William D Swenson
William D Swenson was born on the 2nd of November, 1978 and because he is one of two Medal of Honor recipients still serving on active duty, some personal information has been quiet. What is known is that he graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and joined the US Army in 2002, becoming commissioned in September of that year. William attended and completed Basic and Advanced Infantry Officer courses, Ranger School, and Airborne School, and deployed to the Middle East three times; once in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Now, for those who have been listening to the podcast, will recognize William’s name from Episode 31 when we talked about Dakota Meyer’s actions during the Battle of Ganjal. For those that didn’t catch that episode, I suggest you listen to it after this one is done because in this episode, I will talk about William’s actions on the 8th of September, 2009. He was part of an operation to connect the Afghan government with native elders in Eastern Kunar Province. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: Captain William D. Swenson distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as embedded advisor to the Afghan National Border Police, Task Force Phoenix, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan in support of 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on September 8, 2009. On that morning, more than 60 well-armed, well-positioned enemy fighters ambushed Captain Swenson's combat team as it moved on foot into the village of Ganjgal for a meeting with village elders. As the enemy unleashed a barrage of rocket-propelled grenade, mortar and machine gun fire, Captain Swenson immediately returned fire and coordinated and directed the response of his Afghan Border Police, while simultaneously calling in suppressive artillery fire and aviation support. After the enemy effectively flanked Coalition Forces, Captain Swenson repeatedly called for smoke to cover the withdrawal of the forward elements. Surrounded on three sides by enemy forces inflicting effective and accurate fire, Captain Swenson coordinated air assets, indirect fire support and medical evacuation helicopter support to allow for the evacuation of the wounded. Captain Swenson ignored enemy radio transmissions demanding surrender and maneuvered uncovered to render medical aid to a wounded fellow soldier. Captain Swenson stopped administering aid long enough to throw a grenade at approaching enemy forces, before assisting with moving the soldier for air evacuation. With complete disregard for his own safety, Captain Swenson unhesitatingly led a team in an unarmored vehicle into the kill zone, exposing himself to enemy fire on at least two occasions, to recover the wounded and search for four missing comrades. After using aviation support to mark locations of fallen and wounded comrades, it became clear that ground recovery of the fallen was required due to heavy enemy fire on helicopter landing zones. Captain Swenson’s team returned to the kill zone another time in a Humvee. Captain Swenson voluntarily exited the vehicle, exposing himself to enemy fire, to locate and recover three fallen Marines and one fallen Navy corpsman. His exceptional leadership and stout resistance against the enemy during six hours of continuous fighting rallied his teammates and effectively disrupted the enemy's assault. Captain William D. Swenson's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Task Force Phoenix, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division and the United States Army
Because of his actions, it is believed that William saved more than a dozen Afghan lives as well as the recovery of the three fallen Marines and one Navy Corpsman. He was also very open with his feelings which criticized senior officers for not sending fire support during this battle. He made these feelings known in an After Action Report investigation and had been recommended for the Medal of Honor by a battalion commander in December of 2009. Many accusations were made by both the military and the press when the paperwork for the recommendation was lost, which caused a delay in the process. Some say it was conveniently lost due to William’s feelings but it was determined that the recommendation was simply lost in the Army’s email system. In Dakota Meyer’s book, “Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War”, Dakota wrote that he wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for William’s actions and through the urging of Marine Corps General John Allen, William’s case was reopened in 2011. He left the Army in February of 2011 and later requested to return in October of 2013. William received the Medal of Honor from President Obama on the 15th of October, 2013, in a ceremony at the White House and in March of 2014, returned to active duty. William D Swenson was the first living officer to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War and is still currently serving.
