President Obama presented former Army Sgt. Kyle Jerome White with the Medal of Honor in a May 14 White House ceremony, for heroism he demonstrated during a Nov. 9, 2007, ambush. In presenting White with the nation’s highest award for combat valor, Obama described the firefight that ultimately resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and one Marine. They were part of a 13-person cadre of Americans plus a contingent of Afghan soldiers, moving through an area known as “Ambush Alley” near the village of Aranas, when the fight began. Their attackers shot down upon them from high ground with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. While the rest of the unit was able to escape the onslaught by sliding 160 feet down the mountain, White, 1st Lt. Matthew Ferrara, Spc. Kain Schilling, Marine Sgt. Phillip Bocks, and an Afghan interpreter were stranded. White was able to apply a tourniquet to Schilling, who was hurt badly. He tried several times to pull Bocks to safety. By the time he succeeded and tried to apply a tourniquet, the wounded Marine had died. He also tried to save Ferrara, but by the time he arrived, the young officer had died as well. By then, White believed that he and Schilling would not survive either. “I figured if that’s going to happen, I might as well help while I can,” White said. The soldier found a working radio and called for fire support. In time, the friendly fire suppressed the attackers, and White was able to establish a landing zone for a medevac helicopter. He then assisted in getting the wounded aboard the aircraft before allowing himself to be evacuated as well. “I wear this medal for my team,” White said. He wears a metal band around his wrist, with the names of each man who died that day – as do the other comrades who took part in the fight.