Ciara Morton
Sgt. Glenn, James
Mils 1021
21 October, 2013
William Stevenson
In a lengthy battle against the Taliban in the Ganjgal valley near the Pakistan border four years ago, which claimed the lives of five Americans, 10 Afghan army troops and an interpreter. One brave soldier was serving as a mentor within the Afghan National Security Forces in Kunar Province. On the dawn of September 8, 2009, the soldier, without a helmet, bravely dodged the enemies’ fire risking his life, recovering bodies and saving fellow troops. This brave soldier named William Swenson was awarded by the honorable President Barack Obama with the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
The Medal of Honor, or sometimes referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor, in the United States is the highest awarded military decoration by Congress to a member of the armed forces for bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of Congress to US personnel only. Unfortunately, the Medal of Honor nomination was lost to another man who fought in the battle, Marine Corporal Dakota Meyer. There have been approximately 3,468 Medal of Honor awarded to the nation’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen since the creation of the decoration in 1861. Although there have been many members of the armed forces awarded this medal, Captain Swenson was the first to have his actions recorded on video.
William D. Swenson joined the U.S. Army in 2002. Soon after, he attended Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Ga. In Fort Benning, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant where he attended infantry Officer Basic Course and worked hard to earn his branch qualification in infantry. As a civilian his education includes a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Seattle University. Swenson’s military education includes Infantry Mountain Leader Advanced Marksmanship Course, U.S. Army Airborne School, U.S. Army Ranger School, the Infantry Maneuver Captains Career Course. His awards and decorations include, the U.S. Army Parachutist Badge, the Ranger tab, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, Bronze Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, The Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon
