Sgt. 1st Class William Tomlin
Silver Star
Tomlin, of 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, is awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action on April 9, 2007, while serving as scout platoon leader in Afghanistan. He distinguished himself against an enemy force that outnumbered his own by six to one. Tomlin led several dismounted counterattacks against the enemy at the risk of his own life and demonstrated leadership, personal courage, and selfless dedication, the award citation stated. His example of bravery under fire was the key component to turning a dire situation into a complete victory for the task force. Tomlin enlisted in the Army in March 1995 and is from Barkhamsted, Conn.
Silver Star Winner Talks With Press
About 9:30 a.m., with the temperature already climbing toward 120 degrees, Army Sgt. 1st Class William Tomlin III heard the sharp crack of incoming fire. Nearly 300 “bad guys” were closing in on the 45 soldiers and forward air controllers under his command.
It was April 9, 2007, another day in the war in Afghanistan and the third straight day of fighting for Tomlin’s platoon. A native of Barkhamsted, Tomlin, 31, would on this day display gallantry under fire that this month made him the recipient of the Silver Star, the third highest decoration that can be awarded to a member of the armed forces.
The six-hour battle began with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades raining down on a small team of snipers Tomlin had ordered forward to scout for the incoming enemy.
Tomlin rushed to the rescue.
“I grabbed three or four guys with me and we moved into a position where we could suppress the bad guys,” Tomlin recalled in a telephone interview from his North Carolina home on Thursday. His voice was calm and steady as he recalled the events that led to the medal, presented to him by President Bush on May 22.
It was the first of several actions taken with “complete disregard for his personal well-being” which led to the decoration. The battle culminated with more than 50 enemy fighters killed and not a single American loss. Tomlin led the effort throughout, spotting trouble shortly after the opening shots when the enemy attempted to flank and overrun his position.
“They got to about 15 meters from us,” Tomlin recalled. “It was really a kind of a battle to see who could throw more grenades. We won that one.”
The enemy came again.
“They got within 60 or 70 meters, which in machine gun language is pretty close,” Tomlin said.
According to the Army, Tomlin saved lives on that scorching day, organizing his own unit and three reinforcing platoons into a cohesive combat team which stood its ground until the ammunition nearly ran out.
By early afternoon, after being told the next batch of ammunition was 24 hours away, Tomlin decided that it was time to move out. He led his men east into the desert, then south on a 24-kilometer journey to relative safety.
BY JIM MOORE REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN via The Two Malconents
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