Image 1 of 2 ▼ A former Army medic who received the nation's highest military honor Monday for braving heavy gunfire to save lives in Afghanistan was rejected by the military the first time he tried to enlist. "I can't believe they rejected you. Boy that was a bad mistake. But they made up for it, right," President Donald Trump told former Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II at a formal White House ceremony where 250 people gathered to laud Shurer for his heroic actions in 2008 in a remote part of Afghanistan. Shurer, a native of Fairbanks, Alaska, was a senior medical sergeant in the special forces on April 6, 2008 when his team encountered machine gun and sniper fire and rocket-propelled grenades from militants. Shurer stabilized one soldier, then fought his way through a barrage of bullets and up a mountain to the lead members of the unit. There, he treated and stabilized four more soldiers. Shurer helped evacuate them, carrying and lowering the wounded down the steep mountainside, using his body to shield them from enemy fire and shrapnel. After he loaded the wounded in an evacuation helicopter, Shurer went back up the mountain to fight. "Ron was not done yet. He charged back to the mountain — all the way up — and rejoined the fight," Trump said. "For more than six hours, Ron bravely faced down the enemy. Not a single American died in that brutal battle, thanks in great measure to Ron's heroic actions." First rejected by the military because of a medical condition, Shurer enlisted again a year after 9/11. He was accepted the second time around. He was promoted from sergeant to staff sergeant in late 2006 and served with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan from late November 2007 to late May 2008. He was honorably discharged a year later. He began his career with the Secret Service as a special agent assigned to a field office in Phoenix, Arizona, in September 2009. He was selected for the Secret Service's counter-assault team and assigned to the Special Operations Division in June 2014. Advertisement Shurer lives in Burke, Virginia, with his wife, Miranda, and sons Cameron, 10, and Tyler, 7.<doc-sep>President Trump awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to Army medic Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II for "conspicuous gallantry" for actions he took in 2008 in his role as Senior Medical Sergeant in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the global war on terrorism as coined by the Bush administration. In Afghanistan's Shok Valley in April 2008, Staff Sergeant Shurer and his team were engaged by enemy machine gun, sniper, and rocket-propelled grenade fire, according to the White House. Shurer braved enemy fire to treat numerous injured soldiers before evacuating the entire team, shielding the wounded with his own body and later rejoined the fight. "Then-Staff Sergeant Shurer's heroic actions saved the lives of his teammates," the White House said in a statement. Shurer now serves as a member of United States Secret Service. President Trump presents Medal of Honor to former Army Senior Medical Specialist Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer for conspicuous gallantry during Operation Enduring Freedom, at the White House on Mon., Oct. 1, 2018. Getty "We stand in awe of your father's courage," Mr. Trump told Shurer's two sons in the audience for Monday's ceremony. "I wish I was that popular," he added following loud applause for Shurer. The president said Shurer was an "inspiration for everyone in this room" and "every citizen across this great land." Shurer told reporters after the ceremony that he was "incredibly humbled, honored to receive the Medal of Honor today." He dedicated the honor to the men he served alongside with, saying "Without them, this medal wouldn't have been possible. It was truly a team effort." The ceremony was Mr. Trump's second appearance before the press, after a lengthy press conference in the Rose Garden to tout his newly announced trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. The newser also focused on the FBI's investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and Mr. Trump said he was calling for a "very comprehensive" review of Kavanaugh's background, and suggested that there were Democratic senators he knew of who had drinking problems.<doc-sep>President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor Monday to Ronald J. Shurer, an Army medic credited with saving the lives of his teammates during a 2008 battle in Afghanistan. Now, Shurer faces another battle: Trump said during the ceremony that Shurer has been battling lung cancer for the past year and a half. “He’s braved, he’s battled, he’s worked, he’s done everything he can,” President Trump said. “He’s been fighting it every single day with courage, with strength, and he’s a warrior.” Amid his fight with cancer, Shurer continues to serve his country, as part of the United States Secret Service Counter Assault Team, which protects the president from possible attacks. “Today is a truly special day for us here in the White House, because Ron works right here alongside us,” Trump said. He described calling Shurer and his wife Miranda into the Oval Office to inform them Ron would be receiving the nation’s highest military honor. “It was a moment I will never forget,” Trump said. Shurer was awarded the medal for his actions during the Battle of Shok Valley. In the early morning hours on April 6, 2008, Shurer was one of the last U.S. Special Forces soldiers to exit a Chinook helicopter and land in the Shok Valley of eastern Afghanistan. There was a moment of quiet as the soldiers began to scale a steep hill – when suddenly everything around Shurer exploded. According