1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, We've put together a survey for listeners of 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Medal of Honor and we want to hear from you. 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Tell us what you love about the show, what we 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: can improve on, or stories you think we've missed. We're 5 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: committed to making this show even better and you can 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: help to take the survey. Visit bit dot lee slash 7 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: mh survey. That's bit dot l y slash mh survey. 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: The link is also in our show notes below. Pushkin, 9 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: the staff sergeant, sat at his desk at the United 10 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: States Army base in Vicenza, Italy. It was September of 11 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: twoenty ten. His name was Salvatore Genta, and he was 12 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: waiting for a phone call. Just the thought of the 13 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: call made him queasy. He was pretty sure what the 14 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: news would be. There had been rumors about it for years, 15 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: rumors that he preferred not to think about. They were 16 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: too upsetting. But the day before he'd learned that the 17 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 1: call was definitely coming, so he asked his wife to 18 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: sit in the office with him. She watched his face 19 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,759 Speaker 1: as he watched the phone. Sao was twenty five years 20 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: old and had been a member of the Army in 21 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 1: the one hundred and seventy third Airborne Brigade. For seven years. 22 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: He had seen some of the worst and most relentless 23 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: fighting in all of Afghanistan. He had been in the 24 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: Corangall Valley. The soldiers called it the Valley of Death 25 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: for good reason. It had been a nightmare. But it 26 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: was a nightmare that Sal had been willing to take 27 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: part in, excited even unlike this call. He wasn't excited 28 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: about this at all. And then the phone rang. Sal 29 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: took his wife's hand. He answered the phone and a 30 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: voice said, please hold for the President of the United States. 31 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 2: I'm j R. 32 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:28,399 Speaker 1: Martinez and this is Medal of Honor. Stories of Courage. 33 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in 34 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: the United States, awarded for gallantry and bravery and combat 35 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,799 Speaker 1: at the risk of life, above and beyond the call 36 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: of duty. Each candidate must be approved all the way 37 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: up the chain of command, from the supervisory officer in 38 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: the field to the White House. This show is about 39 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: those heroes, what they did, what it meant, and what 40 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. 41 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: When Sal Junta finished that phone call with the President, 42 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: he looked up and saw it wasn't just his wife 43 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: sitting in the room. There were maybe fifty people packed 44 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: into an office that only had space for five deaths. 45 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: They were there because Sal, their low key, unassuming friend, 46 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: was going to be the first living Medal of Honor 47 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: recipient in almost forty years. Sal's friends, his coworkers, his wife, 48 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: they were all so proud. But you know who wasn't proud. 49 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: Sal Junta Sald deployed to Afghanistan for the first time 50 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: in two thousand and five. He was twenty, a super 51 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: gung ho dude who literally couldn't wait to get into action. 52 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 3: I remember when they told us we had our orders 53 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 3: to go to Afghansian. I remember I was, it's excited 54 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 3: to go to war. This is what I came to do. 55 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: He had been trained for battle, which is exactly what 56 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: he wanted, though if you asked him just a couple 57 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: of years earlier, he wasn't sure what he wanted. Back then, 58 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,359 Speaker 1: he was working as a sandwich artist at the subway 59 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: shop near his family home in Iowa. 60 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 3: I was about to graduate high school and I didn't 61 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 3: have a plan. And I heard a radio commercial come on, 62 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 3: and I said, come on down. See the recruiter, get 63 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 3: a free T shirt. I want a free T shirt. 64 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 3: Who doesn't want a free T shirt? I'm working at somebody. 65 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 3: I want a free T shirt. Of course I want 66 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 3: a T shirt. 