08-04-2007, 08:24
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#1
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Administrators
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Posts: 2,263
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Green Berets awarded Silver Stars for valor in Afghanistan
RELEASE NUMBER: 070703-05
DATE POSTED: JULY 03, 2007
Quote:
Green Berets awarded Silver Stars for valor in Afghanistan
By Capt. Christopher A. Colster
USASOC Public Affairs
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (July 3, 2007) — A pair of Special Forces Soldiers received the Silver Star during an award ceremony here, July 2.
Captain. Kenneth M. Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Rodney Scalise were recognized with the military’s third highest valor award for their gallantry under enemy fire during a battle on Aug. 19, 2006, in Afghanistan.
“When we hear the words, ‘gallantry and valor,’ we see it in everything that they did that day. This does not happen frequently,” said Lt. Gen. Robert W. Wagner, Commanding General of the US Army Special Operations Command. “The Silver Star is extremely rare. I only wish that some of these children were older and could better understand what heroes their fathers are.”
TWO MEDALS, BUT ONE TEAM
Dwyer and Scalise, both of 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), were deployed to Afghanistan in 2006 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to the award citations, Scalise and Dwyer were conducting a combined Afghan National Army (ANA) and U.S. Special Forces patrol in the vicinity of Yakden Village in the Cahar Cineh Region, Oruzgan Province, when they were ambushed by a numerically-superior Anti-Coalition Militia (ACM) Force. Both men’s actions in battle led to the survival of their Special Forces detachment.
With ANA and U. S. Forces pinned down in a “U” shaped ambush, Dwyer moved his vehicle though small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire to draw enemy fire and establish a support by fire position to provide relief for the pinned down Soldiers. Dwyer then charged from his position to draw the attention of enemy fire to free the pinned down forces. He continued to engage the enemy forces until friendly forces were again able to maneuver.
Dwyer returned to the position of the Operational Detachment 785 commander and assisted him in coordinating indirect fires. He then used various individual and vehicle-mounted weapons systems to fire into the enemy’s positions until he was critically injured by an air burst RPG.
Scalise, a Special Forces medic, also jumped into action upon contact and manned a 240B Machine Gun until he became aware of casualties. At that time, he dismounted his armored vehicle, moved over 100 meters through heavy enemy fire, and began triage of three casualties.
He quickly identified that the most severely wounded individual, an airman attached to the detachment who had already succumbed to his wounds. Moving to the next casualty, Capt. Dwyer, Scalise provided lifesaving first aid to him and another SF team member.
To protect both casualties, he supervised their movement in the back of an open-bed truck to a more secure location. With the casualties out of the battlezone, Scalise got back in his vehicle and fought his way through a three-kilometer rolling ambush back to the team’s basecamp where he continued to care for his two charges.
During the ceremony, Dwyer thanked his family, teammates and others for their sacrifices that allowed him to perform so well. Most of all, though, Dwyer thanked his medic, Scalise, for saving his life.
“I don’t have the words or actions now, or for the rest of my life, to explain to Staff Sgt. Scalise how grateful that I am” said Dwyer.
Scalise acknowledged the personal significance of his Silver Star, but said he feels that the award symbolizes the heroism of his team during its battle with enemy forces.
“To me this is all not necessary. I wasn’t the only one there that was doing the right thing – I just happened to be the medic” said Scalise.
He also stressed Dwyer’s role in his own destiny.
“The one most responsible for saving the life of Capt. Dwyer is Dwyer himself. The real reason that he is alive today is that he is extremely hard headed,” chuckled Scalise.
--usasoc--
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Dan is offline
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08-04-2007, 08:54
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#2
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: United States of America
Posts: 237
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Captain Kenneth M. Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Rodney Scalise is why this country continues to be the greatest country on this earth. They are also the reason that we live free and enjoy what we do, as they stand guard on the fence while we sleep.
Thank you for your unwavering service to us!
__________________
The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity - even under the most difficult circumstances - to add a deeper meaning to his life.
Victor E. Frankl
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The Old Guy is offline
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08-04-2007, 08:56
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#3
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,780
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Well done, gents.
I believe that the AF controller story is posted elsewhere here.
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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The Reaper is offline
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08-04-2007, 09:52
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#4
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Area Commander
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Delaware
Posts: 1,425
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Outstanding job! Congratulations to both men!
__________________
You ask; What is our policy? I will say; “It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.” You ask; What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.-Winston Churchill
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Goggles Pizano is offline
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08-04-2007, 09:55
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#5
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Consigliere
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland (at last)
Posts: 8,767
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Awesome!
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Roguish Lawyer is offline
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08-04-2007, 10:29
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#6
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Area Commander
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pacific NorthWet
Posts: 1,495
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Congratulations to a Job well done.
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HOLLiS is offline
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08-04-2007, 16:23
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#7
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Republic of Columbus
Posts: 756
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Modern day Spartans!!
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Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. - John Adams
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sg1987 is offline
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08-04-2007, 16:36
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#8
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Sneaking back and forth across the Border
Posts: 6,628
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Outstanding performance. Keep up the faith and fight.
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SF_BHT is offline
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08-04-2007, 20:01
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#9
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: East Coast
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Well deserved. Congrats to both of the Desert Eagles.
- Former TF 31 Desert Eagle -
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Savoy6 is offline
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08-04-2007, 21:20
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Great work gents!
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"The Spartans do not ask how many are the enemy, but where they are."
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Team Sergeant is offline
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08-04-2007, 22:29
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#11
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: USA- the northeast
Posts: 372
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Congratulations, Capt. Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Scalise.
__________________
Roycroft201
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have. " .....Lee Iacocca
I will cede that we frequently have to associate with people we may not respect. - The Reaper
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Roycroft201 is offline
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08-05-2007, 09:30
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#12
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Area Commander
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Midwest
Posts: 7,107
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Well done, Captain Kenneth M. Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Rodney Scalise. Thank you for all you do.
__________________
My Heroes wear camouflage.
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Gypsy is offline
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08-05-2007, 22:14
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#13
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Area Commander
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: No. VA, USA
Posts: 1,095
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Well done and thank you, gents.
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vsvo is offline
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08-06-2007, 12:04
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#14
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Area Commander
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: OK. Thanking Our Brave Soldiers
Posts: 3,614
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Captain Kenneth M. Dwyer and Staff Sgt. Rodney Scalise:
Congradulations! And thank You for everything You do.
Holly
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echoes is offline
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08-24-2007, 18:52
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#15
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: On the train
Posts: 166
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Ken and I went through the course together. You'll never meet a more soft-spoken, humble individual. A true "Quiet Professional." Kudos, Ken. Great job...
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Deadhead 63A1 is offline
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