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Heroes 2016

“American soldiers in battle don’t fight for what some president says on TV. They don’t fight for Mom, apple pie, the American flag. They fight for one another.”

Harold “Hal” Moore, commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, led outnumbered troops to victory in Ia Drang Valley in 1965 -- the first major battle of the Vietnam War.

His understanding of what motivates members of the military is reflected throughout the 2016 Stars and Stripes edition of Heroes, which began in 2005 as a tribute to valor for the war on terrorism.

Since then, the focus has expanded to include medals awarded years late – Medal of Honor recipient Charles Kettles, whose daring helicopter rescue amid heavy enemy fire came in 1967 in Vietnam – and medals delayed by missing paperwork, like the Silver Stars awarded to former Sgt. Eric Robert II and retired Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Brodeur for efforts in Cambodia in 1969. All were presented this year.

Some medals were earned outside the battlefield. Staff Sgt. Joshua Schneiderman’s Soldier’s Medal came from saving a fellow fisherman in the Copper River in Alaska.

Sadly, some medals mark the ultimate sacrifice. Sgt. 1st Class Matthew McClintock was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for selfless efforts in Marjah, Afghanistan, on Jan. 5.

“The only part that makes you able to breathe and go on is that he did it heroically,” his mother Joyce Montoya-Helgesed said. “He did it for others.”

That fits anyone’s definition of a hero.

— Tina Croley,


Managing Editor for Content

“American soldiers in battle don’t fight for what some president says on TV. They don’t fight for Mom, apple pie, the American flag.They fight for one another,” said Harold “Hal” Moore who commanded troops in the first major battle of the Vietnam War.

His understanding of what motivates members of the military is reflected throughout the 2016 Stars and Stripes edition of Heroes.

Medal of Honor

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles on July 18, 2016, at the White House. Kettles distinguished himself in combat operations near Duc Pho, Vietnam, on May 15, 1967, and is credited with saving the lives of 40 soldiers and four of his own crew members. <br>Chuck Kennedy/Courtesy of the White House
President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles on July 18, 2016, at the White House. Kettles distinguished himself in combat operations near Duc Pho, Vietnam, on May 15, 1967, and is credited with saving the lives of 40 soldiers and four of his own crew members. <br>Chuck Kennedy/Courtesy of the White House

'Near the end of the day, things didn’t get any better'

Eight soldiers, stranded in a dry riverbed in Vietnam, faced a grim fate as they watched U.S. gunships and other air power disappear from the sky.

Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr. is the first living Navy SEAL to receive the nation's top military honor since the Vietnam War. He speaks during his Hall of Heroes induction ceremony March 1, 2016, at the Pentagon. <br>Oscar Sosa/U.S. Navy
Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr. is the first living Navy SEAL to receive the nation's top military honor since the Vietnam War. He speaks during his Hall of Heroes induction ceremony March 1, 2016, at the Pentagon. <br>Oscar Sosa/U.S. Navy

‘They will lay down their life for you if they have to’

At some point during the long journey leading to a tiny, one-room building deep in the remote eastern Afghanistan mountains where an American civilian was being held hostage, Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr. bowed his head.

Retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg delivers Hall of Heroes remarks during his induction ceremony Nov. 13, 2015, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. <br>John G. Martinez/U.S. Army
Retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg delivers Hall of Heroes remarks during his induction ceremony Nov. 13, 2015, at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. <br>John G. Martinez/U.S. Army

‘I put my hands on the man who killed four’

In a matter of seconds, Capt. Florent “Flo” Groberg’s life changed forever.

Photos

 

Senior Chief Petty Officer Edward C. Byers Jr., who served as a Navy hospital corpsman before joining the SEALs in 2003, is credited with saving the lives of several teammates and a hostage during a 2012 rescue in Afghanistan.
Courtesy of the U.S. Navy

Navy Cross

Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Price was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions in Afghanistan in 2012. <br>Courtesy of the Price family
Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Price was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions in Afghanistan in 2012. <br>Courtesy of the Price family

‘They were 2 of a kind’

Scaling buildings under heavy fire and dropping grenades down the chimney on the enemy sounds like something out of a Chuck Norris movie — yet that is what Marine Gunnery Sgts. Jonathan Gifford and Daniel Price did to break the stalemate during a hellacious battle in Badghis province, Afghanistan, on July 29, 2012.

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Silver Star

Distinguished Flying Cross

Petty Officer 3rd Class Evan Staph, left, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Derrick P. Suba hug at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod after receiving two of military aviation's most prestigious awards on Jan. 22, 2016. The Distinguished Flying Cross was presented to Staph and the Air Medal was presented to Suba for their heroic actions in February 2015 during a lifesaving rescue mission south of Nantucket.<br>Ross Ruddell/Courtesy of U.S. Navy
Petty Officer 3rd Class Evan Staph, left, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Derrick P. Suba hug at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod after receiving two of military aviation's most prestigious awards on Jan. 22, 2016. The Distinguished Flying Cross was presented to Staph and the Air Medal was presented to Suba for their heroic actions in February 2015 during a lifesaving rescue mission south of Nantucket.<br>Ross Ruddell/Courtesy of U.S. Navy

‘I knew where I was; I knew what I was doing’

Sometimes heroism is a team effort. That’s how Petty Officer 3rd Class Evan Staph and Lt. J.D. Hess describe their roles in the helicopter rescue last year of two sailors whose boat was disabled during a winter storm 200 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Mass.

Members of Troop B, 3-61 Cavalry Regiment, including Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, several AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilots, and two Latvian soldiers pose for a group photo after the Battle at Combat Outpost Keating Oct. 3, 2009.<br>Stoney Portis/U.S. Army
Members of Troop B, 3-61 Cavalry Regiment, including Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, several AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilots, and two Latvian soldiers pose for a group photo after the Battle at Combat Outpost Keating Oct. 3, 2009.<br>Stoney Portis/U.S. Army

‘Those guys were trapped ... So we knew we had to be the ones to make a difference’

Few battles waged over the last 15 years have given rise to more storied figures than the fight for a small combat outpost in Nuristan province, near the village of Kamdesh. As the sun rose on Oct. 3, 2009, about 300 Taliban launched a surprise attack on COP Keating.

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Bronze Star with "V"

Air Medal

Community Heroes

World War II veteran Carl Willm was belatedly awarded a Bronze Star for his military service. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, right, attended the ceremony Jan. 29. Willm earned the award for his efforts in February 1945 on night patrol in the Philippines, but his commander was killed in action before he could file the paperwork. Willm's wife, Peggy, is on the left.<br>Courtesy of Senator Claire McCaskill
World War II veteran Carl Willm was belatedly awarded a Bronze Star for his military service. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, right, attended the ceremony Jan. 29. Willm earned the award for his efforts in February 1945 on night patrol in the Philippines, but his commander was killed in action before he could file the paperwork. Willm's wife, Peggy, is on the left.<br>Courtesy of Senator Claire McCaskill

‘God has been good to me all the way around’

When 19-year-old Carl Willm’s Army platoon leader asked whether he could swim, the young private's “yes” sent him on a perilous patrol deep into enemy territory.

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