67 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: It was the right radio ad at exactly the right time. 68 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,839 Speaker 1: Sal went to the recruiting center for the T shirt, 69 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: but he came out of it with a life plan. 70 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 3: This is my chance. I can make a difference, and 71 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 3: I can do it everywhere, but not in Cedar Rappids, Iowa. 72 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 3: And at that time I was ready to go somewhere else. 73 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 3: The Army's gonna take me everywhere except for here. So 74 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 3: I'll just jump on this bandwagon and see where it goes. 75 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: He decided to join the one hundred and seventy third Airborne, 76 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: which meant he would potentially be jumping out of a 77 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: plane straight into combat and. 78 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 3: Eighteen years old. I don't know much, but the Army 79 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 3: said I could spit, I could swear, I could shoot guns, 80 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 3: and they'll pay him one hundred and fifty bucks extra 81 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: to jump out of planes. Patriotism slash one hundred and 82 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 3: fifty dollars to jump out of a plane A month. 83 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 3: I'm in. 84 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: But once Sal got to Afghanistan. He realized that combat 85 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: wasn't quite what his eighteen year old self had pictured. 86 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: Sal and First Platoons spent most of their time at 87 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 1: Ford Operating Base. Below. It was in southern Afghanistan. It 88 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: was an isolated spot, nestled in the valley between the 89 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: soaring peaks of the Hindu Kush Mountains, surrounded by almond 90 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: and apricot orchard. But Below itself was like most of 91 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 1: the bases in Afghanistan, pretty bleak, a mud hut turned 92 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: into a makeshift fortress, guys sleeping eight to a room, 93 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: and constant attacks from the Taliban. Sal and the rest 94 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: of the soldiers got really close, really fast. That'll happen 95 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: when you're living in such tight quarters far from anyone else. 96 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 3: You only get thirty four other people to talk to, 97 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 3: So you see these people seven days a week. There's 98 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 3: no one else you can talk to or be with. 99 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:38,280 Speaker 3: No psychiatrists. Gets as steep as we got on the 100 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 3: side of the mountain. We just because we had nothing 101 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 3: else to. 102 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: Do, nothing to do but talk and joke and go 103 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: on patrols and get shot at, which meant watching your friends, 104 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: your brothers get hurt. 105 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 3: It didn't take long into my first deployment into Afghanistan 106 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 3: before I really your emotions in war are a lot 107 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,679 Speaker 3: different than your emotions watching war on TV. And death 108 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 3: is real and the hardships are painful. It's not just 109 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 3: painful to watch. That's truly painful on you and your boys. 110 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: Sal was still all in even after he got shot 111 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: through the leg in a firefight, but slowly his gung 112 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: ho attitude was beginning to change. About three months into 113 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 1: his deployment, and Id took out a humpy, killing four 114 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: soldiers and maiming a fifth. They were all members of 115 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:44,320 Speaker 1: Sal's company, Company B. They were men he knew. Sal 116 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: went to the bomb site to help clean up, and 117 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: seeing the bodies was well traumatic for everyone. And just 118 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: a few days later, a different squad from bey Lowe 119 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: was out on patrol and one of those men, a lieutenant, 120 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: was shot and killed. 121 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 3: We lost one of our lieutenants. And now that's five 122 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 3: in like a span of a week. And I was 123 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 3: already having a tough time kind of stomach and what 124 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 3: happened to the first four and my team years sent 125 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 3: me down. He goes, this is it. This is exactly 126 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 3: what war is. It's not going to get any better. 127 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 3: And that was when I truly felt that I was 128 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 3: in the army. I was an emotional, hurt, straught alone paying, 129 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 3: which I hadn't felt before. Three months into Afghanistan, I 130 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 3: was no longer excited. I had more of a zest 131 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 3: than ever to do my job. But it wasn't because 132 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 3: I was excited to do it. It was because this 133 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 3: is what we trained to do, and all the excitement 134 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 3: was gone. 135 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,440 Speaker 1: Sal made it through the rest of that deployment, fighting 136 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: and sustaining and doing his job, and after a year 137 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: he returned to the base in Italy. Finally he would 138 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: have a break from combat, and even better, he'd get 139 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: to see his girlfriend, Jennifer Mueller. They had met at 140 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: the very start of Sal's time in Italy before he 141 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: deployed to Afghanistan. Back then, she was a student from 142 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: the University of Iowa doing a semester abroad. Now Jen 143 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,559 Speaker 1: had graduated and moved to an apartment near the base. 144 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: The two were happy, thinking about the future, and then 145 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: Sal got the news Company B was returning to Afghanistan. 