US defence chief endorses awarding top war medal to Black soldier killed in Iraq attack
US defence chief endorses awarding top war medal to Black soldier killed in Iraq attack
On condition of Trump's support, Alwyn C. Cashe could become the first Black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor, 15 years after his death following an ambush in Iraq
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A campaign to get Alwyn C. Cashe the Medal of Honor began in 2011 [Twitter]
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has endorsed post-humously awarding the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valour in combat, to a soldier who died from burns sustained while acting to save fellow soldiers in Iraq in 2005.
Esper expressed his support in a letter to members of Congress who are pushing for Army Sargeant 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe of Florida to receive the award, which would be an upgrade from the Silver Star he previously received for his actions.
Esper wrote that a final decision is up to President Donald Trump.
Cashe was riding in a tank in Iraq's Salahuddin province when it hit an IED, which ruptured the fuel tank and burst into flames, and was subsequently bombarded with gunfire. The group's translator was killed immediately in the explosion.
Cashe, who was covered in fuel, went back into the burning vehicle three times to rescue his six fellow soldiers, suffering second and third-degree burns on 72 per cent of his body.
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He died in hospital less than a month later.
The Washington Post reported that Cache would be the first Black service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
A campaign for Cashe to be awarded the Medal of Honor was launched in 2011.
Esper wrote that before final action can be taken, Congress must waive a requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the event for which the service member is being honored. A waiver is seen as likely.
Read also: To defeat systemic racism, America must end endless war
Esper was responding to an inquiry by three House members - Stephanie Murphy, a Florida Democrat; Michael Waltz, a Florida Republican, and Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican. In a statement the three said they would push for a congressional waiver for Cache's case. They said Cache was raised in Oviedo, Florida, which is in Murphy's district.
Nearly 5,000 US service members died fighting in the Iraq war.
It is estimated that around half a million Iraqi civilians were killed by violence of war-related causes since the US invasion in 2003 - an event that destabilised the entire region for decades to come.
Agencies contributed to this report.
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