Posted on 10/17/2015 2:45:15 PM PDT by Bill Russell
Fellow Freepers; I was aware of the support group for SFC Alwyn C Cashe to receive the Medal of Honor. I am sorry to say, that today was the first time I actually got to read what he did after his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit by an IED.
I believe he deserves the Medal of Honor.
For anyone who has been inside the extremely tight quarters of the dismount crew compartment with a full load of personnel and equipment it is excruciatingly tight. Throw in fire,suffocating smoke mixed with expended halon from the fire suppression system, fuel flooding the compartment as it burns, a combat load of ammunition surrounding you, and an inability to move because of the weight of your fellow soldiers and equipment on top of you and you have vision of Hell which rivals anything Dante could have produced.
SFC Alwyn C. Cashe made multiple trips back into that hell extract the seven personnel trapped in the vehicle while badly burned himself and while under enemy fire. Here is a quote on his heroic actions:
"SFC Cashe, covered in fuel, rushed to the vehicle, igniting himself. He heroically struggled to lower the ramp, all the while on fire himself. Upon the lowering of the ramp, SFC Cashe, still on fire, entered the vehicle 3 times removing his trapped and dazed brothers."
Please share with as many of your points of contact who can publicize and promote his nomination for this award.
Here is another entry from http://honortheveteran.blogspot.com/2015/10/sfc-alwyn-c-cashe.html
Saturday, October 17, 2015
SFC Alwyn C Cashe
Ten years ago today, in Samarra, Iraq, an IED exploded under the Bradley that SFC Cashe was performing the role of gunner in. The explosion sprayed gasoline into the vehicle and all over Cashe. He escaped, but then, selflessly made multiple trips back to the burning vehicle to rescue all six remaining soldiers and one interpreter inside, who would have surely died, all while not only burning himself badly in the process, but also while under enemy fire.
SFC Cashe died about 3 weeks later in a Texas hospital from the burns he got that day. Several of the others also succumbed to their injuries while at the same hospital as well, SSG George Alexander Jr., SGT Michael Robertson and SPC Darren Howe.
Before his tour, Cashe's sister told him "...Don’t go over there playing a hero. You learn how to duck and come home,” Cashe responded, "I’m doing the job I was trained to do. I have to take care of my boys".
He certainly did his job. He went above and beyond anything a man can be trained to do. For his actions that day he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. General Gary Brito, who recommended him for the Silver Star, after further looking into his case, determined, rightly so, that he should have been awarded the Medal of Honor instead.
That process, riddled with bureaucracy, still goes on today, 10 years later. Cashe's story has become more well known and featured in a number of publications and websites. One person who has taken up the cause and helped a great deal is a veteran named Harry Conner. His efforts and Facebook page, which is solely about SFC Cashe and this process, can be found here: Medal of Honor for SFC Alwyn C Cashe.
For his actions that day, he should most definitely be awarded the Medal of Honor. Until that happens, let us not forget, not only Alwyn Cashe, but also those others who fought and died alongside him.
Thanks Bill. Hadn’t heard this story.
Can’t thank you enough for sending a powerful account of a true hero.
Honoring him, and his mourning family, is a very important decent thing to do.
SFC Cashe definitely deserves the Medal of Honor. Many of his other soldiers and many in the chain of command are still working to reverse the decision of the knuckleheads in the Pentagon, but yet to no avail.
This is a perfect example of a symptom demonstrating that the award review process inside the Pentagon is dysfunctional and is not working. Most of those involved in the process, especially at the approval level, are either civilians or military bureaucrats who have never experienced any combat. They are ignoring the recommendations of leaders in theater as well as the statements of on site eye witnesses. They are conducting their own investigations and expecting complete clarity among all of the evidence. But, this is combat, not an NFL game covered by 14 video cameras. They are making up their own standards and the results are that deserving soldiers are not being recognized.
This is occurring in all of the services, but the Army is worst. Compare Army awards of the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross and compare the equivilent awards in the Marine Corps and our British Commonwealth allies and you will discover that the Army awards are much fewer when considering the numbers of combat soldiers involved.
It should be fixed.
Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe definitely deserves to be awarded the Medal of Honor. An article posted on this a year ago.
Medal of Honor campaign continues for black sergeant who saved troops
The Medal of Honor is about grandstanding for the command staff.
When the staff needs to look good, they award one somewhere.
If it were strictly about merit, John Ripley would have one.
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