'YOU MAKE US PROUD' Army vet gets Medal of Honor for Afghan heroism

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  May 13, 2014: President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Army Sgt. Kyle J. White during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.AP

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  April 23, 2014 file photo of U.S. Army Specialist Kyle White during a news conference in Charlotte, N.C.

A former Army sergeant who risked his own life to save a fellow soldier during a 2007 ambush in Afghanistan was awarded the Medal of Honor on Tuesday at the White House, becoming only the seventh living recipient of the top military honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. 

"You make us proud," President Obama said, in presenting the award to former Army Sgt. Kyle White. 

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White, in brief remarks after the ceremony, credited his team and described his "fallen brothers" as his heroes. 

"Without the team, there could be no Medal of Honor," he said. "That is why I wear this medal for my team." 

An Army account of the attack says White and his team of 14 U.S. soldiers, along with Afghan National Army soldiers, were ambushed Nov. 9, 2007, after attempting to hold a meeting with village elders in the village of Aranas in Nuristan province. 

During the exchange of fire, White was knocked unconscious. 

When he came to, most of his platoon had slid for cover down a cliff but he stayed. 

Left at the top with White were platoon leader 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, Spc. Kain Schilling, Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks and the group's interpreter. White set about trying to assess the condition of his fellow soldiers, running and crawling through gunfire only to find Ferrara already was dead and Bocks badly wounded. Though he tried to stop Bocks' bleeding, the Marine later died. 

Suffering from concussions, White treated Schilling's injuries and used one of the unit's radios to call for help.

When a helicopter arrived after nightfall, White only allowed himself to be evacuated after the wounded were assisted.

The citation read at the ceremony said White acted "without hesitation," exposing himself to "heavy fire" to help the others. 

White, a 27-year-old Seattle native, is now living in Charlotte, N.C. 

White retired from the Army in 2011. He graduated from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte with a finance degree and now works as an investment analyst at a bank in Charlotte.

In his first public discussion of the attack, White said that after the ambush, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He urged veterans suffering from the illness to get help. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Published on: 9:13 PM

Brandeis U. Decides Against Honor for Islam Critic

After taking heat from some of its own over a decision to grant an honorary degree to an advocate for Muslim women who has made comments critical of Islam, Brandeis University withdrew the planned honor Tuesday night.

The university said in a statement that Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali would no longer receive the honor at the May 18 commencement.

Ali, a member of the Dutch Parliament from 2003 to 2006, has been quoted as making comments critical of Islam. That includes a 2007 interview with Reason Magazine in which she said of the religion, "Once it's defeated, it can mutate into something peaceful. It's very difficult to even talk about peace now. They're not interested in peace. I think that we are at war with Islam. And there's no middle ground in wars."

Brandeis, outside Boston in Waltham, Mass., said it was not aware of Ali's statements earlier.

"She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights, and we respect and appreciate her work to protect and defend the rights of women and girls throughout the world," said the university's statement. "That said, we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University's core values."

Ali was raised in a strict Muslim family, but after surviving a civil war, genital mutilation, beatings and an arranged marriage, she renounced the faith in her 30s. She declined to comment this week to The Associated Press.

More than 85 of about 350 faculty members at Brandeis signed a letter asking for Ali to be booted off the list of honorary degree recipients. And an online petition created Monday by students at the school of 5,800 had gathered thousands of signatures from inside and outside the university as of Tuesday afternoon.

"This is a real slap in the face to Muslim students," said senior Sarah Fahmy, a member of the Muslim Student Association who created the petition said before the university withdrew the honor.

"But it's not just the Muslim community that is upset but students and faculty of all religious beliefs," she said. "A university that prides itself on social justice and equality should not hold up someone who is an outright Islamophobic."

Thomas Doherty, chairman of American studies, refused to sign the faculty letter. He said it would have been great for the university to honor "such a courageous fighter for human freedom and women's rights, who has put her life at risk for those values."

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, said, "It is unconscionable that such a prestigious university would honor someone with such openly hateful views."

The organization sent a letter to university President Frederick Lawrence on Tuesday requesting that it drop plans to honor Ali.

"This makes Muslim students feel very uneasy," Joseph Lumbard, chairman of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, said in an interview. "They feel unwelcome here."

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Published on: 7:43 PM