Under Secretary Carson, Sgt. Maj. Chandler, Gen. Paxton, veterans and current members of our Armed Forces, the Soldiers of Chosen Company, and all those who know Sgt. White. We gather here today to honor his extraordinary heroism.
Now, quite frankly there's little more that I can add to the stirring account that General Odierno gave of the battle of 09 November 2007 and the selfless and heroic actions that Sergeant White performed that day for which he was awarded our nation's highest award for bravery -- the Medal of Honor. Nor can I improve on the heartfelt explanation of Under Secretary Carson who explained how Sgt. White embodies the very best of what makes all Soldiers, as well as Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen so singularly special and part of the greatest Armed Forces that this world has ever seen.
So as I prepared for this speech, I asked myself, what I might add to this gathering and I decided to pull on a little bit of the string that both the chief and the under secretary talked about.
The unbelievably small and extraordinary brotherhood that Sgt. White has entered and what it means to all of us who have served the nation.
Secretary Carson mentioned the first Medal of Honor was awarded in 1863 in the midst of one of the greatest catastrophes our nation has ever had -- our Civil War. And perhaps, fittingly for the audience today, it was awarded to another soldier the first one, Pvt. Jacob Parrott, Company K, 33rd Ohio Infantry, one of six survivors of the daring raid that the under secretary talked about, sent 200 miles behind enemy lines to disrupt Confederate railroad traffic.
”Sergeant White, these fine young men, your fellow warriors -- your brothers-in-arms -- although no longer of this Earth, are going to be with you forever. I'm sure they're toasting you now, applauding your life that you've lived since their deaths and cheering your future accomplishments.”
Since then, 40 million Americans -- men and women -- have either volunteered or been drafted to serve in times of war spanning from 1863 and the remainder of that bloody Civil War to the Spanish American Wars to WWI, WWII, Vietnam, the first Persian Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan and countless small, bloody wars and battles around the globe.
Of those 40 million servicemen and women, only 3,488 -- counting Sergeant White -- have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Now I want you to think about that for just one second.
Since 1863, we have awarded this medal less than 3,500 times reserved for a very, very select few who have responded above and beyond the call of duty as outlined so eloquently by Gen. Odierno and risk their lives in selfless acts of bravery. In all of WWII, only 464 medals were awarded. Korea 133. In Vietnam 246. Of the 2.5 million service members who've deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001. Sgt. White is the 14th recipient of this honor.
That is why, by custom, every service member, regardless of rank, regardless of station, stands and salutes anyone who wears the pale blue medal adorned with stars around their neck. It is also why we consider the Hall of Heroes such a hallowed and storied place because it represents the highest Soldierly virtues of literally millions of men and women who have risked their own lives and often given them for their country and their brothers and sisters in arms in battle.
Sgt. Kyle as the President of the United States said yesterday and recounted by Gen. Odierno today, your inspiring actions in that narrow pass in Afghanistan, in that cold day in November have proven yourself worthy to be a member of this select group.
Secretary Hagel and I and everyone in the Department regardless if they're a Soldier couldn't be prouder for you or your unit and your Army. So this is a little unscripted, but I ask Sgt. White for you to stand and face the crowd and I'd ask that everyone who has served in uniform, and is either in uniform or not, to stand with me and salute this American hero today.
Hand salute. Ready to.
And finally they've been recognized here today several times and I think by his very actions that day in November as well as the metal bracelet that Sgt. White wears around his wrist every day.
I think that I could confidently speak for him and ask that we all pause once more again and offer a moment of silence or prayers for the comrades Sgt. White lost on that fateful day on 9 November. Capt. Ferrara United states Army, Sgt. Mersman United States Army, Cpl. Langevin United States Army, Cpl. Rouque United states Army, Sgt. Lancour United States Army, and Sgt. Bocks United States Marine Corps.
Sergeant White, these fine young men, your fellow warriors -- your brothers-in-arms -- although no longer of this Earth, are going to be with you forever. I'm sure they're toasting you now, applauding your life that you've lived since their deaths and cheering your future accomplishments. After all, the very purpose of this award is to celebrate in both gratitude and remembrance. So Kyle, let this award mark not only your bravery, but the bravery and memory of your fallen brothers in arms.