146 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 1: Sal's attention shifted from his future a future with Jen, 147 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: back to his buddies in first Platoon. That brotherhood of soldiers. 148 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: He knew he had to be his best for them, 149 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,079 Speaker 1: and his best was going to have to be pretty great, 150 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: because soon enough the Company B was on their way 151 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: to the Corngau Valley. When sal arrived in the Corangaul 152 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:21,120 Speaker 1: Valley in May of two thousand and seven, he knew 153 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: immediately that this deployment would be different. 154 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 3: It was like nothing that I had never seen in 155 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 3: Afghanistan before. 156 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: The valley itself looked lush and green, beautiful, even peaceful. 157 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:37,679 Speaker 1: It wasn't. 158 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 3: It was all so harsh terrain. Even the little bushes 159 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,680 Speaker 3: were sharp, all the little animals bit or stung or 160 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 3: poisoned in some way. 161 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:52,719 Speaker 1: The steep hillsides were covered in dense brush, which provided 162 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,959 Speaker 1: the ideal hiding spots for insurgents, and they were well 163 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: armed and itching for a fight. 164 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 3: We were at the bottom of a valley with mountains 165 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 3: just cheer straight, straight up and down on every single side, 166 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 3: and every single place you're going to fight, you are 167 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 3: at the bottom and they are at the top, and 168 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 3: you are open and they are covered. 169 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: There was literally no safe place to be an American 170 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: in the Corngall Valley. The roughly thirty five men of 171 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:27,319 Speaker 1: Sal's platoon lived at fire Base Vegas. It was a 172 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: mud hut about the size of a three car garage, 173 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: no running water, spotty electricity, and very little protection from 174 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: constant enemy fire. For a shower, a hot meal, or 175 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 1: a phone call home, the guys would have to go 176 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: all the way back to the main base corn Gall outpost. 177 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 1: It was a multi hour walk where they'd be shot 178 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: at all the way, so they didn't go that often, 179 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: which meant Sal couldn't talk to Jen very much. 180 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 2: She remembers it well, I remember the two months for 181 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 2: I heard from him, and then it was every month, 182 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 2: and when you get a phone call, it's fifteen minutes. 183 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 2: When a month or two goes by fifteen minutes. 184 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 1: Is like a second. But at least Sal was there 185 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: with people he adored, the guys he thought of as family. 186 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: One was Josh Brennan, who'd been a football player back 187 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: in high school in Oregon. He was all endurance and toughness, 188 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: though he also had a way of making everyone around 189 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: him feel at ease. He was alpha team leader and 190 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: Sal was Bravo team leader. 191 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 3: I'd been with Brennan for maybe four years, and four 192 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 3: years with roughly thirty five guys. So in the Army 193 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 3: everyone gets to be your buddy and you'll love him 194 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 3: like a brother, because that's how it's set up. 195 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: Sergeant Eric Ga Yadado was their squad leader, smart and 196 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: cool headed, a perfectionist, and a brilliant fighter. Their medic 197 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,439 Speaker 1: was Hugo Mendoza. At twenty nine, he was a decade 198 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: older than many of the guys at Vegas. He was 199 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: from Texas and had joined the Army to take care 200 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: of people as a first responder. Brennan, Gayadro, Sal and 201 00:13:13,200 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: Mendoza were really close, but still it was hard. The 202 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: men had to wear helmets and body armor all the time. 203 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: They'd risk getting shot at, even going to the latrines. 204 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: They would hike out for daily patrols, and each one 205 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 1: was slow and hard up steep trails covered in loose shale. 206 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: One wrong step and you could fall to your death. 207 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: Sal felt his body start to fall apart from the 208 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: lack of sleep and the stress of non stop fighting. 209 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,000 Speaker 3: We get shot at every single day, sometimes multiple times 210 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 3: a day. 211 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: And then in late October of two thousand and seven, 212 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: the men were told were going on a new kind 213 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 1: of combat mission. They called it Rock Avalanche. It was 214 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: going to be the most ambitious operation the Corngall Valley 215 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: had seen, deploying four separate companies at the same time, 216 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: some four hundred men along with their support. The goal 217 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: was to move directly into Taliban strongholds. They'd look for 218 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 1: weapons and try to shut down travel routes for the insurgents. 