November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10639 

Brendan O’Connor’s grandfather, and 

Mort O’Connor’s father, was BG William ‘‘Bill’’ O’Connor, a graduate of 

West Point in 1924. Bill O’Connor 

served in Europe in World War II, including in the Battle of the Bulge. 

And three of Brendan’s great-uncles 

followed their brother Bill to West 

Point—Richard O’Connor in the Class 

of 1926, George Brendan O’Connor in 

the Class of 1936, and Roderic O’Connor 

in the Class of 1941. 

Today, the O’Connor family tradition 

of military service continues with the 

next generation. Attending his Distinguished Service Cross award ceremony 

on April 30th were two of Brendan’s 

cousins, Brian O’Connor, who is now at 

the Air Force Academy, and Rory 

O’Connor, who is now at West Point. 

We are grateful to families such as 

the O’Connors, who for generations 

have answered the Nation’s call and 

worn the uniform with such courage 

and distinction. There is no finer example of this tradition than MSgt 

Brendan O’Connor and his heroic action in Afghanistan. I ask unanimous 

consent to have the full text of his Distinguished Service Cross citation, as 

well as the narrative that accompanies 

the award, printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

CITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS TO SERGEANT

FIRST CLASS BRENDAN W. O’CONNOR

For extraordinary heroism in combat as 

the senior Medical Sergeant for Special 

Forces Operational Detachment Alpha-765 in 

support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 

Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. On 24 June 2006, during Operation 

Kaika, Sergeant O’Connor led a quick reaction force to reinforce a surrounded patrol 

and to rescue two wounded comrades. He maneuvered his force through Taliban positions 

and crawled alone, under enemy machinegun 

fire to reach the wounded soldiers. He provided medical care, while exposed to heavy 

volumes of Taliban fire, then carried one of 

the wounded 150 meters across open ground 

to an area of temporary cover. He climbed 

over a wall three times, in plain view of the 

enemy, to assist the wounded soldiers to 

cover while bullets pounded the structure 

around him. Sergeant O’Connor assumed duties as the detachment operations Sergeant 

and led the consolidation of three friendly 

elements, each surrounded, isolated, and receiving fire from all directions. His remarkable actions are in keeping with the highest 

traditions of military heroism and reflect 

distinct credit upon himself, the Combined 

Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, 

Special Operations Command-Central, and 

the United States Army. 

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS TO SERGEANT

FIRST CLASS BRENDAN W. O’CONNOR

Sergeant First Class Brendan W. O’Connor, 

United States Army, distinguished himself 

by extraordinary heroism in action as the 

Senior Medical Sergeant for Special Forces 

Operational Detachment Alpha-765 in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. On 

24 June 2006, while conducting Operation 

KAIKA, a cordon and search mission to capture or kill Taliban leadership in Pashmul, 

Panjwai District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, the detachment became engaged 

with an estimated 200 Taliban fighters. MSG 

Thomas Maholic led a patrol from the detachment’s perimeter to secure a compound 

situated on key terrain. As the assault 

began, a large Taliban force 

counterattacked, flooded the battlefield, and 

immediately separated the assault element 

from SSG Matthew Binney’s support by fire 

position, creating two distinct detachment 

elements outside the perimeter, each isolated, surrounded, and receiving enemy fire 

from all directions. SSG Binney and SGT Joseph Feurst were seriously wounded at the 

support by fire position. SFC O’Connor volunteered to lead a quick reaction force to reinforce MSG Maholic in the compound, and 

recover the two wounded soldiers. SFC 

O’Connor departed the detachment’s perimeter under heavy enemy fire, with SFC 

Mishra, eight Afghan soldiers and an interpreter. By employing fire and maneuver, 

SFC O’Connor destroyed an enemy machinegun position, broke out from the encircled 

patrol base, and evaded enemy fighters that 

were now swarming toward the compound. 

