Alwyn Cashe's uniform was already burning when he continued toward the soldiers trapped inside an armored vehicle. He kept helping them escape despite severe injuries of his own.
The U.S. Army sergeant first class died weeks after the October 17, 2005, attack in Iraq. More than 16 years later, his family received the Medal of Honor recognizing his actions.
A nighttime patrol near Samarra
According to the Army's official account, Cashe's Bradley Fighting Vehicle came under attack and was disabled by an improvised explosive device. The vehicle caught fire.
Cashe escaped and helped another soldier pull the trapped driver out. Fuel on Cashe's uniform ignited while he was assisting the driver.
Returning despite the flames
He then moved to the troop compartment to help others. The official citation describes him assisting four soldiers and returning when he realized that two more remained unaccounted for.
The Army reports burns over nearly 72 percent of his body. Even when evacuation helicopters arrived, he insisted that the other wounded soldiers leave first.
Cashe died on November 8, 2005, at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas.
Recognition after a long campaign
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society records that his Silver Star was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, presented to his family at the White House on December 16, 2021.
That distinction recognized a sequence of decisions made under fire: reaching the driver, returning for others and placing their care ahead of his own.
A medal can preserve a name in a national record. Cashe's story also asks readers to remember the people inside that vehicle, and the cost of the help that reached them. His actions give a concrete meaning to the promise of looking after one's team.
Photograph credits
- Photograph 1: United States Army, Public domain. Resized; captions identify contextual images.
- Photograph 2: U.S. Army, Public domain. Resized; captions identify contextual images.
