Staff Sergeant Linsey W. Clarke, Eta Kappa/James Madison University ’05 is a is a combat medic with the 3rd Special Forces Group. On December 16th he was recognized with the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military decoration, for valorous actions in combat during an awards ceremony at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I deserve this “I mean if I should get it, so should all of my teammates because I couldn’t have done anything without them,” said Clarke.
During a joint reconnaissance patrol, an improvised explosive device destroyed the rear ground mobility vehicle in Clarke’s convoy. Three of the vehicle’s crewmembers were killed, and the entire patrol began to receive heavy and small-arms fire. It was at this time that Clarke said his training as a Special Forces medic kicked in. He began assessing wounded Soldiers’ conditions and evacuating them to safe areas as far from the kill zone as possible. Clarke helped to provide security until support arrived, which he estimated to be about 20 minutes. During this time, he and his fellow Soldiers were receiving heavy fire.
“As I was dragging people away, I could hear the rounds cracking and snapping all around me,” he said. “I don’t know how close they came to me, but I knew they were pretty close.”
Clarke said he never thought twice about doing what he did.
“We are a close team. I know that any one of them would have done the exact same thing for me,” Clarke explained. “I was just at the right place at the right time to help.”
However impressive his award citation reads, Clarke is hesitant to admit that his actions warrant a Silver Star. He said he is not accepting the medal for himself, but for his entire team.
“I wish everyone who was there that day could’ve been up on the stage with me,” he said. “They all deserve it just as much as I do.”
You can read more at the Washington Post's website.
