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 Cesar E. Mojica, United States Army, for gallantry in action as the Intelligence and Operations Sergeant for Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 7422 (ODA-7422), Special Operations Task Force 74, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM – Afghanistan XX. Sergeant First Class Mojica, United States Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct and gallantry in the face of direct enemy fire as the ground force commander for and Advisor for a company of Commandos from 3rd Special Operations Kandak, Commandos clearing an enemy strong hold in the denied terrain of Mirza Kalay Village, Mya Neshin District, of Afghanistan. Sergeant First Class Mojica placed himself repeatedly and directly in the line of fire against superior enemy forces in order to allow friendly forces the freedom of movement to clear the objective and free multiple elements pinned down under withering enemy fire to maneuver to safety, direct close air support, and re-attack the enemy. Sergeant First Class Mojica’s actions allowed his team and the commandos the time and space to gain and maintain fire superiority over the enemy. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the combined joint special operations task force Ð Afghanistan, the Special Operations Task Force Ð South, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
Sergeant First Class Cesar Mojica, United States Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct and gallantry in the face of direct enemy fire as the Intelligence and Operations Sergeant for Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 7422, Mirza Kalay, Mya Neshin District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM – Afghanistan XX. On 12 September 2013 from approximately 0521 to 1838, Sergeant First Class Mojica was the Ground Force Commander and advisor for a Company of Afghan Commandos, tasked with clearing a village used by insurgents to stage attacks on Afghan and Coalition Forces in severely denied terrain, known to be an insurgent stronghold. Immediately upon landing in the area, special intelligence indicated a large number of insurgents in the area establishing ambush positions and defenses in preparation for the clearing elements descent into the valley. Sergeant First Class Mojica maneuvered the Commandos and Advisors to a command and control support by fire position, which immediately identified approximately 30 insurgents preparing ambush and defensive positions to attack the element. Sergeant First Class Mojica quickly called for, and received approval, to engage the enemy with close air support killing at least 10 insurgents and thwarting the initial coordinated enemy attack, which facilitated the clearing forces descent into the valley. Upon reaching the valley floor the maneuver element came under heavy and effective enemy PKM and small arms fire. Sergeant First Class Mojica, again, called for close air support and directed his support by fire position to engage multiple enemy fighting positions, while accurate enemy suppressive fire impacted his fighting position. Sergeant First Class Mojica called for emergency re-supply after several hours of continual fighting, directing the pilots in placing timely, and accurate re-supply to both friendly locations, enabling Commandos and Advisors to maintain momentum during the ongoing fire fight. Sergeant First Class Mojica received special intelligence of an insurgent counter-attack coming from the south in the valley and directed a platoon of Commandos and Advisors to maneuver on the enemy, effectively denying enemy assault. The clearing element that maneuvered south became pinned down due to overwhelming enemy fire and Sergeant First Class Mojica exposed himself multiple times in the face of effective enemy fire to engage the enemy, as well as direct friendly forces and close air support. While commanding and controlling multiple maneuver elements and close air support simultaneously, Sergeant First Class Mojica’s position continued to receive persistent and heavy volume of enemy PKM, small arms fire, and sniper fire. Upon completion of clearing over 1.5 kilometers of the valley floor, the clearing element began ascending the mountain. Sergeant First Class Mojica’s position began receiving an oppressive amount of intense accurate suppressive PKM, small arms fire, sniper fire, and RPGs, from three enemy fighting positions, effectively pinning his position down. Despite the concentrated enemy fire, Sergeant First Class Mojica left cover to engage and kill three enemy fighters who were maneuvering to his location 400m from the southwest. He then maneuvered the clearance force into reinforcement positions, countering the enemy assault, directing danger close air support from multiple aircraft, and maneuvering all personnel safely to the extraction point. Sergeant First Class Mojica’s actions throughout the 13 hour battle ensured the survivability of friendly forces and defeated the enemy’s attacks multiple times. His unwavering leadership in the face of enemy fire was directly responsible for an estimated 103 enemy killed in action. Sergeant First Class Mojica’s actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service. His conduct reflects great credit upon himself, the Combined Joint Task Force Ð Afghanistan, Special Operations Task Force Ð South, and the United States Army.