After link-up with MSG Maholic, SFC O’Connor was directed toward the support-by-fire 

position. He led his small relief force along a 

wall that provided cover from the heavy volume of machinegun and rocket-propelled 

grenade fire, as they evaded attackers and 

broke out from the encircled compound. At 

the end of the wall, he encountered an open 

field, 80 meters across to a small building, 

which was the next available covered position. The flat field was covered by enemy 

grazing fire from three directions. He established a support-by-fire position to suppress 

enemy machinegun fire and began to crawl, 

alone, across the field, leaving a third isolated element amid the chaos of the battlefield. Afghan soldiers attempted to follow 

him but turned back under the extraordinary 

volume of fire. As bullets impacted all 

around him and cut the grass directly over 

his body, he quickly realized that his cumbersome load was creating too large a target 

for the enemy. He returned to the cover of 

the wall and removed his body armor and assault pack. Informed that Apache gunships 

were en route to strafe the area he was attempting to crawl through, SFC O’Connor 

attached an orange panel to his back in 

order to mark himself as a friendly element 

to the pilots. Without hesitation he immediately resumed crawling the 80 meters 

across the field, in plain sight of the enemy, 

toward his two wounded comrades. He moved 

slowly, just inches below the enemy fire, miraculously escaping injury from hundreds of 

Taliban machinegun rounds. He jumped over 

a wall into a vineyard and moved forward 

along mounds of dirt, with bullets impacting 

all around him each time he exposed himself. 

He continued moving alone, for 150 meters, 

yelling for SSG Binney. Once again, he 

evaded enemy fighters that were as near as 3 

meters, and were firing over a wall and 

shouting insults and threats at the surrounded position, and made contact with his 

wounded teammates. SFC O’Connor fought 

with his personal weapon, performed life-saving measures on the two wounded soldiers in 

the open, exposed to enemy fire, shielding 

the casualties from debris and shrapnel with 

his own body, and gave instructions to begin 

the evacuation. As an Afghan soldier assisted SSG Binney, SFC O’Connor picked up 

SGT Feurst and began carrying him, unassisted, back to the cover of the small building 150 meters away. He dodged rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire, while 

methodically maneuvering from one covered 

position to another, without the benefit of 

his protective body armor, carrying the unconscious SGT Feurst. He climbed over a two 

meter high wall, into the building, as bullets 

pounded the wall all around him. The frightened Afghan soldiers were unable to assist in 

lifting SGT Feurst over the wall, which required SFC O’Connor to climb back over the 

wall in the face of heavy, accurate, enemy 

fire. He lifted and pushed SGT Feurst over 

the wall, assisted SSG Binney over by offering his own body as step, and climbed over a 

third time himself, while a storm of bullets 

began disintegrating the structure around 

him. As Apache gunships suppressed the 

enemy, SFC O’Connor led the group from the 

surrounded building, while still under fire, 

back toward the quick reaction force. He 

then led his entire force back toward MSG 

Maholic’s compound. He engaged enemy 

fighters and broke through to link up with 

the last of the isolated elements. Inside the 

compound, he learned that MSG Maholic had 

been killed. SFC O’Connor assumed duties as 

Detachment Operations Sergeant and continued coordinating the defense of the compound against renewed Taliban attacks. He 

supervised all medical treatment of the casualties, coordinated the medical evacuation 

flight and organized the movement of ammunition from the resupply aircraft. After 

nightfall, under SFC O’Connor’s leadership, 

the group broke out once again from their 

isolated location and moved undetected 

through Taliban positions to reunite all 

friendly elements at the detachment’s patrol 

base. SFC O’Connor’s extraordinary actions, 

performed at tremendous risk of life, successfully rescued two wounded comrades, 

saved the lives of 21 soldiers, and prevented 

his detachment’s destruction. He consolidated four friendly elements, each isolated 

and surrounded by an aggressive, numerically superior, and well armed enemy force 

during the confusion of combat, and brought 

all soldiers to safety. The heroic accomplishments of Sergeant First Class Brendan W. 

O’Connor reflect great credit upon himself, 

the Combined Joint Special Operations Task 

Force-Afghanistan, Special Operations Command-Central, and the United States Army. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO LINDA LONG 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I 

wish to recognize a former staffer, 

Linda K. Long, for her wonderful contributions to my office and to the 

State of Tennessee. 

Linda began her career with Senator 

Fred Thompson in 1995 and joined my 

staff on January 21, 2003, where she 

soon distinguished herself as one of the 

best constituent services representatives in the State of Tennessee. 

Linda was a wealth of knowledge 

when it came to working with constituents and their problems. Although 

she took a very ‘‘no nonsense’’ approach to her job, she was very compassionate and always made time to 

listen to constituents and console them 

even if she could not help them with 

their issue. 

Linda is loved and respected by people throughout west Tennessee. In fact, 

she served two terms on the Madison 

County Commission from 1994 to 2002. 

There is no doubt that Linda went 

above and beyond to help all constituents. She was tough, but fair, and always had time for anyone who asked 

for assistance through my office. Linda 

retired on February 29, 2008, and we 

miss her already. 


rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with SENATE