S.C. At War: 5 soldiers earned Bronze Stars

By CHUCK CRUMBO - ccrumbo@thestate.com

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — While all the soldiers of the 218th Brigade Combat Team are being called “heroes” by their commanders, families and friends, there are a few whose heroics stand out.

They are the five S.C. National Guard troops who received a Bronze Star Medal for valor — the highest medal awarded during the unit’s just-ended yearlong Afghan tour of duty.

In each incident, the soldier cited risked his life to save and care for wounded comrades.

Among the troops honored was 1st Lt. Wade Broadaway, a member of the first group of soldiers picked to mentor Afghan police.

Other recipients of the bravery medal were Sgt. Richard Bush, Sgt. 1st Class Franklin Brooks, Spc. William Slater and Spc. Kodi Tyler.

Broadaway and other mentors embedded with Afghan police operating in the most lawless areas of Afghanistan. They were certain to battle the Taliban.

On Oct. 30, Broadaway and his troops were transporting Afghan officers and supplies to a police station in western Kandahar province.

With a handful of soldiers, Broadaway of Charleston was checking the sandy road for bombs and mines. Then, a bomb exploded and the S.C. team was ambushed.

Broadaway and the other troops on foot dove into a ditch for cover.

One soldier didn’t make it. Broadaway climbed out of the ditch and went looking for the missing soldier, later identified as Staff Sgt. James Bullard of Marion.

Bullard had been wounded in the initial blast, according to an incident report.

“1st Lt. Broadaway continued to advance under fire toward the injured soldier,” the report said. “During this time, the soldier was mortally wounded from enemy fire.”

Nonetheless, Broadaway advanced toward Bullard “under heavy enemy fire with little regard for his safety,” the report added.

After reaching the fallen soldier, Broadaway directed a withdrawal of the S.C. troops from the ambush to a nearby base.

• Bush of Holly Hill was cited for his actions after his convoy was ambushed in Khost province, also along Afghanistan’s eastern border.

The Army said Bush’s unit came under fire after it was attacked by a suicide bomber in a car.

Bush, who was the convoy commander, got out of his Humvee, returned fire, checked on troops in another Humvee and then called for assistance.

Despite a serious back injury, Bush refused evacuation and stayed on the scene until relieved.

• Brooks, whose hometown was not listed, received his medal after a Jan. 23 incident.

“He distinguished himself through gallantry in action by calmly rendering first aid to U.S. and coalition soldiers” while under direct attack, the soldier’s citation said.

• Slater, just 19, was headed to college when his S.C. National Guard unit was called up for active duty.

A medic, the Lynchburg soldier was assigned to a team of S.C. soldiers headed by Maj. James Harmon of Lexington and Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Gilliam of Union. The team was embedded with an Afghan army battalion.

Slater’s was cited for treating fellow soldiers while under fire during a four-day period, from Oct. 24 to 28, in Zabul province.

Slater credited his training for keeping him alive while helping his fellow soldiers. “It just becomes instinctive. You just do your job.”

• Tyler’s award cites an incident on Aug. 27 when the soldier’s police-mentoring team came under fire in Kunar province, along Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan.

Despite being wounded in the fight, Tyler, whose hometown was not listed, administered first aid to other wounded soldiers and “exchanged fire with the enemy,” his citation said.

HEADING BACK

Command Sgt. John Harrelson, the 218th’s top enlisted soldier, said he’s returning to Afghanistan, sooner rather than later.

A Vietnam veteran, Harrelson will retire from the Guard shortly after the brigade returns to South Carolina.

But he will be going back to Kabul in about three months to work for a private contractor mentoring the Afghan army.

Harrelson’s job will be to help develop the Afghan army’s senior enlisted soldiers, particularly those who are command sergeant majors — the top rung for enlisted soldiers.

Bolstering the Afghan army’s corps of noncommissioned officers has been a top priority of U.S. and coalition trainers. In the past, Afghan sergeants were labeled “tchai boys,” meaning their job was to serve tea and cater to the Afghan officers, not lead soldiers.

Harrelson of North Myrtle Beach said he has no qualms about returning so quickly to Afghanistan.

“I love to help people and love training soldiers,” he said.