CommunityEditor
11-30-2009, 08:18 PM
Staff Sgt. Michael Norton has deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows what it’s like to be fired at by the enemy.
But he felt the heat of a complex enemy ambush for the first time Aug. 4, under a full summer moon in a remote area of Afghanistan’s northwest Khost province. He didn’t hesitate to expose himself to save the lives of two fellow Rangers who lay on a river bed, unconscious and vulnerable to heavy fire.
Norton, a squad leader with A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was on Nov. 24 awarded the Silver Star medal at Fort Benning, Ga., for what he did that August night.
All he was doing, he said in an interview with Army Times, was following the Ranger Creed, part of which states, “I shall never fail my comrades.”
He said his squad of five Rangers was smaller than usual and Norton, a team leader at the time, was acting as squad leader that night and leading the main element.
He led his men on foot up into a narrow valley along a riverbed that was no more than 12 feet wide, with mountain walls on either side that became gradually steeper the farther the soldiers went.
Briefly halting the squad’s movement, Norton and two others crept forward to assess the possibility of enemy positions waiting to attack.
Suddenly, they were attacked with gunfire from AK-47 assault rifles and a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades.
“The fire came from our 12 o’clock and then maybe a couple of seconds later from our right and left,” Norton said. The enemy was estimated to be 25 meters and 50 meters away on high ground.
The Rangers were outnumbered and outgunned, and the enemy maintained fire superiority for the two-minute engagement, Norton said, because of their high, covered positions.
Norton ordered his men to break contact so they could reorganize and re-engage from a better position. Amid the deafening blasts from exploding rocket-propelled grenades and the hail of bullets, the squad moved to a secure position about 30 meters back with little or no verbal communication, Norton said.
Looking toward the kill zone, Norton said he saw two Rangers lying in the riverbed. He said he ran toward them, diving onto the ground at their sides.
“There was nothing fancy going on in my head besides I was hoping they weren’t dead,” he said.
Lying next to them, Norton said he “started shaking and yelling as quietly as I could.”
The two Rangers got to their feet and walked unaided to the secure position.
Norton’s platoon sergeant recommended him for the award.
“Every Ranger does live the Ranger Creed and would have done the exact same thing,” Norton said. “The whole event was literally a few minutes of a long night in which everybody did their job.”
Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/11/army_silver_star_112909w/
But he felt the heat of a complex enemy ambush for the first time Aug. 4, under a full summer moon in a remote area of Afghanistan’s northwest Khost province. He didn’t hesitate to expose himself to save the lives of two fellow Rangers who lay on a river bed, unconscious and vulnerable to heavy fire.
Norton, a squad leader with A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was on Nov. 24 awarded the Silver Star medal at Fort Benning, Ga., for what he did that August night.
All he was doing, he said in an interview with Army Times, was following the Ranger Creed, part of which states, “I shall never fail my comrades.”
He said his squad of five Rangers was smaller than usual and Norton, a team leader at the time, was acting as squad leader that night and leading the main element.
He led his men on foot up into a narrow valley along a riverbed that was no more than 12 feet wide, with mountain walls on either side that became gradually steeper the farther the soldiers went.
Briefly halting the squad’s movement, Norton and two others crept forward to assess the possibility of enemy positions waiting to attack.
Suddenly, they were attacked with gunfire from AK-47 assault rifles and a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades.
“The fire came from our 12 o’clock and then maybe a couple of seconds later from our right and left,” Norton said. The enemy was estimated to be 25 meters and 50 meters away on high ground.
The Rangers were outnumbered and outgunned, and the enemy maintained fire superiority for the two-minute engagement, Norton said, because of their high, covered positions.
Norton ordered his men to break contact so they could reorganize and re-engage from a better position. Amid the deafening blasts from exploding rocket-propelled grenades and the hail of bullets, the squad moved to a secure position about 30 meters back with little or no verbal communication, Norton said.
Looking toward the kill zone, Norton said he saw two Rangers lying in the riverbed. He said he ran toward them, diving onto the ground at their sides.
“There was nothing fancy going on in my head besides I was hoping they weren’t dead,” he said.
Lying next to them, Norton said he “started shaking and yelling as quietly as I could.”
The two Rangers got to their feet and walked unaided to the secure position.
Norton’s platoon sergeant recommended him for the award.
“Every Ranger does live the Ranger Creed and would have done the exact same thing,” Norton said. “The whole event was literally a few minutes of a long night in which everybody did their job.”
Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/11/army_silver_star_112909w/