Sergeant Dirkintis Wins Bronze Star
While serving as an Army medic, Army Sergeant Kyle Dirkintis served with valor and was recognized with the Bronze Star recently. Sgt. Dirkintis serves as part of the Rock regiment, the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Chosen Company. Sgt. Dirkintis was involved in a combat gun battle August 22nd, and assisted in defending his outpost against insurgent forces. He successfully defended his outpost with his fellow soldiers against 20 insurgents.
“We were surprised and didn’t know what was happening at first, it was the first incidence of contact we had experienced,†said Dirkintis. The 1st Platoon and Dirkintis grabbed their gear and got into action. Soldiers already on the outside perimeter exchanged fire with the attacking insurgents. As Sergeant Dirkintis got into the fight a new attack with grenades and rocket assisted munitions began to take place. The new attack struck the tactical operations center and the Security Afghanistan Guard post.
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The Security post for the Afghanistan station was manned by a private Afghan security company. Despite being privately owned and operated, the guards fled when attacked, leaving the wire unguarded and this allowed the attacking insurgents access into the wire.
Sergeant Dirkintis treated wounds and returned fire, even while enemy forces approached to within 40 meters of his position. The position where Dirkintis was then hit by a RPG, and things got dusty and cloudy. “The lights went off, and the antennas were blown off the building,†said Dirkintis.
Dirkintis was injured, and struggled to regain consciousness, directing other soldiers to find medical supplies. He had to be dragged from the battlefield, and was later medi-vaced to Germany.
