Technical Sergeant Daniel McKnight
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Craftsman, 5th Civil Engineer Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota

Technical Sergeant DANIEL MCKNIGHT hit the ground running during his deployment to Afghanistan in August 2009. He was among the first team of coalition forces to enter Now Zad, a city in the Helmand Province that had been under Taliban control since 2007.

During his first dismounted patrol, Sergeant McKnight and his team successfully cleared 10 improvised explosive devices without help from robotics. Using their ingenuity, his team devised several different ways to remotely disarm the IEDs, reducing the potential for casualties.

But it was a mission in October 2010 that Sergeant McKnight will always remember clearly. As he arrived on location to perform a battle damage assessment, the vehicle in front of his was struck hard by an IED. Soon after an all-out attack occurred. His team was assaulted by grenades and small arms fire. The U.S. Marines with whom he was working maneuvered to engage the threat, but their MK-19 grenade launcher and .50-caliber machine gun both failed.

Without hesitating, Sergeant McKnight directed his vehicle and gunner into the fight. Two rocket-propelled grenades passed within 20 meters of his vehicle and a third exploded just 10 meters away as they moved to engage the threat. Undeterred by the incoming rounds, he continued to stave off the insurgents until the Marine units were prepared to leave. With Sergeant McKnight’s team providing cover, all Marines and Airmen were able to disengage without further incident.

Sergeant McKnight’s efforts paid off. By the end of his deployment, he had safely destroyed 1,100 pounds of homemade explosives and cleared 18 IEDs. Most importantly, his actions saved countless lives while helping to return the city of Now Zad to coalition control for the first time in two-and-a-half years. For his dedicated service, Sergeant McKnight received his third Bronze Star Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.