On April 2, 2010, 14 U.S. soldiers carried out a life saving mission leading them to become the first foreigners to receive Germany's Gold Cross Medal, one of Germany's highest awards for valor, for rescuing wounded German soldiers from a firefight in Afghanistan. The soldiers were members of the U.S. Army's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and the 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. They were honored for risking their lives to rescue the German soldiers, who had been ambushed by more than 200 Taliban fighters while on a foot patrol searching for IEDs. The German soldiers were attacked with small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. The U.S. soldiers flew into help and landed on a hot landing zone on their second attempt, despite receiving small arms fire and RPGs as they passed 10 meters under the helicopter's belly.

The names of these American Heroes are:

Captain Robert McDONOUGH, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Steven HUSTED, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason LaCROSSE, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nelson VISAYA, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jason BROWN, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Sean JOHNSON, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Eric WELLS, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Staff Sergeant Travis BROWN, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant William EBEL, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant Antonio GATTIS, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant Matthew BAKER, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant Todd MARCHESE, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant Gregory MARTINEZ, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

Sergeant Steven SHUMAKER, 5th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, United States Army

In addition to the German Gold Cross, CWO Jason LaCrosse was awarded the Silver Star Medal, and the other 13 Soldiers were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal. 

For the Soldiers who were recognized with the DFC, they have earned the right to have their names placed on the DFC National Memorial located in Riverside CA at the March Air Reserve Museum.

My goal is to raise enough money for these men to have tiles placed on the DFC memorial in honor of their heroism.

We are also hoping to be able to recognize CWO3 Jason LaCrosse and his Silver Star at the appropriate venue. 

Beginning on July 25th I will start the 4x4x48 Running Challenge. That means running 4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours. My family is making a donation to support this effort and I humbly invite you, my friends and colleagues to also support this cause by donating, or sharing this fundraising effort with others who might be interested in supporting it. If you would be interested in running one of the 12 legs with me, please reach out directly to me. It’s going to be a challenge to complete this but having this goal as motivation will help me get it done!

Im so proud of my Brother Steve and his fellow soldiers for their fearless service to fly to the rescue of those who were in danger and injured. I’m humbled to be able to draw attention to the story of this battle and the men who fought it.

We honor the names of the German Soldiers who despite the efforts of those noted, did not survive this battle.

Corporal Robert HARTERT, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army

Private First Class Martin AUGUSTYNIAK, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army

Sergeant 1st Class Nils BRUNS, Paratrooper Battalion 373, German Army

These men gave the ultimate sacrifice for the citizens of the world to protect them from the global threat of terror.