(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant First Class Eric C. Horton, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as an Intelligence Sergeant in Operational Detachment Alpha 766 (ODA-766), 3d Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, in Afghanistan, on 2 July 2006. On that date, Staff Sergeant Horton and his team also faced a large enemy attack. During a mounted mission in the Helmund Province of southern Afghanistan, Staff Sergeant Horton was manning an overwatch position with a heavy sniper rifle when he was warned of a large enemy element attack on his team. He immediately began to fire on the attackers, who under the barrage of sniper fire, were forced to turn their attention to Staff Sergeant Horton’s position. Though hundreds of rounds impacted around his position, Staff Sergeant Horton moved through fire to a better vantage point and continued to eliminate Taliban attackers. A second wave of attackers moved to attempt to overrun the main element’s positions, and Staff Sergeant Horton continued firing, killing 15 enemies with 30 rounds. He was hit by a machine gun round in the shoulder which knocked him back 10 feet, but he refused aid and moved to a mounted M-240B machine gun and continued destroying enemy targets with his one good arm. He kept firing as team members packed his bleeding wound, and only when ordered to do so did he leave his position. Staff Sergeant Horton is credited with killing 35 insurgents with accurate sniper fire that night. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.