219 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: Rock Avalanche would begin the night of October nineteenth. That night, 220 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: for the first time, Sal heard his captain wish them luck, 221 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: and he knew that meant they needed. 222 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 3: Rock Avalanche took us to where the bad guys were. 223 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 3: That was our job. 224 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: Sal's company went to the southwestern part of the valley, 225 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: traveling by helicopter. Their destination was a Taliban stronghold through 226 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: which weapons and money flowed in and out of the 227 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: Corngall Valley. It was like striking at the head of 228 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: the snake. 229 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 3: We got in some contact for a couple times each day, 230 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 3: you know, maybe four or five gun fights, usually small 231 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 3: arms RPGs. 232 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 1: And then on October twenty third, three men from Company 233 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: B were shot, one fatally. So in the very week 234 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: hours of the twenty fifth, Sal and the rest of 235 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: first Platoon went to support Second Platoon, which was going 236 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 1: to a village near the shooting. In the four days 237 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 1: of the mission, the men had slept fewer than ten 238 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,600 Speaker 1: hours total. First platoon marched for two or three hours 239 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: until they reached their assigned position around five a m. 240 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: It was a spot called Hancho Hill. They would stay 241 00:15:49,040 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: there while second platoon worked its way through the village 242 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: trying to get information about what had happened at the shooting. 243 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 3: Second latoon was going to go into the village, and 244 00:15:58,240 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 3: then we were going to be on one of the 245 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 3: side weeks over watching the village so if anything anyone 246 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 3: started coming from the outside to come and attack them 247 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 3: in the village, we already have the high ground. 248 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:12,960 Speaker 1: Sal's platoon, that's first platoon, stayed there all day, not 249 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: talking much, trying to keep vigilant, knowing that the insurgents 250 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: were close. 251 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 3: And we sat there twelve hours, fourteen hours, just watching 252 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 3: and waiting, and the whole time we're thinking, okay, somewhere here, 253 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 3: there should be somewhere down here. 254 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: What they didn't realize was that a group of at 255 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: least a dozen enemy fighters had crept up behind them 256 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 1: and were waiting patiently for First Platoon to start moving 257 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: back towards Corungall outpost. There was only one path they 258 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: could take. 259 00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 3: The sun went down, the commander said we're going to 260 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 3: pull out. We'll go back. There was probably a two 261 00:16:54,640 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 3: and a half hour walk back to the Corngall outpost. 262 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: There were eighteen men from first Platoon walking in single file. 263 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:09,479 Speaker 1: Sergeant Brennan was out in front. He shouldn't even have 264 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: been there. His time in Afghanistan had been up a 265 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: month earlier, but his contract had been extended. That was 266 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 1: very common at this point in the war, so there 267 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 1: he was walking point as usual. It went Brennan, then 268 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: Specialist Frank eck Roede, then Sergeant Gay Gadolo, then sal. 269 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 3: Sun was down, but the moon was big, and that 270 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 3: moon really does make a just a huge amount of 271 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 3: difference in what you can and can't see. 272 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 1: They hadn't gone very far when out of nowhere all 273 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: hell broke loose. 274 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 3: I've never seen before or since anything like what what happened. 275 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:55,240 Speaker 3: It was basically I don't know the number of shots. 276 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 3: Absolutely everything, every single inch of the air in front 277 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 3: of us, behind us was filled with tracers. 278 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,640 Speaker 1: They had walked into an ambush. The enemy had arranged 279 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: themselves in an L shaped barrier. One short line of 280 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: soldiers directly in front of first platoon, and a longer 281 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:21,600 Speaker 1: line along their left flank. It's a classic tactic meant 282 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:25,479 Speaker 1: to create the most carnage and the shortest amount of time. 283 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 3: You really can't protect yourself from an ambush like that. 284 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,199 Speaker 3: You just hope you don't walk into it. But the 285 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 3: way the train dictated, there was only one way we 286 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 3: could go down. 287 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: What happened next was total chaos. More tracers than there 288 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: were stars in the sky, the sound of bullets coming 289 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: from extremely close range. 