to a U.S. Army narrative of what happened next, Shurer’s unit took heavy fire, including rocket-propelled grenades, small-arms and machine-gun fire. The forward assault team became pinned down and sustained multiple injuries. That’s when Shurer sprang into action. Disregarding his own safety, Shurer sprinted through the fire to reach the forward team and treat the wounded. Shurer’s heroic actions, moving through heavy gunfire multiple times to provide aid to the wounded, saved the lives of all the U.S. soldiers injured in the battle. Shurer is the 11th U.S. Army soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan and the 15th overall from that war. Though the White House and Department of Defense have recognized Shurer’s heroism, he still gives all credit to his fellow teammates. "I truly want to dedicate this to the men ... who served with me out there. Without them, this medal wouldn’t have been possible, it’s truly a team effort," Shurer told the press after the ceremony. A legacy of service Shurer grew up no stranger to military service. His grandfather was a World War II veteran. His parents were both airmen, and he spent the first few years of his life moving around the country until his family was stationed at McChord Air Force Base in Washington state, where Shurer went to high school. Shurer attended Washington State University and was in the middle of a graduate program when the events of September 11, 2001, inspired him to join the Army in 2002. Two years later, Shurer began the process to become a Green Beret. He deployed twice to Afghanistan before being honorably discharged in 2009. “Unlike anything we’d ever faced before” During that second deployment to Afghanistan, Shurer was part of Operational Detachment Alpha from the 3rd Special Forces group paired with several dozen Afghan commandos, sent to kill or capture terrorist leaders of the militant group Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin in Shok Valley. As militants rained fire down on Shurer’s unit, he heard someone shouting his name. Shurer ran to then-Staff Sgt. Ryan Wallen, a friend who had a shrapnel injury in his neck. The battle raged on. “We don't go out on a mission where we don't expect to meet some resistance, but this was unlike anything we'd ever faced before,” Shurer said. In order to reach the pinned down forward team, Shurer fought his way across several hundred meters, killing multiple militants along the way. When he reached the unit, he treated four critically wounded U.S. soldiers and 10 Afghan soldiers. At one point, a bullet went through one soldier’s arm and struck Shurer’s helmet. “It felt like I’d been hit in the head with a baseball bat,” Shurer said. “But Ron was not done yet. He charged back to the mountain, all the way up, and rejoined the fight. Not a single American died in that brutal battle, thanks in great measure to Ron’s heroic actions,” Trump said. Shurer provided aid and helped suppress the enemy fire for five and a half hours. Eventually, Shurer devised a plan to use some nylon webbing to lower the wounded soldiers who could not walk down a near-vertical 60-foot cliff to evacuate them. He shielded the casualties with his own body. “We used tubular nylon webbing to kind of wrap it around the guy's shoulders and lower them down to the next group. We did it as carefully as we could, to not cause further injury. And then, we just kind of repeated that process down the hill,” Shurer described. Thanks to Shurer’s actions, all the U.S. soldiers made it out of the battle alive. Two Afghan commandos were killed, including the team’s interpreter, Edris Khan. Shurer’s younger son’s middle name is Edris, in honor of the fallen interpreter.<doc-sep>
President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE on Monday awarded the Medal of Honor to a former Army medic who saved the lives of U.S. and Afghan troops amid a hail of enemy gunfire during a 2008 mission. Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer, who now works for the Secret Service, received the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. Trump praised Shurer’s bravery and commitment to aiding his fellow soldiers. Shurer was the lone medic to travel with a team of soldiers in April 2008 to Afghanistan’s Shok Valley, where U.S. forces were pursuing a terrorist leader in a remote mountain village. ADVERTISEMENT After his unit was pinned down by enemy fire, Shurer ran through waves of enemy fire to tend to his fellow soldiers. Shurer treated four critically wounded U.S. soldiers and 10 Afghan soldiers. “Not a single American died in that brutal battle thanks in great measure to Ron’s heroic actions,” Trump said. Happening now: Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II, Special Operations Task Force 33, receives the #MedalOfHonor for his actions on April 6, 2008 in Afghanistan, during a ceremony at the @whitehouse. https://t.co/nVfGy66VnK — U.S. Army (@USArmy) October 1, 2018 Shurer, who was honorably discharged from the Army in 2009 after two tours of duty in Afghanistan, now works for the U.S. Secret Service counter assault team. “Today is a truly proud and special day for those of us here in the White House because Ron works right here alongside of us,” Trump said. The president noted that Shurer was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago. “That cancer, he’s been fighting it with courage and with strength, and he’s a warrior,” Trump said. “Just like he faced every single battle of his entire life he’s facing a very tough battle right now with cancer.” Shurer on Monday became the 11th Army soldier to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan. Fifteen individuals total have received the honor for their service in Afghanistan.