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 Michael S. Hunter, United States Army, for gallantry in action on 6 April 2010 while serving as an Intelligence Sergeant, Operational Detachment Alpha 1314 (ODA-1314), Special Operations Task Force-West, Heart Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Sergeant Hunter distinguished himself by personally destroying multiple entrenched enemies, leading Afghan Commandos for over ten hours in constant fighting while continually disregarding his own safety, and accurately and devastatingly engaging insurgents closing in on his position and the patrol. His action are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
Sergeant First Class Michael S. Hunter, United States Army, heroically distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in combat as an Intelligence Sergeant, Special Operations Task Force-West, Herat Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. On 6 April 2010, Sergeant Hunter distinguished himself by tirelessly and aggressively leading members of the elite Afghanistan National Army 4th Commando Kandak and destroying multiple enemies while serving as the Reconnaissance and Surveillance (R&S) element enlisted advisor and element leader during a 10-hour firefight in Baghdis Province, Afghanistan. Sergeant Hunter was the element leader for an R&S element consisting of 28 Commandos and four United States Special Forces operators during a reconnaissance patrol to pinpoint hardened insurgent bunkers and fighting positions in Bala Morghab District. The enemy had evacuated local civilians and established elaborate defenses to include mined wire obstacles, machinegun bunkers with overhead cover, extensive trench lines, and fortified tunnel networks. Sergeant Hunter led his element undetected through the enemy frontline defenses and successfully conducted a combat zone reconnaissance of the town of Joy Kowjah. Due to Sergeant Hunter’s thorough reconnaissance, the ground force commander was able to positively identify the enemy frontline positions while controlling all R&S elements and an overwatch element. As the R&S teams consolidated, Sergeant Hunter’s element identified a male peering out of a compound gate. Thinking it might be a civilian, he directed his element to maintain observation, but not to engage. The unidentified male retreated into the compound and returned to the gate of the compound with an AK-47 assault rifle and began spraying small arms fire at the patrol. Sergeant Hunter and his element quickly returned fire and killed the attacker and one other hostile insurgent, who appeared a short time later. Sergeant Hunter immediately reported the contact to the commander and vectored in other friendly elements to his position. As the elements consolidated on the .large compound filled with enemy, Sergeant Hunter led his team against multiple insurgents inside and around the compound, killing several more. As R&S Team One attacked the compound with grenades and gained a foothold inside, Sergeant Hunter secured the outer perimeter and fought back against an estimated seven insurgents surrounding his position. Sergeant Hunter constantly exposed himself to enemy fire to ensure proper visual recognition and de-confliction with other patrol elements. Sergeant Hunter continually coordinated with the commander to ensure his element and R&S Team One did not accidentally engage one another. Sergeant Hunter assisted the other element in completing a link up with other patrol elements in contact. As the fight inside the compound intensified and friendly force casualties were taken, Sergeant Hunter continued to fight against all threats outside the walls and assisted in securing the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) helicopter landing zone. Sergeant Hunter’s element ensured that the enemy was unable to bring effective fire to bear as the first MEDEVAC helicopter extracted four friendly wounded and one friendly killed. Sergeant Hunter’s actions were integral to the success of a second MEDEVAC mission to extract additional friendly casualties. As friendly forces fighting inside the compound continued to fight against a numerically superior, heavily armed and well-entrenched enemy, the commander requested Sergeant Hunter to form an assault element to assist in reducing fortified enemy crew-served weapon positions. Sergeant Hunter immediately formed an assault force and moved into the compound. As Commandos attempted to clear insurgent tunnels which ran throughout the compound, they were engaged at close range by the enemy and repelled. When the Commandos refused to return to the offensive and attack the insurgents in the tunnels again, Sergeant Hunter calmly stepped in front of them, moved to the nearest tunnel entrance where the enemy was firing from and personally neutralized the insurgents with fragmentation grenades and M4 small arms fire. Sergeant Hunter then proceeded to lead the clearing of insurgents from the rest of the compound with some Marine Special Operations Team operators and a few Commandos. The Afghan Commandos’ will was shaken after taking numerous casualties in such a brief span of time. Recognizing this Sergeant Hunter repeatedly led from the front by exposing himself to enemy fire, calmly destroying one threat after another at point blank range. Sergeant Hunter’s selflessness and firm resolve inspired the Commandos and enabled them to find the will to continue to fight. As further clearing revealed the true extent of the enemy’s extensive bunker and tunnel network, the commander made the decision to reduce the compound with close air support. Before withdrawing from the compound, Sergeant Hunter quickly conducted hasty Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) while under fire, securing pictures of enemy killed and their associated equipment; hasty notes for further intelligence exploitation; and consolidated over 10 heavy weapons for removal to deny them to the enemy. All of Sergeant Hunter’s SSE was done under increasingly heavy enemy fire from outside the compound. He then accounted for all of his Commandos and US forces and led the element a safe distance away from the compound After four 500-pound bombs were employed, reducing the compound, Sergeant Hunter and a small element accompanied the GFC and the Joint Terminal Attack Controller to conduct an onsite Battle Damage Assessment (BDA). The BDA team came under immediate, heavy fire from an estimated 30 insurgents as soon as they returned to the compound. Maintaining his composure under this insurgent small arms barrage, Sergeant Hunter hastily took pictures of the craters and then pulled rear guard security against the 30 attacking insurgents. Sergeant Hunter ensured that the pursuing enemy was unable to place effective fires on any of the BDA party. The patrol pushed north and linked up with the northern overwatch position and the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) element. Once linked up with the QRF element, Sergeant Hunter positioned himself on the south side of the perimeter under heavy fire and began to engage an estimated 30-40 enemy. Sergeant Hunter used his M-4 and fragmentation grenades to kill multiple insurgents at ranges from 25 to 400 meters as they attacked the patrol with sniper, machinegun, RPG, and mortar fire. Sergeant Hunter sprinted across an exposed stretch of road multiple times under heavy fire and with complete disregard for his own safety to bring critical resupply to the elements holding the southern perimeter. When the patrol ran low on ammunition, the call was made to move back to Firebase Todd to reload and refit. The withdrawal was carried out under extremely heavy fire for approximately two kilometers. For the duration of the withdrawal, Sergeant Hunter repeatedly put himself in the most exposed positions to provide covering fire for Afghan Commando’s and his fellow US Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators. Sergeant Hunter poured devastatingly accurate and voluminous fire into enemy positions as they engaged the patrol from fortified bunkers, trenches, prepared fighting positions, and compounds. Sergeant Hunter refused to allow other SOF operators to place themselves in these exposed positions and insisted on assuming rear guard duty yet again. Sergeant Hunter’s repeated heroic, selfless actions throughout the withdrawal allowed the patrol to get back to Firebase Todd without suffering any additional serious casualties. Throughout the entire 10-hour engagement, Sergeant Hunter repeatedly provided inspiration, leadership, and guidance to both SOF operators and Afghanistan Army Commandos. His courageous actions all the way through the engagement kept momentum in the friendly force’s favor and were decisive to the successful outcome of a firefight which resulted in 103 insurgents killed and countless more wound. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself: the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan, Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command – Afghanistan, and the United States Army.