290 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 3: Within the first five seconds, so I think pretty much 291 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 3: everyone had been shot somewhere. 292 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: The Americans were standing in the open and the enemy 293 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 1: was behind the rocks and trees. Essentially there was no cover. 294 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:02,440 Speaker 3: A few shrubs and bushes, but there's nothing that's gonna 295 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 3: stop a bullet. 296 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: Sal got shot in the rib cage. Fortunately the impact 297 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: was absorbed by his protective vest. Another bullet went through 298 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,679 Speaker 1: the assault pack that was over his shoulder, shattering the 299 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,480 Speaker 1: weapon there. They had been in regular contact with enemy 300 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:23,080 Speaker 1: fighters almost daily over the past six months, but this 301 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:28,199 Speaker 1: was different, way more intense. Thousands of bullets ripped the 302 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: air from both sides. Then Sal saw guy out of 303 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:32,880 Speaker 1: the get hit. 304 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 3: So I looked towards my leader, sar uncl Ardo, and 305 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,080 Speaker 3: I just saw his head twitch and it wasn't like 306 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 3: what was that twitch? It was like something just hit 307 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 3: his head twitch and he dropped. 308 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:55,560 Speaker 1: Sal's heart sank. He knew what that kind of head 309 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: twitch meant. He ran to Guyautlo through the bullets. When 310 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 1: he reached him, he saw immediately Guy Outada was alive. 311 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:09,879 Speaker 1: The bullet had only grazed his skull. Guy Gadado scrambled 312 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:12,399 Speaker 1: to his feet and he and Sal ran back and 313 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:16,720 Speaker 1: jumped into a shallow ditch. They threw grenades, using the 314 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 1: explosions as covered to run forward, shooting at the enemy line. 315 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: Flashes of fire answered back from the trees. They threw 316 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:29,520 Speaker 1: their grenades again, charging ahead, moving up towards ek Road 317 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: and Brennan. Finally they got to Ekro. He had been 318 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: shot twice in the leg, but he kept returning fire 319 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 1: until his gun had jammed. 320 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 3: When we went up, we saw that Croad and Nechrow 321 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 3: was on the ground and he said he'd been shot, 322 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 3: and he said that Brenna said he was shot as well, 323 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,159 Speaker 3: and he's somewhere up ahead. I can hear this. 324 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: As I'm running, sal knew Ekroed had Guyautao with him 325 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:04,000 Speaker 1: dressing his wound. He would be safe. There was nobody 326 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: better than Gay. 327 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 3: Gottivo, and so I just kept on running, and I 328 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:10,919 Speaker 3: thrown all my grenades. I only had three with me, 329 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 3: and there was no more grenades, and I was already 330 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 3: running forward. 331 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 1: It was up to him to find his friend Brennan. 332 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: He knew Brennan was in danger, but he seemed to 333 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 1: have disappeared. 334 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,959 Speaker 3: And when I ran up and I couldn't. I couldn't 335 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 3: find Brennan where he should have been. My just cut 336 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 3: to the left and I just started going closer to 337 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 3: the shooting. I cleared through some there was some low shrubs, 338 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 3: and I was just running. I wasn't shooting. I was running, 339 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 3: and I came out this part hungs my dreams. 340 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: Suddenly it got quieter, and that's when he saw two 341 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 1: people moving away away from him, carrying something. 342 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 3: It's crazy. I don't know how anyone else got up 343 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 3: here before me. I mean, this all happens like this, 344 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 3: and the moon's full and so you can see, you 345 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 3: can see very well, but I can't understand what is 346 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 3: going on in front of me. It's I got a 347 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 3: little bit closer, I realized what was going on. I 348 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 3: looked back, and it's just this side of a mountain 349 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,639 Speaker 3: in Afghanistan, and it's almost This is a perfectly clear patch, 350 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 3: and the moon couldn't have been any more beautiful, and 351 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 3: life couldn't have been any scarier. 