FYI- Our local newspaper did a story on our local hero:
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/20...s/star1217.txt
‘Brave men of the Green Berets’
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding of Groesbeck, Texas, left, was one of 10 Special Forces soldiers awarded the Silver Star for bravery for his role in an Afghanistan combat mission that cost him his leg. Walding has family members in Montgomery County.
By Brad Meyer
Published: 12.17.08
A Special Forces soldier with ties to Montgomery County who lost his leg during an intense seven-hour battle in northeast Afghanistan has been awarded the Silver Star for bravery – and has every intention of returning to combat duty.
Staff Sgt. John Wayne Walding of Groesbeck, Texas, was one of 10 soldiers from Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group to be awarded the Silver Star – the military’s third-highest honor for valor and bravery in combat – in ceremonies that took place Friday at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
“John has more than a dozen aunts, uncles and cousins in Montgomery County and we’re all incredibly proud of him,” said Cindy Adams of Conroe. “We always kidded him about being named after the actor John Wayne, but he lived up to the image and reputation.”
Walding was part of a 12-man Special Forces team air dropped on a remote mountain in a desolate area of Afghanistan on April 6. Within minutes of being deployed, the commandos found the insurgent stronghold was heavily protected by as many as 200 defenders, and a fierce firefight began.
Two Afghan commandos were killed and several of the American troops were injured, including Walding, whose leg was nearly torn from his body by enemy fire. He literally tied his ankle to his thigh, he said, to prevent the damaged appendage from “flopping around.”
Walding tightened a tourniquet around his wounded leg until he saw the blood stop flowing.
Struggling with his wound in the chaos of battle, Walding attempted to inject his leg with morphine but injected the painkiller into his thumb by accident.
“That got quite a few laughs in spite of everything going on,” he said. “There were bullets flying all around, but it still struck the guys as funny.”
After more than six hours of combat, including heavy air support to keep the commandos from being overrun, the Special Forces team was able to reach an extraction point where they could by evacuated by military helicopters.
Still recovering from his wounds and the loss of his leg, Walding is committed to continuing with Special Forces.
“I’m anxious to get back to active duty,” he said. “I’m too stubborn to be disabled. If I can demonstrate readiness, my goal is get back to combat status.”
Patriotism and the connection to his cinematic namesake go hand in hand for Walding. He was born on the Fourth of July and takes the jokes about being named for movie legend John Wayne seriously.
“I’ve seen all 162 of his films,” he said. “When I graduated Special Forces training, one of the best gifts I got was a DVD of ‘The Green Berets.’”
Press coverage of Friday’s Silver Star ceremony has been significant, since it is the highest number of awards given to a Special Forces group for a single engagement since the Vietnam War. Walding appreciates the honor, but is quick to point out the commandos were on a military assignment, not out to win medals.
“You’re there to do a job and look out for your buddies,” he said. “There’s no time to think about what someone else is going to think.”
Fewer than 1 percent of U.S. Army soldiers are able to achieve Special Forces status, according to Walding. While he’s proud of his Green Beret status, he considers his wife Amy and children, Sam, 3, and Emma, 4, to have the harder job.
“It’s hard being the family of a Special Forces soldier,” he said. “But even after all that has happened, Amy still supports me and my goal of returning to active service.
“I just couldn’t ask for more.”
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