Bass Handler

On September 8, 2009, during the Battle of Ganjgal in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, 21-year-old Marine Corporal Dakota Meyer was positioned at an overwatch post while a joint patrol of U.S. and local forces moved toward a mountain village. As the patrol entered the area, they were caught in a massive, pre-planned ambush by heavily armed forces. Trapped under intense crossfire with immediate support unavailable due to close proximity to civilian structures, the patrol faced critical danger. Hearing urgent distress calls over the radio, Meyer repeatedly requested permission to leave his secure position and drive into the engagement area to assist. When commanders denied his requests due to strict safety protocols, Meyer chose to take action. Teaming up with Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, who drove an unarmored vehicle while Meyer operated the top gun, they drove directly into the line of fire to reach their stranded team. Over five separate trips into the high-risk area, Meyer provided covering fire, loaded injured personnel into the vehicle, and evacuated them to safety. On his final pass on foot, he located and secured his four fallen teammates to ensure they were brought home. His selfless decisions saved the lives of 36 U.S. and allied service members, making him the first living Marine from the conflict to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

HEROES: Five teenage boys were driving down a quiet road when they spotted a vehicle flipped upside down in a creek. A mother and her two little boys were trapped inside, and the teenagers immediately rushed into the water. But they soon realized the youngest child was still trapped underwater. It happened in Swan Valley, Idaho. The five high school students helped the mother escape through a window, but her four-year-old and one-year-old sons were still inside the overturned SUV One of the teenagers, Logan Mcalevy, found a shovel in the creek and used it to smash a window. As he reached inside the submerged vehicle, he suddenly felt something grab his finger. It was the one-year-old boy. The teenagers managed to pull both children to safety, but then came another terrifying discovery. The baby wasn’t breathing. Thankfully, other motorists had stopped to help, including people trained in CPR. They immediately began lifesaving efforts, and after several frightening moments, the little boy started breathing again. He was airlifted to hospital, and later reports confirmed that the mother and both children were alive and recovering. What started as an ordinary drive turned into five teenagers helping save an entire family. These young men didn’t hesitate when it mattered most, and they deserve some serious recognition.

He wrote a farewell letter to his wife before deploying. He never imagined she would have to read it after he was gone. On March 4, 2002, Navy SEAL Petty Officer First Class Neil Christopher Roberts fell from a damaged MH-47 Chinook onto a snow-covered mountain in Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda. He was 32 years old, a husband to Patty and father to their young son Nathan. Born in Woodland, California, Roberts followed his father’s example and enlisted in the Navy after high school. He became a SEAL in 1992, later serving with DEVGRU (SEAL Team Six). As the helicopter approached the summit of Takur Ghar, enemy fighters opened fire. An RPG struck the aircraft. Roberts fell from the rear ramp onto the mountainside, alone on enemy-held terrain. Evidence indicated he survived the fall, set up a defensive position, and fought back before being fatally wounded. His teammates launched a desperate rescue that turned into one of the bloodiest small-unit battles of the early Afghanistan War. Seven Americans died on what became known as Roberts Ridge: - Navy SEAL Neil C. Roberts - Air Force Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman - Air Force Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham - Army Sergeant Philip J. Svitak - Army Corporal Matthew A. Commons - Army Sergeant Bradley S. Crose - Army Specialist Marc A. Anderson Roberts was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He was the first Navy SEAL killed in action during Operation Enduring Freedom. In the letter he left for Patty, he wrote that he loved being a SEAL and that if he died doing something for the Teams, he died doing what made him happy. Very few people have that luxury. To the nation he was a warrior who answered the call. To Patty he was a husband. To Nathan he was a father. To his parents and eleven siblings he was a beloved son and brother. His brothers never stopped fighting to bring him home. Rest in Peace, Petty Officer First Class Neil Christopher Roberts.