352 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: Then Sal understood he was looking at two enemy soldiers, 353 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,680 Speaker 1: and that thing between them was a person tied by 354 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: his hands and feet. 355 00:22:54,400 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 3: Brandon, He's smarter than me, stronger than me, he's faster 356 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,640 Speaker 3: than me. He's a better shot than me, and that's 357 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 3: who's getting carried away. 358 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: Sal shot one of the insurgents and killed him. He 359 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,120 Speaker 1: dropped on the spot. Then he hit the other one, 360 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 1: who limped away and disappeared down the cliff side. Sal 361 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 1: ran to Josh Brennan. 362 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 3: I grabbed Brennan, and I just turned around and ran 363 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 3: as fast as I could back the way I just 364 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 3: came from. 365 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: He dragged Brennan to cover, hearing the bullets continued to 366 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 1: pop and zing around him, and then once they were 367 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: in a safer spot, he was able to look closely 368 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: at his friend. He had multiple gunshot wounds the bottom 369 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: left side of his jaw, was gone. 370 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,800 Speaker 3: I tried to see what's wrong with Brennan, and he's moaning, 371 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:51,920 Speaker 3: and he wasn't doing so good. But he was alive. 372 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 3: He was still talking and I think he was shot 373 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 3: probably about seven times, and it looked like maybe an 374 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 3: REPG burst up on the ground, shrapnel to his face 375 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 3: and took his a good portion of his jaw. The 376 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 3: just complaining that he had something in his mouth, but 377 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 3: it wasn't that he had something in his mouth, and 378 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 3: he says didn't have his mouth. 379 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:18,400 Speaker 1: Sal started calling for medical help. None came. Where was Mendoza. 380 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: Then the entire ridge began to shake. An American b 381 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:29,119 Speaker 1: one was dropping bombs. There had been bombers and Apache 382 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 1: helicopters buzzing overhead, and now the enemy and first platoon 383 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 1: were separated enough that they could finally fire. All that time, 384 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 1: Sal waited with Brennan, trying to stop the bleeding, talking 385 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: to him about home, trying to comfort him. Keep him alive. 386 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: You'll be okay, he told them, You'll get to tell 387 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: your hero stories. Brennan smiled. Eventually a metic arrived. It 388 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: wasn't Mendoza. Sal wasn't sure where Mendoza was. Sal stayed 389 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 1: with Brennan until he was loaded onto that Medovac helicopter. 390 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:16,959 Speaker 3: He took him away, and hey, Brennan was still with 391 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,040 Speaker 3: it when you left, and his heart rate was low, 392 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 3: but it wasn't. It wasn't. 393 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: Over All Sal could do was pick up his gear 394 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: and hiked the hours back through the valley to the 395 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 1: Corngall outpost. As he went, he played the day over 396 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:38,320 Speaker 1: and over again in his head, thinking about what he 397 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: could have done differently, holding out a desperate hope that 398 00:25:43,920 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: Brennan would survive. Many hours after that brutal firefight, Sao 399 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: was back at base, still holding out hope, and then 400 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: he heard the news his friend Josh Brennan had passed 401 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:18,640 Speaker 1: away after surgery. Mendoza had been shot in the femeral 402 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:22,679 Speaker 1: artery early in the ambush. He bled out in a 403 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:26,880 Speaker 1: ditch and died. Three other men had been airlifted out 404 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: with injuries. 405 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 3: That was bucked Ober twenty six, two thousand and seven. 406 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,119 Speaker 3: But still, uh, I feel like such a baby. But 407 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 3: to me, that was my that was my hell, that 408 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 3: was my bad day. 409 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: Josh Brennan wasn't just a fellow soldier. He was SAO's 410 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 1: closest friend, the one he had fought side by side 411 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: with As Sal was reeling from what had happened, his girlfriend, 412 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:04,400 Speaker 1: Jim was thousands of miles away getting bits and pieces 413 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 1: of information. I got a. 414 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 2: Phone call from one of my friends and other army spouse, 415 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 2: and she was frantic. She was crying. She told me 416 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 2: that Brandon died, and she told me that Sal was 417 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 2: a hero and that she didn't know when I was 418 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 2: going to hear from him. And I heard from him, 419 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 2: I think the next the next day or two, he 420 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:34,760 Speaker 2: called and I could tell that he wasn't doing well. 421 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:41,199 Speaker 1: Back in Iowa. Sal's parents, Rosemary and Steven, got a 422 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 1: call as well. Their stoic son never wanted to tell 423 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: them what he had seen or done. This was no different. 