Brendan O'Connor (soldier)

Sergeant Major Brendan W. O'Connor (born 1960) is a retired Special Forces medical sergeant in the United States Army. On April 30, 2008, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic action in Afghanistan.[1][2] The DSC is the nation's second highest award for valor (after the Medal of Honor) and this was only the second time since the Vietnam War that the medal was awarded.

MSG Brendan W. O'Connor
Born1960 (age 62–63)
West Point, New York
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1980–2016
RankSergeant Major
Unit7th Special Forces Group
Battles/warsOperation Enduring Freedom
Awards

Early life

Brendan W. O'Connor was born at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, the fifth of six children, to LTC Mortimer O'Connor and Elizabeth O'Connor. After his father died in combat in Vietnam, the family settled in Moorestown, New Jersey, where he attended Moorestown High School.[3] Brendan enlisted in the United States Army Reserve (USAR) and enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Valley Forge Military Junior College at Wayne, Pennsylvania, in 1978. He was commissioned in 1980 and served as the executive officer of a Special Forces team, later as a rifle platoon leader and rifle company commander, and then as a team commander.[4]

In 1994, he resigned his commission in the Reserves and enlisted in the Active Army to become a Special Forces medical sergeant.[1] In 2005, he deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom as a medical sergeant and a team's operations sergeant.[4]

Heroic action

On June 23, 2006, O'Connor and his team were ambushed by over 250 Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan. During the ensuing 17½ hours of intense combat, two soldiers were seriously wounded. The Afghan translator with the team radioed for permission to kill the two wounded soldiers and himself to prevent the Taliban from capturing, then torturing, mutilating, and executing them.[5]

O'Connor started to crawl out to assist the two wounded soldiers but could not get low enough to avoid detection. He then removed his body armor and slowly crawled toward the two soldiers, taking a full 90 minutes to crawl 200 yards, while machine gun bullets passed close enough to cut down the grass around him. Eventually reaching the wounded, O'Connor gave them first aid, then moved them to a more secure position.[6] Afterwards the team sergeant was killed, at which point O'Connor took command of the team.[7]

Covered by a United States Air Force plane, the team was able to withdraw. They suffered two dead and one seriously wounded but had killed over 120 Taliban fighters.[8]

In a ceremony at Fort Bragg, O'Connor was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross while two other soldiers were awarded Silver Stars (one posthumously).

Awards and decorations

Distinguished Service Cross

Brendan W. O'Connor
Service: Army
Organization: (ODA-765), Company A, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne)
Division: Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Master Sergeant Brendan W. O'Connor, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in combat as the Senior Medical Sergeant for Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 765 (ODA-765), Company A, 2d Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, in Panjawal District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. On 24 June 2006, while conducting Operation KAIKI, Sergeant O'Connor led a quick-reaction force to reinforce a surrounded patrol and rescue two wounded comrades. He maneuvered his force through Taliban positions and crawled alone and unprotected, under enemy machinegun fire to reach the wounded soldiers. He provided medical care while exposed to heavy volumes of Taliban fire, then carried one of the wounded 150 meters across open ground to an area of temporary cover. Sergeant First Class O'Connor then climbed over a wall three times, in plain view of the enemy, to assist the wounded soldiers in seeking cover while bullets pounded the structure around them. Sergeant First Class O'Connor assumed duties as the detachment operations sergeant and led the consolidation of three friendly elements, each surrounded, isolated, and receiving fire from all directions. Sergeant First Class O'Connor's distinctive accomplishments and dedication to his comrades are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.[9]

Commendations
Width-44 scarlet ribbon with width-4 ultramarine blue stripe at center, surrounded by width-1 white stripes. Width-1 white stripes are at the edges.
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Width-44 green ribbon with central width-8 flag blue stripe flanked by a pair of width-2 yellow stripes. At distance 6 from the edges are a pair of width-4 yellow stripes.
Badge Combat Infantryman Badge
1st row Distinguished Service Cross Bronze Star
2nd row Meritorious Service Medal
with 1 Oak leaf cluster		 Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal
3rd row Army Good Conduct Medal
with silver clasp and 2 loops		 Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal
with 1 Oak leaf cluster		 National Defense Service Medal
with 1 Service star
4th row Afghanistan Campaign Medal Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
5th row Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon
with Award numeral 8		 Armed Forces Reserve Medal
with bronze hourglass device		 Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon
with Award numeral 4
6th row Army Service Ribbon Army Overseas Ribbon NATO Medal
for service with ISAF
Badges Master Parachutist Badge Pathfinder Badge Air Assault Badge
Tabs Special Forces tab Ranger Tab

Family

He is married to Margaret Elizabeth (née Garvey); they have three sons and two daughters.[10]

See also

References
  1. Henry Cunningham (May 1, 2008). "Medic gets Distinguished Service Cross". The Fayetteville Observer. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008.
  2. MilitaryTimes Hall of Valor
  3. "Proclamation honoring Master Sergeant Brendan O'Connor by the Township Council of Moorestown Township" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  4. "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH" (PDF). U.S. Army. April 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  5. "MSG Brendan O'Connor – Someone You Should Know". Blackfive.net. May 2, 2008. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  6. Kevin Maurer (May 3, 2008). "Green Beret gets DSC for crawl to save soldiers". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  7. Gavin MacRoberts (May 1, 2008). "Soldier awarded service award". TWEAN Newschannel of Raleigh, L.L.C. Retrieved 2 October 2009. After saving the soldiers, O'Connor took over his Special Forces team, after their team sergeant had been killed. He then lead them to victory over the attacking Taliban Fighters.
  8. "Green Berets Recount Deadly Taliban Ambush". CBS News 60 Minutes. April 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  9. "Brendan W. O'Connor, Distinguished Service Cross". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  10. "O'Conner Biography".
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