I hope that all Americans come to know your service [and] to know the exceptional courage you displayed on behalf of your fellow soldiers and Marines and to witness the example you've set as one who answered the call to service, completed your mission, transition to civilian life with grace, purpose and honor. Your story represents the very, very best of the American fighting men and women and preserves the memory of your comrades. May your medal remind you of the tremendous good your service has brought this far and of the limitless things Secretary Hagel and I know will bring in the future.
On behalf of Secretary Hagel, thank you, Kyle. May God bless you and your family, and all those like you in the greatest Army on the planet, who volunteered to serve and fight our nation's foes wherever they may be found.
Thank you all and God bless you.
Chief of Staff of the Army
Good Morning everybody. It's my distinct privilege for me to be here today as we honor Sgt. Kyle White, who today joins a rare fraternity of military service members who have displayed extraordinary acts of valor during exceptional circumstances with great risk to their own personal safety.
Sgt. White embodies the essence of a Soldier and represents what every man and woman who dons this uniform strives to be … an individual who has earned all the trust of all with whom he associates; one who possesses humility and selflessness that we all respect; one who embraces esprit de corps and routinely demonstrates a dedication to his profession that epitomizes the ethos of the American Soldier. In the face of imminent danger, he never quit. He always put his mission first. He never accepted defeat. Above all else, he never left his fallen comrades. Just as he was there for them that day, his bands of brothers are here for him today.
But we are also reminded today of the sacrifice that was made on Nov. 9, 2007, when six service members made the ultimate sacrifice, and their presence is felt in all of us as we honor Sgt. White. We remember: Cpt. Matthew C. Ferrara, Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, USMC, Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, Cpl. Lester G. Roque, Cpl. Sean K. Langevin, Spc. Joseph M. Lancour.
We are honored to have some of their family members with us today. I would like to ask them to please stand and be recognized.
We also have with us today: Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, Under Secretary of the Army Brad Carson, Sergeant Major of the Army Ray Chandler, General John M. Paxton, Jr., Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps
Other distinguished guests from our Department of Defense and Army leadership that are joining us, Sergeant Major Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman, and all other leaders here today, we're honored to have you here for this great ceremony.
I'd like to extend a special welcome to Sgt. White's family and friends: his father, Curt; his Mother, Cheryl; his grandfather, Bruce Funk; and his girlfriend Ms. Helen Ball. Thank you all for being here today.
I'd like to recognize Spc. Kain Schilling, who was there that day with Sgt. White. Kain, if you could please stand. I want to welcome all of Sgt. White's former unit members who are with us. Your presence reinforces the personal nature of combat and the strong bonds of friendship formed under extraordinary conditions. I'd like you all to please stand and be recognized as well. Thanks also to the current command teams from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, "Sky Soldiers," and from the 2-503rd Infantry Regiment for being here today.
When in combat, you never know what each day might bring. All you know is you must always be mentally and physically prepared. But as we all know there are certain days that are very different from others. That day for Sgt. White and his platoon was Nov. 9, 2007.
Sgt. White and Spc. Schilling were members of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. They were headquartered with members of their platoon and with soldiers of the Afghan National Army at Combat Outpost Bella. The night prior, 14 Americans--paratroopers from 2-503rd and one Marine, Sgt. Bocks--and a squad of Afghan National Army soldiers bunked in a schoolhouse in preparation for a Shura meeting with village elders at a nearby Mosque. Villagers delayed the meeting for several hours before beginning mid-afternoon, at around 13:30.
Not long after the meeting began, Sgt. Bocks let his leadership know that the interpreter was hearing radio chatter in a language he did not understand. This cued the platoon leader, then-Lt. Ferrara, to direct his element to return to the outpost.
” Sgt. White embodies the essence of a Soldier and represents what every man and woman who dons this uniform strives to be...”
During their Exfil, the unit was ambushed, coming under fire from a significant number of enemy positions.
Sgt. White along with his platoon immediately returned fire, emptying their magazine in the direction of enemy targets. He was knocked unconscious, suffering a concussion, when an enemy rocket-propelled grenade detonated near him. As he came to, a fragmented round sent shrapnel into his face. Even under such chaotic conditions, Sgt. White gathered himself and assessed the situation, noting that he, Spc. Schilling, Lt. Ferrarra, Sgt. Bocks, and the interpreter were cut off from the rest of their patrol, whose members had been forced down a cliff. He saw that Spc. Schilling had been shot in the arm, so he quickly applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, and then found concealment for them underneath a lone tree.