424 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: He didn't want to talk about what happened that night, 425 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: but a mom knows when to push. Sal's mom shared 426 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 1: that moment and a tribute video. 427 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,439 Speaker 4: I got the phone call and he was crying, he 428 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:09,000 Speaker 4: was upset, and I said, can you tell me about it? 429 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,640 Speaker 4: And he said it very strong. He says, I will 430 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 4: tell you once and I won't tell you again, and 431 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 4: don't ask any questions. 432 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: The hardest phone call he had to make was the 433 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: one he made with Eric Gayadbo. The two of them 434 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: called Josh Brennan's father. Sal wanted Josh's dad to know 435 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,000 Speaker 1: how much Brennan had meant to him. He was crying 436 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: so hard it was difficult to speak, and after all 437 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: those calls he had to make sense of what happened 438 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: for himself. 439 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 3: The strongest metals are forged in the hottest fires, and 440 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,000 Speaker 3: our hottest fire was the Corngall Valley, and that bonded 441 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 3: us together in a way that cannot be broken. 442 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:02,600 Speaker 1: It was true, but it wasn't much comfort. What was 443 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 1: worse was to talk about what he'd done. A few 444 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: days after the ambush, Guyadolo came to talk to Sal. 445 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 3: You said, you're gonna get put in for a middle. 446 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: Of honor whatever. Guy out of the thought Sal's reaction 447 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: would be. He had to be surprised by what it 448 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:22,920 Speaker 1: actually was. 449 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 3: I was pissed. You're gonna congratulate me, You're gonna pat 450 00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 3: me on the back and say thanks. Stupid. You're absolutely 451 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 3: stupid if you think this is a good idea. 452 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: But the men of first Platoon were brothers, and just 453 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 1: as Sal had their backs, they had his. Eric Guayadlo 454 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: remembers the long conversations he had with Sal, trying to 455 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: help him make sense of the honor that might be 456 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: coming his way. 457 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 5: Me and him plenty of nights. 458 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: You know, Jay, I don't want this. 459 00:29:57,680 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 3: You know. 460 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,920 Speaker 5: I didn't do anything more than the rest of you. 461 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 5: You know, I went out there because Josh was my friend. 462 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 5: I went out there and save my friend. He would 463 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:08,280 Speaker 5: have done the same exact thing for me. 464 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,360 Speaker 1: Eric was trying to get him to see his actions 465 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:17,560 Speaker 1: for what they were, acts of courage of heroism. 466 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 5: And I told Sal, I was like, I noticed, how 467 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 5: I know? Wait what you don't understand? What you did 468 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 5: was pretty crazy. You know, you single handley stopped the fight. 469 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 5: You stopped them from taking a soldier. 470 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: But Sal didn't see it. 471 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 3: We all did what we felt we were supposed to 472 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 3: do because that's how we were trained. No one did 473 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 3: anything special. Every single one of us were fighting for 474 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 3: our absolute life. 475 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 1: Sal was supposed to be said back to Italy on 476 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: November third, two thousand and seven, but due to his 477 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: contract getting extended, he didn't leave Afghanistan until July of 478 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight. When he got back to Italy, 479 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: Jen was waiting for him, so were nightmares. PTSD. The 480 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: effects of being shot at constantly for fifteen months were 481 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 1: not easy to shake. Sal tried not to talk about 482 00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: the events of October twenty fifth. Doing so made him 483 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 1: feel sick and terrible, so he just didn't. He took 484 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,600 Speaker 1: a desk job, relieved to be off of the front lines. 485 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 1: He and Jen got engaged in July of two thousand 486 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:41,840 Speaker 1: and nine and married the following year. Life was quiet 487 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: and Sal was happier, And then came that phone call 488 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: in his office, the voice of the President on the line. 489 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 1: Sal would have to finally come to terms with that 490 00:31:54,240 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 1: day and do it in the public eye. Within a 491 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: few months of that call, Sal Junta was at the 492 00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: White House for his Medal of Honor ceremony. Nearly fifty 493 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: soldiers who had served with him in Italy and Afghanistan 494 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 1: were in attendance. The families of Josh Brennan and Hugo 495 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: Mendoza were there too. Clearly everyone knew how reluctant Sao 496 00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:27,680 Speaker 1: was to be labeled a