Former Soldier To Receive Medal of Honor

Kyle Jerome White, a 27-year-old former soldier from Seattle, will receive the Medal of Honor during a May 13 White House ceremony for valor he displayed in combat in November 2007. According to official records, White risked his own life in an attempt to save those of a Marine and two Army comrades during an ambush. White was serving as a sergeant with 1st Platoon, Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) at the time. The unit was tapped to conduct a nighttime visit to the village of Aranas, Afghanistan, to meet with elders there. The meeting was delayed until the next day. While it was taking place, the cadre began taking fire from enemy fighters positioned on higher ground. One rocket-propelled grenade round knocked White out. When he awoke, White discovered that only he, the two soldiers and the Marine remained. One soldier, Spc. Kain Schilling, had been shot in the arm. White applied a tourniquet to Schilling. White also noticed that his platoon leader, 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, had been killed by enemy fire. The Marine, Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, was also severely wounded. The Marine died while White was trying to rescue him under enemy fire. White managed to get Bocks’ radio working and call in suppressing fire. He sustained his second concussion of the day in the processes – from friendly fire. In time, a helicopter reached the landing zone White had marked out. White refused to board the helicopter until Schilling and two wounded Afghan National Army fighters were loaded on first. He now works as an armed security officer in Iowa, and maintains a close friendship with Schilling, the man he whose life he helped save.