Sgt. Gregory Ruske (DOD photo)
Sergeant Ruske, a juvenile corrections officer in Denver, has another job too. In his spare time, he fights with the Army in Afghanistan.
In April, while serving with 3rd Platoon, A Company, Task Force Gladiator, Combined Joint Task Force 101 in a remote part of Kapisa province, he and his fellow soldiers were ambushed by Taliban fighters.
Ruske laid down covering fire to allow his platoon to get to safety, then climbed to a rooftop to continue fighting. He took a bullet to the hip. He also saw an Afghan Police Officer pinned down and trying to crawl away. Bullets were hitting the dirt just inches from his head.
“‘Man, this is jacked up,’ Ruske recalled thinking. ‘They are still shooting at this guy. He is still bleeding and shot. And I said, “We have to go get him.’†(Armed Forces Press Service)
After arranging for cover fire, Ruske and Spc. Eric Seagraves ran into the open, grabbed the injured Afghan, and dragged him to safety. Although wounded, both the policemen and Ruske survived.
A juvenile corrections officer from Colorado, a Soldier and a warrior, Sergeant Gregory Ruske is our hero of the week.
Army Sgt. Gregory S. Ruske, center, and an interpreter try to calm Afghan National Police officers he helped save after they were wounded in combat in the Afghanya Valley of Afghanistan’s Kapisa province, April 21, 2008. Ruske, the interpreter and the officers were on patrol as part of Combined Joint Task Force 101 when they came under insurgent attack. Ruske will receive the Silver Star for his actions. (U.S. Army caption and photo)
For a full account of the battle, read “Army Reservist to Receive Silver Star for Heroism in Afghanistan.”
To hear a recap in his own voice, click on DefenseLink, and scroll down to the “Kirby and Company” inteview.
