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Home : News : Overseas Operations

# California Guardsmen honored for valor during fire fight

By Courtesy Story

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Five Soldiers  from the 40th Infantry Division's Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) were  recently decorated for valor displayed during a lengthy fire fight in  Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

On Jan. 23, ADT Soldiers convoyed to Ghaziabad district,  Kunar province, to help Afghan veterinarians treat 500 livestock in a  strategically important area just a few miles from Pakistan. Despite a minor  harassing attack from insurgents, the effort was a great success.

However, while returning through Kunar’s Asmar district,  the ADT convoy was ambushed with small arms fire from hilltops overlooking the  road, immobilizing a mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP) in the kill zone. As the MRAP’s commander, Sgt. Daniel Diaz, dismountedunder fire to connect a tow bar to the MRAP in front of his, Sgt. Leonard Contreras joined him,  acting as a human shield.

When the truck couldn’t be towed, a mechanic driving a  light medium tactical vehicle(LMTV) in the middle of the convoy, Staff Sgt. John W. Carter, realized his experience could  aid the situation.

Carter performed a U-turn on the narrow cliffside road and  drove back into the kill zone, then dismounted and ran to assist Diaz, along  with Sgt. Jeffrey Johanson.While Carter and Diaz worked to repair the truck, which  couldn’t be towed, Johanson and Contreras stood between them and the enemy,  suppressing the enemy positions with their M-4 carbines and M203 grenade  launchers.

“I saw a round strike about 10 inches from Sgt.  Contreras’ head,” Johanson said, “but he never flinched.”

The damage to Diaz’s MRAP had totally immobilized it in the kill zone until a wrecker could respond with a quick reaction force (QRF).  The ADT was locked in a fight on unfavorable terrain, and it would be for a  long time.

During the four-hour engagement, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters made numerous gun and rocket runs, adding to artillery fire that the  convoy commander called to suppress the enemy. When the ADT and QRF Soldiers  ran low on ammunition, the Kiowas flew in close proximity to the enemy to make  resupply runs.

Spc. Andrew Coffman and Cpl. David DeRouen ran to the drop zone and collected the cans of ammunition to distribute to Soldiers suppressing the enemy positions.

Coffman and DeRouen repeatedly ran the full 600-meter length of the convoy,  distributing ammunition, moving in the beaten zone of enemy machine gun fire  and through positions where other Soldiers had been pinned down. The pair also  marked and ran into the drop zone several times, in plain view of insurgent  fighters. Their actions kept numerous Soldiers supplied to suppress enemy  positions.

After four hours mechanics and a wrecker managed to  repair the MRAP enough to move it, and the convoy got under way again, having  suffered only one minor casualty.

Carter, Contreras, Johanson, DeRouen and Coffman were  each awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device by Col. Randy  George, commander of 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, the ADT’s parent unit.  In addition several Kiowa pilots were awarded the Air Medal with Valor Device.

“The actions of these Soldiers were both courageous and  mission-oriented,” said ADT Commander Col. Eric B. Grimm.

“They acted to assist their fellow Soldiers, despite  significant danger, and ensured that we were not stopped from helping the  people of Kunar province.”

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