Honor

It's hard to describe how flattered and privileged I feel. I have just received the Danny Dietz Scholarship of Honor.

Here is an excerpt of an article about the amazing man this scholarship was created in honor of:

"The rescue helicopter had crashed. The Navy SEALS were wounded by Taliban gunmen, vastly overpowered and outmanned in the remote region of Afghanistan.

Danny P. Dietz kept fighting.

More than a year after the 25-year-old Navy SEAL from Littleton was killed, he has been awarded the nation's second-highest military honor, the Navy Cross.

The award - one of only 20 given for valor since fighting began in Afghanistan and Iraq, and second only to the Medal of Honor - will be presented to Dietz's widow and parents during a ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 13. The medal will also be presented posthumously to the family of Dietz's teammate, Matthew Axelson, of Cupertino, Calif.

The pair were part of an elite team of four SEALs on a reconnaissance mission "tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan," according to a Navy news release.

On June 28, 2005, "They were spotted by anti-coalition sympathizers, who immediately reported their position to Taliban fighters. A fierce gunbattle ensued between the four SEALs and a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position," the Navy release said.

The SEALs radioed for help, and a responding Chinook helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing eight more SEALs and eight Army NightStalkers. It was the worst single combat loss for the SEALs since the Vietnam War.

According to the Navy, "Despite this terrible loss, the SEALS on the ground continued to fight. Although mortally wounded, Axelson and Dietz held their position and fought for the safety of their teammates despite a hail of gunfire. Their actions cost them their lives, but gave one of the other SEALs an opportunity to escape."

That SEAL, who has not been publicly identified, was sheltered by a friendly Afghan, then turned over to the U.S. military."

Jim Sheeler, Rocky Mountain News, 9/2/06

Tonight I was awarded the medal and a scholarship by Danny's family and a SEAL who was involved in the battle that took Danny's life. They are all truly remarkable people and I am extremely grateful that they chose me to receive their son's Scholarship of Honor.

Danny's father was a Hospital Corpsman and he spoke to me about the struggles and gratification of fighting to save the lives and limbs of others. He told me that things will get difficult... in school, in the hospital, or wherever my passion will take me, but to never give up. Keep fighting. Like Danny did.

The man who presented me the medal was critically injured in Afghanistan and reminded me of the sheer magnitude of the work I'm going in to. He would not be alive today if it were not for those doctors and nurses who fought endlessly to keep him going.

This award has inspired and touched me deeply. It gives me an even deeper sense of purpose and duty as I prepare to go off to college. Danny, his family, and the people he served with will always be on my mind and near my heart. I will strive to serve Danny's memory with passion, honor and determination.