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FORT CAMPBELL, KY - Four soldiers from 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, received the Silver Star on May 28 for their actions in Afghanistan. “I choked up as I made eye contact with each and every one of them,” said LTC Tony DeMartino, the battalion commander. “All those Silver Stars were awarded for those soldiers placing the life of the guys around them in front of their own.” The soldiers, from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, at Fort Campbell, KY, were in Afghanistan from March 2008 to April 2009, DeMartino said. Here are their stories: SFC Randy A. Shorter and SPC Gregory A. Waters On July 30, 2008, Waters, a medic, and Shorter, the mortar platoon sergeant, were part of a convoy returning to Forward Operating Base Ghazni after an overnight operation. It was about 10:30 a.m. and they were 10 to 15 kilometers from the FOB when the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle in the lead was blown up by an improvised explosive device “that literally took out the entire road, severed the engine compartment,” said Shorter, 31. “It completely disappeared into smoke,” he told Army Times. Fearing severe casualties, he immediately called for medevac helicopters, he said. Almost immediately, the soldiers began receiving fire from about 30 enemy fighters. The soldiers in the three remaining vehicles began to fight back, maneuvering their vehicles to protect the damaged MRAP. Shorter “sprinted across 100 meters through enemy fire,” according to the narrative that accompanies his award, and pried open the back door of the MRAP. All four soldiers inside, including Waters, were still alive. The gunner, PFC Frank Worton, was on his back, and the .50-cal machine gun had fallen on him, crushing the plates in his body armor and pinning him to the floor of the MRAP. SSG Charles Porter had a broken arm and a broken nose, and PFC Paul Wind, the driver, had a severe back injury. Waters suffered a concussion and a head laceration. All had trouble breathing in the smoky truck. Despite his wounds, Waters helped Shorter treat the casualties as the other soldiers fought the enemy and they all waited for the medevac birds to arrive. Shorter “single-handedly carried one soldier 75 meters through enemy fire to a concealed position, then returned under fire again to assist in evacuating another casualty,” according to the award narrative. “I remember just being really, really upset because I kind of remember trying to get the .50-cal off the gunner, who is a really good friend of mine,” said Waters, 25. Meanwhile, two A-10 Warthogs swooped in, conducting nine or 10 strafing runs on the enemy, said Shorter, who grabbed his radio and directed the pilots to enemy positions. “I was afraid, but I knew I needed to be strong, be a leader and be there for my men,” Shorter said. “Instincts popped in and training kicked in. My men did everything they were supposed to do. My men did extraordinary things.” SSG Dennis B. Unger Unger, 26, a platoon sergeant with C Company, was part of a 40-vehicle convoy heading back to FOB Warrior on Aug. 16, 2008. About five kilometers from Highway 1, the main road circling Afghanistan, Unger and one of his squad leaders, SGT Steven Morrison, dismounted to clear the route before the vehicles passed. They came to a small bridge and checked for IEDs. The first vehicle crossed without incident, but as the second vehicle, a Humvee, drove up, an explosion blasted the vehicle and threw Unger and Morrison, who were standing next to the truck, at least 50 feet and knocked them unconscious. “When I came to, I saw my [platoon leader] walking, staggering all over the place,” Unger told Army Times. “I grabbed him and moved the first vehicle so it could have a better position to cover us.” The Humvee’s gunner was thrown out of the vehicle and the driver, SPC Michael Stone, was trapped inside, Unger said. He and Morrison pulled him out. As Unger treated the wounded soldiers, the other soldiers in the convoy fired back at the enemy. When the medevac helicopters arrived, Unger stayed behind. “My platoon had four trucks out there,” he said. “I stayed because I was the platoon sergeant. I had to stay.” It took 20 hours for the soldiers to recover the blown-up Humvee and return to FOB Warrior. SSG Michael D. Mullins Mullins, a platoon sergeant in A Company, and his soldiers came under a complex and concerted enemy ambush on Sept. 14, 2008, according to the narrative accompanying his award. The enemy fired at the soldiers, disabling the company commander’s vehicle and wounding six soldiers, according to the narrative. Mullins “acted with complete disregard for his own personal safety, running more than 150 meters through the kill zone and attracting fire away from his beleaguered teammates,” according to the narrative. He then got into an exposed turret to move the wounded gunner to safety before returning fire on the enemy. “He decisively engaged the closing enemy forces attempting to overrun his platoon’s position, halting the advance and then causing the enemy to withdraw from the ambush,” according to the narrative. 
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