Salvatore A Giunta
Salvatore A Giunta was born on the 21st of January, 1985, in Clint, Iowa, and grew up in Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha. At the age of 17, Salvatore decided enlist in the US Army and in November of 2003, he became the first person in his immediate family to serve in the US armed forces since his grandparents had come to the US from Italy. Salvatore went on to attend basic training and infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was deployed to Afghanistan in March of 2005 for a year. A second deployment to Afghanistan, this time to the Korengal Valley, would be why this story is being told.
Salvatore was stationed at Firebase Vegas and late in October of 2007, his company started a six day mission known as Operation Rock Avalanche. During this mission, Salvatore and 1st Platoon provided protective cover for 2nd and 3rd Platoons while they met with local village elders after 2 infantrymen were wounded and one killed after the Taliban overran their position on “Honcho Hill”. On the evening of the 25th of October, Salvatore and the others of 1st Platoon began to walk back to Combat Outpost Vimoto and Korengal Outpost after finishing a day long overwatch of 2nd and 3rd Platoons. Not long after leaving their starting position, the squad was ambushed by about 10-15 insurgents that were only about 10 meters away. They were armed with AK47s, RPGs, and four PKM machine guns. It was during this action that Salvatore not only realized that the ambushed was in an L shape, but distinguished himself and earned the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action with an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007. While conducting a patrol as team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, Specialist Giunta and his team were navigating through harsh terrain when they were ambushed by a well-armed and well-coordinated insurgent force. While under heavy enemy fire, Specialist Giunta immediately sprinted towards cover and engaged the enemy. Seeing that his squad leader had fallen and believing that he had been injured, Specialist Giunta exposed himself to withering enemy fire and raced towards his squad leader, helped him to cover, and administered medical aid. While administering first aid, enemy fire struck Specialist Giunta's body armor and his secondary weapon. Without regard to the ongoing fire, Specialist Giunta engaged the enemy before prepping and throwing grenades, using the explosions for cover in order to conceal his position. Attempting to reach additional wounded fellow soldiers who were separated from the squad, Specialist Giunta and his team encountered a barrage of enemy fire that forced them to the ground. The team continued forward and upon reaching the wounded soldiers, Specialist Giunta realized that another soldier was still separated from the element. Specialist Giunta then advanced forward on his own initiative. As he crested the top of a hill, he observed two insurgents carrying away an American soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other. Upon reaching the wounded soldier, he began to provide medical aid, as his squad caught up and provided security. Specialist Giunta's unwavering courage, selflessness, and decisive leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American soldier from the enemy. Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment, and the United States Army.
This ambush lasted for about three minutes. The 2nd and 3rd Platoons had arrived to assist with first aid and security while Salvatore continued to help with the wounded soldier. This soldier was Sergeant Joshua Brennan who was the leader of Alpha Team and was walking point. Brennan died in surgery the next day and two days later, Salvatore learned that he was being recommended for the Medal of Honor. He has gone on record many times saying, “If I’m a hero, every man that stands around me, every woman in the military, everyone who goes into the unknown is a hero.” He went on to say that what he did that day was that of any one person in his unit. “In this job, I am only mediocre. I’m average. I did what I did because in the scheme of painting the picture of that ambush, that was just my brush stroke. That’s not above and beyond. I didn’t take the biggest brush stroke, and it wasn’t the most important brush stroke.”
On the 16th of November, 2010, Salvatore received the Medal of Honor from President Obama with his surviving squad members in attendance. He went on to not re-enlist and chose to move to Colorado with his wife and study at Colorado State University. He wrote an autobiography called Living With Honor and Salvatore A Giunta was the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
