Medal of Honor Recipient SFC Alwyn Crendall Cashe: A True Tale of Heroism and Sacrifice

Most of us like to think that we are brave, that we’d walk through the flames to save a life. Most of us like to THINK that, but then there are those very few who actually have.

Meet Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant First Class Alwyn Crendall Cashe. This man not only walked through the flames, he did so while he himself was in flames, and he did this six different times!

While on tour in Iraq, the armored vehicle he and his men were riding in hit an IED. The explosion left SFC Cashe covered in fuel but barely injured. Despite this, he performed the work of a true hero and pulled out his driver to extinguish the flames. He then went back into the vehicle to extract the rest of his men one at a time.

As his uniform was covered in fuel, he caught fire himself. However, he ignored this, as well as the enemy fire, and continued to remove all his men from the burning vehicle. Afterward, he refused medical evacuation until his men went first. SFC Cashe later passed away from his injuries weeks after the incident.

This man risked his life, despite being barely hurt, to save his men. Had he stopped, he might have survived and remained healthy. However, he chose to focus on taking care of his men before himself. That is the truest form of heroic behavior. It is hard to imagine how many of us could truly do something like this.

SFC Cashe was initially awarded the Silver Star but was posthumously granted the Medal of Honor for his selfless and heroic actions. His widow received the Medal from President Joe Biden on December 16, 2021.

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