Profiles of Valor: U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Worthan
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Early one morning at Shkin Fire Base in Afghanistan, four miles from Pakistan's border, a platoon of American forces encountered heavy enemy fire from the surrounding mountains. While the base took random gunfire almost daily, this attack was well-planned and relentless; it would last 12 hours, with insurgents using AK-47s, RPGs and mortars.
When the targeted platoon began taking casualties, then-Capt. Ryan L. Worthan, serving with the 10th Mountain Division, left the safety of the base where he had been providing fire support and went to the front lines. On the front he was able to orchestrate the evacuation of casualties while coordinating the continued counterattack against the insurgents with both air and ground fire.
Worthan's courageous actions led to the elimination of more than 20 al-Qa'ida and Taliban guerillas. For his actions that day, Worthan was awarded the Silver Star and most recently, the Alexander E. Nininger Award for Valor at Arms by the U.S. Military Academy's association of graduates.