"This may be the first time we bear witness to a small portion of the action" of a Medal of Honor recipient, President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he awarded the now-retired Army captain the nation's highest military honor for his actions in the Ganjgal Valley in 2009. Swenson, who retired from the Army in 2011, is being awarded the medal for his actions on September 8, 2009, in the Battle of the Ganjgal Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar province. Obama continued: "And then Will learns that his non-commissioned officer, Sergeant 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook, has been shot in the neck. Obama recounted to an audience of fellow soldiers and families of the fallen how Swenson braved enemy fire again and again to recover the bodies of the dead Americans and Afghans. The road to this honor has not been easy for Swenson, whose nomination was "lost" for a time, prompting questions from lawmakers and an eventual internal Pentagon investigation. Swenson spoke out after the 2009 battle, criticizing his leadership for failing to provide him with adequate air support after multiple radio requests. Late Tuesday, Fox News confirmed reports that Swenson, who since leaving the Army in 2011 has spent much of his time in the wilderness of Washington state, has asked the Army to return him to active duty -- a rare request for a Medal of Honor recipient. But as Meyer received his award in 2011, suspicion arose about why Swenson's name had not come up at the White House.
– Former Army Capt. Will Swenson received the nation's highest military honor today for rescuing fellow soldiers under heavy fire in Afghanistan a few years ago, reports CNN. And in a rare move, the 34-year-old has formally asked the Army to return him to active duty, reports AP. Generally speaking, Medal of Honor recipients are out of action, but it looks like Swenson will be back in uniform fairly soon. Swenson left the military in 2011, two years after the actions during a firefight in Afghanistan's Ganjgal valley that earned him his medal. "In moments like this, Americans like Will remind us of what our country can be at its best," said President Obama at today's ceremony, as quoted by Fox News.