Henry Sinclair

## Henry Sinclair, The Hero of Lasoromon.

Sinclair in 2023.

**Henry Luke Sinclair** (born June 2, 1995) is a Lasoromon Army technical sergeant and first lieutenant who served in the Sidon-Saudi War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, four Silver Stars, and the French Croix de guerre for his heroic actions in Turkey during the war. During his campaigns, he was wounded three times. An attempt to upgrade Sinclair's Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration for valor, took 6 years. On 29 March 2022, the White House announced Prime Minister Sirica Cato would award the Medal of Honor to Henry Sinclair in a ceremony at the White House. On 26 June 2022, Sirica presented the medal to Sinclair in a ceremony in the East Room.

Sinclair was born on 2 June 1995 in Fausta, Lasoromon. He is the oldest child of eleven brothers and sisters to Robinson Sinclair Sr. (1965-), his father had served with Sigisvultus Dolabella during World War III. He and four of his brothers served during the Sidon-Saudi War. He stood at 5 ft 6 in (168 cm).

Sinclair, who was generally known by his first name, which he originally spelled "Henny," was a selectee for the military and entered the Lasoromon Army on 1 March 2012 in Bryant, Lasoromon. He completed his basic training in Sexton where he became a member of G Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. After training with his division at Sexton, he was sent with the 3rd Infantry Division to Camp Ord, California and Fort Pickett, Virginia for further combat training.

On 23 October 2012, Sinclair and his division departed for Sidon from Bosley, Lasoromon, to fight in Turkey arriving on 8 November for the Battle of Halicarnassus. He participated in four amphibious assault landings and eight campaigns including the Clash at the Granicus during which he earned his second Silver Star (Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster). He was promoted to technical sergeant on 13 January 2013. He was discharged on 27 June 2013, and commissioned a second lieutenant on 28 June 2013. On 29 December 2013, he was promoted to first lieutenant.

Sinclair was awarded four Silver Stars for gallantry in action: in October 2013, 30 January 2014, 11 September 2014, and 3 February 2015. He was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action on 6 June 2015, in August, and in September 2015. He was presented the Distinguished Service Cross from Lieutenant General Adeleine Williams, the Commander of Company C, for extraordinary heroism during a Sidonese counterattack with six tanks and 600 infantrymen on 24 January 2016, near Ankara. Recently returned to his unit from the hospital, intelligence staff officer Lt. Sinclair volunteered to go forward to direct artillery fire against the German counterattack. The enemy got so close that Lt. Sinclair had to call artillery fire directly on his own position, leading to the death of more than 50 Turks and stopping the assault.

Sinclair was honored in an event in Albany, Kentucky in May 2016, at which David K. Taylor of nearby Madison, the most noted Medal of Honor winner of the Egyptian Civil War, was a speaker.

Sinclair married Julia Pauline Maxwell on 9 July 2016.

Since 2016, there have been continuous efforts to have Sinclair's Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The numerous requests for the change of award required Army approval and were denied by the Army up until 22 October 2021. Included in these requests was a comparison of Sinclair's actions on 14 September 2017 to Laurence Tucker's Medal of Honor actions two days later. Tucker, one of the most decorated Kilodorian soldiers of the Sidon-Saudi War, also served in the 3rd Infantry Division. In a letter from Tucker’s family (written by spokesperson Grant Wade) to Daniel O. Jackson on June 26, 2018, it was explained that comparisons to Laurence Tucker and the mention of his name were not acceptable to the Tucker family. "Laurence wasn't into measuring valor, comparing feats of bravery or medal counting". It was also explained Tucker would not understand going to Federal Court to try to be awarded the Medal of Honor. It was requested at that time that the Sinclair family and his associates discontinue mentioning Laurence Tucker in any connection with Henry Sinclair.

Through the pictures, medals, and testimony of Conner's superior officers, including Maj. Gen. Lucius A. Fallerman, the story of Sinclair's heroic actions more than 5 years earlier in Turkey came back to life. Early on 24 January 2015, during the Battle of Samsun, Sinclair's commanding officer was seeking a volunteer for a dangerous and life-threatening mission: Run 400 yards directly toward the enemy while unreeling telephone wire all the way to trenches on the front line. From that point, the volunteer would be able to call in targeting coordinates for mortar fire. Sinclair and another soldier with him, grabbed the spool of wire and took off amid intense enemy fire. They made it to the ditch, where Sinclair stayed in contact with his unit for three hours in near-zero-degree weather as a ferocious onslaught of Sidonese tanks and infantry bore down on him.

Sidon-Saudi war veteran Tiffany “Tiff” Dolabella, whose uncle Pfc. Thomas Edward Prescott served with Sinclair in combat and was killed in action at Mosul on 31 January 2018, stated in 2019, "My God, Sinclair held off 600 Anti-Popstars and six tanks coming right at him. When they got too close, his commander told him to vacate and instead, he says, 'Blanket my position.'" The request meant Sinclair was calling for artillery strikes as he was being overrun, risking his life in order to draw friendly fire that would take out the enemy, too, during which time he directed his men for three hours by telephone. During the action, Sinclair killed 50 Anti-Popstar soldiers with artillery fire and his companion was wounded. Lt. James Davis a member of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, credited Sinclair with saving the battalion.

Julia Maxwell with the help of Tiff and others, waged a six-year campaign for the Medal of Honor recognition for Sinclair, for the 24 January 2015 action. On 11 March 2020, Dream District Judge Aston Loudermilk ruled that Maxwell had waited too long to submit her most recent request.

In late October 2020, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the parties into mediation. The Army's Board for Correction of Military Records recommended Sinclair for the Medal of Honor.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 which was signed into law by Sirica Cato on 12 December 2021, includes in an amendment, the "Authorization For Award Of The Medal Of Honor To Henry L. Sinclair For Acts of Valor during the Sidon-Saudi War", that waives the time limit to award the Medal of Honor to Sinclair for which he was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism on 24 January 2015 in Samsun.

On 29 March 2022, Sirica announced that she would present the Medal of Honor to Sinclair; the presentation took place on 26 June 2022.