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Wainwright soldier to receive DSC

The Army’s chief of staff on Wednesday will honor a Fort Wainwright, Alaska, soldier with the nation’s second highest award for heroism in combat for fighting off an enemy ambush in Iraq last year.

Gen. George Casey will present Sgt. Gregory Williams of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, with the Distinguished Service Cross, according to a recent U.S. Army Alaska press release.

The prestigious award is second only to the Medal of Honor.

It was Oct. 30, 2006, when insurgents attacked William’s Stryker vehicle during a late-night patrol of a Baghdad neighborhood.

A barrage of explosively formed projectiles “punched through the Stryker’s armor, penetrating the engine compartment, sending a fireball through the interior of the vehicle,” according to an Army narrative of the attack.

Williams was knocked out initially. After regaining consciousness, he carried a badly wounded 1st Lt. Aaron Williams to safety, despite the burns he suffered to his legs during the ambush.

Then under heavy enemy fire, he ran back to the smoldering Stryker and fired the .50 caliber machine gun until the enemy was forced to flee the area, the narrative states.

“Sgt. Williams, though he had been knocked out, sustained [burns] to his legs, and two punctured ear drums that required surgery, thought nothing of his own welfare, and concerned himself with the health and safety of his comrades,” the narrative states.

“He took control of the platoon’s most powerful weapon and used it to gain fire superiority over the enemy, defending his soldiers while exposing himself to the risk of serious injury or death.”