Captain Eric Quidley deployed as the lead logistician for the 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps, on the outskirts of Qalat, in Zabul Province, Afghanistan.

While deployed, Captain Quidley trained over 3,000 Afghanistan National Army personnel on logistics operations. In addition, he logged more than 4,000 miles of convoy duty and supported 60 combat operations. Directing convoys on mostly unpaved, treacherous terrain, Captain Quidley was frequently the target of insurgent small arms, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and mortar fire, as well at risk from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

In an effort to reduce casualties, Coalition military leaders considered establishing an additional forward operating base (FOB) 30 kilometers north of FOB Apache. Captain Quidley and his executive officer loaded into a package comprised of two gun trucks and headed to the proposed area to conduct a site survey. The pair completed the survey without incident and began the trek home with Captain Quidley driving the lead vehicle. Shortly into the journey, the pair spotted a 30-vehicle civilian convoy stopped alongside the road. The two Afghan Security Guard (ASG) trucks at the front of the convoy were caught in an ambush, with one guard killed and several others wounded.

Despite numerous threats to his personal safety, Captain Quidley courageously sped his vehicle toward the enemy forces, causing them to retreat. Outgunned and outmanned, Captain Quidley then maneuvered his vehicle between the enemy forces and the convoy, shielding the bullet-ridden ASG trucks from further barrage.

Captain Quidley’s selfless actions preserved the lives in the convoy and helped strengthen relations between the United States and Afghanistan. For his gallantry while deployed, Captain Quidley received the Bronze Star Medal.