Civilian Contractor Senses a Trap, Grabs Green Beret and Proceeds To Light Up Taliban
Up until last week, very few knew the heroic story of Brandon Ray Seabolt, 53, a civilian contractor with the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency. However, the story can now be told because the former Green Beret was awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions in Afghanistan.
According to Breitbart, Seabolt’s story of decorated heroism began when he was on a joint mission involving U.S. forces and Afghan commandos on Dec. 17, 2015.
As soon as the men “stepped into the courtyard of a compound,” Breitbart reported, Seabolt knew something was wrong. He’d noticed that there was an open door in front of him and something about it didn’t sit right.
“There was an open door, and I said, ‘That’s not normal,'” he said, according to a Defense Department news release.
It was then, according to Breitbart, that Seabolt grabbed an Army Green Beret named Mike, who was in front of him, and pulled him to the side. Almost instantly, Taliban terrorists opened up machine gun fire the Americans and allied forces.
Seabolt joined the fight. He grabbed his gun and laid down suppressing fire at the open door as the Green Beret he’d grabbed went out and began dragging nine of the wounded out of the compound.
“I just knew we needed to get the wounded guys out,” Seabolt told Breitbart. “So I just told Mike, ‘Hey keep working on those, I’ll keep them pinned down and focused on me.'”
As time went on, Seabolt said he began to feel a little nervous when the last of the wounded were dragged out and he was left alone.
He knew he was in a tough spot.
“They picked up their fire a good bit and I thought, ‘Well, this could get ugly here,’” he told Breitbart. “But then Mike came back literally a couple minutes later and I heard him engaging again, and so I knew that we would be all right at that point.”
He would later credit the Green Beret for saving his life saying, “If he had not come back into the compound, when I was there by myself, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
The two weren’t done fighting, though.
Seabolt stepped out from his cover to attract enemy fire to himself while Mike slipped to the open door where he then proceeded to throw two grenades. Five enemy fighters were then killed by Seabolt and Mike when they tried to run out.
Two Afghan commandos were killed that night while four Afghan commandos, a translator, and two U.S. Special Forces soldiers were wounded. Those wounded, however, would soon recover.
Seabolt’s actions would gain him the Silver Star and eventually the Medal of Valor, which is the highest award a civilian can receive from the Pentagon for bravery.
Army Lt. Gen. Darsie Rogers, deputy director of Defense Threat Reduction Agency and former commander of Special Operations Command, said the award was well merited.
“For a short period of time, Ray was the sole remaining member of that fighting position, and single-handedly fended off an insurgent onslaught until his fellow soldier returned,” he said, according to Breitbart. “Ray’s quick thinking, his determination, and great nerves are why we are so proud of him today.”
The contractor, moreover, plans to head back to the war-torn country knowing that there’s always the chance he may have to fight again.
He said, “There’s always the possibility. When you’re around a bunch of SF guys, you’re bound to get into trouble, so —.”
Sounds like there might be another story or two in his future.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
