14 US troops receive German medals for airlifting wounded troops in Afghanistan

14 US troops receive German medals for bravery

KABUL — Fourteen U.S. service members have received Germany’s Gold Cross Medal for their bravery in extracting wounded German soldiers from a firefight in northeast Afghanistan — the first time the award has been given to troops from another nation.

The Americans, all members of the U.S. Army’s 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, received the medals — one of Germany’s highest awards for valor — on Wednesday at a German base in Kunduz province.

The U.S. crewmen were honored for risking their lives to rescue German soldiers ambushed by more than 200 Taliban fighters during a patrol April 2 near the provincial capital of Kunduz. Eleven German soldiers were critically wounded, and the battle was still active when U.S. Black Hawk evacuation helicopters arrived.

“We came under very heavy fire,” said Jason LaCrosse, chief warrant officer three. “We couldn’t land at first, but we came back in a second time and loaded two casualties, brought them back to the hospital, then we went back to get more.”

Three of the German soldiers died of their wounds.

“We’ve had a strong partnership with the German soldiers,” said Sgt. Antonio Gattis. “These guys are like family to us, so we took it personally when they got injured and just went out there and did what we had to do.”

Kunduz provincial police Chief Gen. Abdul Razaq Yaqoubi said the battle began after a mine exploded under a German armored vehicle. He said the German troops were preparing to build a bridge and clear mines in the Chahar Dara area, about eight miles (12 kilometers) from Kunduz.

The German troops and Afghan police exchanged fire with about 200 Taliban attackers, but were unable to use heavy firepower because the militants were firing from inside and on top of civilian homes, local government chief Abdul Wahid Omar Khil said.

“The 14 American soldiers, under tough circumstances, helped their German comrades who were caught up in heavy fighting,” said German Lt. Gen. Bruno Kasdorf, chief of staff for the NATO international coalition in Afghanistan, who presented the medals.

“At the same time, it shows what it means to be part of a coalition — how important it is that we complement each other,” he said. “In this case, the Americans were in the position to help and they did so without hesitation.”

Germany has more than 4,000 troops in Afghanistan — the third largest foreign troop contingent — as part of the NATO presence fighting the Taliban and seeking to extend the authority of President Hamid Karzai’s government.

German forces control much of the country’s north, which is relatively peaceful. The surroundings of Kunduz, however, have become increasingly volatile. More than 20 German soldiers have been killed and another 138 wounded by fighting or attacks in Afghanistan since 2001.

In addition to LaCrosse and Gattis, the medal recipients were Capt. Robert McDonough, Chief Warrant Officers 3 Steven Husted and Nelson Visaya, Chief Warrant Officers 2 Jason Brown, Sean Johnson and Eric Wells, Staff Sgt. Travis Brown, Sgts. William Ebel and Steven Shumaker, and Spcs. Matthew Baker, Todd Marchese and Gregory Martinez.

Germany announced the decision to award the medals last month in Berlin.