Fighting New Battles - Arkansas National Guard

The Arkansas Minutemanchine gun team taking dead aim on his troops. From 50 feetaway, that machine gun could wipe out what remained of theplatoon.McCarty’s training took over. “I did what I do best. I gotout and closed with the enemy and destroyed them.”An understatement.The 26-year-old lieutenant took out the machine gunnerssingle-handedly and exposed himself to fire to draw out insurgenttargets. With no regard for his personal safety, McCartydirected ammunition resupply movements and evacuatedcasualties, while taking the fight to the enemy.At the end of the battle, McCarty and his troops had killedat least 30 insurgents, thanks in large part of the lieutenant’squick, decisive and courageous actions.Those actions earned him the Silver Star, the nation’sthird-highest combat honor.McCarty, a resident of Bald Knob, Ark., deflected attentionfrom his actions to praise all members of the platoon.“There were 26 of us that started the mission, and if oneman hadn’t done his job, then none of us would have comehome,” he commented. “Without teamwork, you are an individual,and individuals don’t last long in combat.”The lieutenant was one of several troops of the 39thBrigade Combat Team honored during a ceremony at the headquartersof its 3rd Battalion, 153rd Infantry in Searcy, Ark., onFeb. 4.Sgt. Billy Hellums earned a Bronze Star with Valor, whilefour officers — 2nd Lts. Bryan Keiffer, John Irvin, ChristopherLawless and 1st Lt. Travis Goodwin — each earneda Bronze Star for meritorious service. Purple Hearts wereawarded to Spcs. Christopher Burns, John McShane, RodneySimpson and Craig Mitchell.On hand to honor the troops was Arkansas Governor MikeHuckabee, commander-in-chief of the state’s National Guard.Huckabee said bravery is a cornerstone of our democracy.“Gallantry is courage combined with a level of unselfishnessand disregard for one’s own safety and self in order toadvance the safety and security of another,” he said. “With allof these awards, but especially with the Silver Star ... what wetruly were doing was recognizing that our nation was built onthe shoulders of people like this lieutenant.”The governor, who recently returned from Iraq, added thattroops serve their nation without expecting awards and are truerole models.“I wish that posters of people like the lieutenant were onthe walls of teenagers and not necessarily those that end upgetting there because our country has been made great andmade free because of folks like those of you in this room,”he commented. “The footprint that the 39th left in Iraq wasimmeasurable. Everywhere I went in Iraq, people said, ‘Arkansas.Yep, that’s where the 39th’s from. What a great, greatgroup of Soldiers!’ They would specifically list the mannerin which the professionalism, the courage, the competenceof this group of Soldiers made a difference in that nation andultimately in ours.”Col. Mike Ross, the commander of the 39th, echoed thegovernor’s statement, saying that a number of young officersmatured rapidly in life-and-death situations.“To be thrown immediately into a combat environment, itwas just amazing how they grew to be combat-effective leaders,”he said. “This war in Iraq was not fought at the brigadelevel. It wasn’t fought at the battalion level. It wasn’t fought atthe company level. It was fought at the platoon level and thoseplatoons were right out there with the action every day.”The commander said the troops should serve as examplesto all Guard personnel.“It’s all about training, and every day that you go to drill,you need to be thinking that you are training for combat,” heexplained. “Every day that you’re in the military and you wearthat uniform, everything ought to be about training Soldiersand growing leaders. It’s not if we go to war but when we goto war that we take America’s sons and daughters into conflictas the best trained, the best equipped, the best led.”1st Lt. Michael McCarty of the Arkansas National Guard’s39th Brigade Combat Team is pinned with the Silver Star byArkansas Governor Mike Huckabee during a ceremony atthe Col. A.J. “Bo” Baker Readiness Center in Searcy, Ark., onFeb. 4. McCarty earned the award for “gallantry in action”during an ambush by insurgents who outnumbered hisplatoon three to one.Summer 2006 Page 23