hero. President Barack Obama certainly did. 497 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 6: He'll tell you that he didn't do anything special, that 498 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 6: he was just doing his job, that any of his 499 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 6: brothers in the unit would do the same thing. Staff 500 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 6: Sergeant Juna, your courage prevented the capture of an American 501 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 6: soldier and brought that soldier back to his family. You 502 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 6: may believe that you don't deserve this honor, but it 503 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 6: was your fellow soldiers who recommended you for it. 504 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: Something started to slowly shift for Sal if he couldn't 505 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 1: let himself take credit for so what had happened during 506 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: Rock Avalanche? What could he do with this honor? How 507 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 1: could he live with the version of himself that he 508 00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:11,520 Speaker 1: didn't really recognize? 509 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,880 Speaker 3: As I felt this light silk ribbon go around my neck, 510 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:19,040 Speaker 3: I felt the weight of the sacrifices of those two men. 511 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:23,479 Speaker 1: So he made a decision. He would accept the medal 512 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: as a way to keep their memory alive. He would 513 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 1: devote himself to doing better, to being better in honor 514 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:33,520 Speaker 1: of them. 515 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 3: Because if I got to do it, I'm going to 516 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 3: do it for them. And there's nothing they wouldn't do 517 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 3: for me, So how could I not do this for them. 518 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:47,480 Speaker 1: This is not to say that Sal feels any better 519 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: about that day in October of two thousand and seven. 520 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: He still wonders, how can I be so great if 521 00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: I allowed two of my friends to get killed. But 522 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: he can live with that feeling if it means honoring 523 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 1: his friends. He understands that the flip side of his 524 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:12,360 Speaker 1: heroism is their ultimate sacrifice. The military pulled out of 525 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,759 Speaker 1: the Corangall Valley in April of twenty ten. They had 526 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,920 Speaker 1: never really want anything there. Sal left the army the 527 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 1: following year. He went back to college, and he and 528 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 1: Jen are now parents of two, a girl and a boy. 529 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:34,760 Speaker 1: He wrote a memoir about his experiences called Living with Honor. 530 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:37,839 Speaker 1: We've read a lot of books by Medal of Honor 531 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: recipients and veterans in general, and let me tell you, 532 00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 1: sALS is incredible, honest and thoughtful and funny and intense. 533 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:54,719 Speaker 1: Just like Sal, It too, is a way for him 534 00:34:54,760 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 1: to memorialize his friends, to tell their story. This is 535 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: how Sal made peace with the Medal of Honor, the 536 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: same way he fought, by doing it for someone else. 537 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 3: It stays at my house at night, put it on 538 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,520 Speaker 3: my neck when I need to. But this is not mine, 539 00:35:15,520 --> 00:35:17,879 Speaker 3: This is not for me. This represents so much more. 540 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:20,520 Speaker 3: This represents not just my boys, not just Brandan, not 541 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 3: just Mendoza, or not all the guys who have been wounded, 542 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 3: not all the people who have suffered, not the families 543 00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 3: that will pay the price for this country. It's not 544 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 3: for any one of those people. 545 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,840 Speaker 1: It's for all of those people. And it's more than that. 546 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: Sal doesn't just wear the metal for people in the 547 00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 1: military or their families. He wears it to honor the 548 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,800 Speaker 1: service of all Americans who were just doing their jobs 549 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:54,240 Speaker 1: like he did, supporting each other and weighs big and small, 550 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:59,120 Speaker 1: trying to make a difference. He wears it for all 551 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: of us. He wears it for you. Medal of Honor. 552 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:25,760 Speaker 1: Stories of Courage is written by Meredith Rollins and produced 553 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 1: by Meredith Rollins and Jess Shane. Our editor is Ben 554 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:33,400 Speaker 1: Nadaf Hoffrey. Sound design and additional music by Jake Gorski. 555 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Constanza Gayardo. Fact checking by Arthur 556 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:43,279 Speaker 1: Gomperts and original music by Eric Phillips. Production support by 557 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:47,800 Speaker 1: Suzanne Gabber. Special thanks to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. 558 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:51,399 Speaker 1: We also want to hear from you. Send us your 559 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 1: personal story of courage or highlight someone else's bravery. Just 560 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: email us at Medal of Honor at Pushkin do f 561 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 1: you might hear your stories on future episodes of Metal 562 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,120 Speaker 1: of Honor or see them on our social channels at 563 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 1: pushkin Pods. I'm your host, JR. Martinez