In the fury of the attack, Sgt. White took charge. After tending to Spc. Schilling, he noticed that Sgt. Bocks was badly injured and lying in the open.
Under continuous fire, Sgt. White sprinted back and forth four times to the Marine, diverting fire from him while moving him to a more protected location. Sgt. White then applied a tourniquet to Sgt. Bocks' leg but unfortunately, he succumbed to his wounds.
Returning to Spc. Schilling, Sgt. White saw that he had been hit again, this time in the leg. Sgt. White pulled off the belt from his own pants to form a tourniquet, tying it around Spc. Schilling's leg to stop the bleeding. Sgt. White next saw his platoon leader, Lt. Matthew Ferrarra, lying still, face down. He again exposed himself to fire, crawling to Lt. Ferrarra, who had perished from his wounds. Sgt. White then crawled back under fire to Spc. Schilling.
Sgt. White realized that he needed to communicate with friendly elements, but both his and Spc. Schilling's radios had been damaged, with Spc. Schilling's hand-mic getting blown out of Sgt. White's hand by an enemy round.
Once again, he subjected himself to hostile fire, this time to get Sgt. Bocks' radio. Sgt. White was then able to relay key information, enabling his company and battalion to bring in mortars, artillery, air strikes, and helicopter gun ships, which prevented the enemy from massing on friendly positions. Sgt. White also directed the interpreter to relay commands to the ANA, and he set them into a security perimeter.
The fight continued, with Sgt. White suffering another concussion as a friendly mortar round exploded near him. Reeling from multiple head injuries, he willed himself to stay awake, calling in a MedEvac to evacuate both Spc. Schilling and injured ANA soldiers. Sgt. White marked the landing zone and assisted the medic in hoisting up the wounded Soldiers, refusing to be evacuated until all of the wounded were out of the ambush site.
Today as we induct Sgt. White into the famed Hall of Heroes, he joins the rare fraternity of military service members in the Medal of Honor Society.
All of them have demonstrated uncommon valor and extraordinary courage under fire. Sgt. White's humility, honor, leadership, integrity, personal courage, and selfless service represent what is best about our Soldiers and our Army.
Sgt. White's concern for his fellow Soldiers, his conspicuous gallantry, and his intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty make him a national hero with a lasting legacy. Today, we honor Sgt. White - a man of conviction and of courage. And by honoring him, we honor those heroes who fought so selflessly by his side, and all of our Soldiers who have raised their right hand to defend this country and defend our ideals. The bonds formed in combat between our brothers and sisters are everlasting and difficult to describe to someone else who has never experienced it. But it is the inspiration that drives ordinary Soldiers to be extraordinary. Today we recognize an extraordinary Soldier, Sgt. Kyle White.
The strength of our Nation is our Army
The strength of our Army is our Soldiers
The strength of our Soldiers is our Families
And that is what makes us Army Strong!
Thank you very much.
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Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White and President Barack Obama listen to the reading of the citations during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Washington. White is being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while on a dismounted movement in the mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2007. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Mikki L. Sprenkle/Released)
President Barack Obama drapes the Medal of Honor around the neck of former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White at the White House, Washington, May 13, 2014. White is being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while on a dismounted movement in the mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2007. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Mikki L. Sprenkle/Released).
Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White is applauded by President Barack Obama and those in attendance of the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Washington, May 13, 2014. White was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while on a dismounted movement in the mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Mikki L. Sprenkle/Released).
Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White laughs as the President talks about his family during the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Washington, D.C., May 13, 2014. White is being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while on a dismounted movement in the mountainous terrain in Aranas, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2007. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Mikki L. Sprenkle/Released).
Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White receives an encased Medal of Honor flag, as he is inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, May 14, 2014, one day after receiving the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan during the Battle of Aranas on Nov. 9, 2007. Pictured with White is Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work. (Army News Service photo by Lisa Ferdinando).
Former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White is inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, May 14, 2014, one day after receiving the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama for his actions in Afghanistan during the Battle of Aranas on Nov. 9, 2007. Pictured are, from left to right, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work, White, Under Secretary of the Army Brad R. Carson, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III. (Army News Service photo by Lisa Ferdinando).