collection point and continued to
treat the wounded. With the arrival
of the medical evacuation helicopter,
Staff Sergeant Sharer, again under enemy
fire, helped load the wounded into the helicopter.
Having ensured the safety of the wounded, Staff
Sergeant Shurer then regained control of his commando
squad and rejoined the fight. He continued to lead his troops
and emplace security elements until it was time to move to
the evacuation landing zone for the helicopter. Staff Sergeant
Shurer’s actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of
military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Combined
Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, Special
Operations Command Central, and the United States Army. In
2020 Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Shurer II died due to lung cancer.
US Army photo by Specialist Anna Pol.
FIRST LIEUTENANT
GARLIN M. CONNER
UNITED STATES ARMY
First Lieutenant Garlin M. Conner distinguished himself by acts of
gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company K, 3d Battalion,
7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On the morning of
January 24, 1945, near the town of Houssen, France, German forces
ferociously
counterattacked the front
left flank of the 7th Infantry
Regiment with 600 infantry troops,
six Mark VI tanks, and tank destroyers.
Lieutenant Conner, having recently
returned to his unit after recovering from
a wound received in an earlier battle, was
working as the Intelligence Officer in the
3d Battalion Command Post at the time of
the attack. Understanding the devastating
effect that the advancing enemy armor could
have on the Battalion, Lieutenant Conner
immediately volunteered to run straight into
the heart of the enemy assault to get to a
position from which he could direct friendly
artillery on the advancing enemy forces.
With complete disregard for his own
safety, Lieutenant Conner maneuvered
400 yards through enemy artillery fire
that destroyed trees in his path and
rained shrapnel all around him,
while unrolling telephone wire
needed to communicate with
the Battalion command post.
Upon reaching the Battalion’s
front line, he continued to move
forward under the enemy assault
to a position 30 yards in front of the
defending United States forces, where he
plunged into a shallow ditch that provided
minimal protection from the advancing enemy’s
Pauline Lyda Wells Conner, the spouse of US Army 1st Lieutenant
Garlin M Conner, and their son Paul Conner, at the White House
in Washington, DC, 26 June 2018. Conner was posthumously
awarded the Medal of Honor for actions while serving as an
intelligence officer during World War II, 24 January 1945. US
Army photo by Specialist Anna Pol.
90 ARMY 245: Call to Duty