Silver Star Recipient
William Tomlin |
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After two
full days of fierce fighting
in the Helmand Province of
Afghanistan, approximately
300 enemy fighters began
closing in on SFC William
Tomlin III and his scout
platoon of 45 soldiers. They
were part of the U.S. Army's
Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st
Battalion, 508th Parachute
Infantry Regiment, 4th
Brigade Combat Team.
It was April 9, 2007, about
9:30 a.m., with the
temperature already near a
scorching 120 degrees.
Tomlin, as the scout platoon
leader, was maneuvering his
platoon near Chakak,
Afghanistan to extend the
battalion's security zone
when he heard the sharp
crack of incoming hostile
fire from enemy fighters.
Immediately, he sprang into
action and instinctively
ordered a small team of
snipers to scout for the
incoming enemy, but soon
enemy gun fire and rocket
propelled grenades rained
down on the team halting
their efforts.
Tomlin immediately rose to
the occasion to lead a
dismounted counter-attack
against the enemy forces
which had closed to within
15 meters of the platoon's
location.
"I grabbed three or four
guys with me, and we moved
into a position where we
could suppress the bad
guys," said Tomlin.
During a non-stop six hour
battle, Tomlin had one goal
in mind - keep his fellow
soldiers safe while not
being overrun by enemy
forces that had his platoon
outnumbered six to one. He
surged ahead of friendly
forces to single-handedly
employ multiple weapon
systems including
fragmentary hand grenades,
AT-4s and his M4.Simultaneously, he directed
the fires of platoon-organic
heavy weapon systems.
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By the third assault, Tomlin was suffering from severe dehydration
and was near exhaustion, according to his award citation. But, he
was able to work hand-in-hand with his Joint Tactical Air
Controller, directing the devastating effects of close air support
to within 100 meters of his platoon. Additionally, he organized
reinforcements from four separate units into a cohesive element that
ably completed the enemy's destruction. These efforts helped lead
his scout platoon to victory without a single American loss.
Tomlin's leadership, personal courage, and selfless dedication in
the presence of a determined, numerically superior enemy force were
the difference between victory and defeat on this day. For his
valorous actions, he was awarded the Silver Star.
Excerpts from an article by Jim
Moore in America's North Shore Journal, Dec. 1, 2008 |
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