The Story:
One of the creeds of the U.S. armed forces is that they will never leave a comrade behind. In the last several years, coalition forces have also risked their lives to protect Iraqi Security Forces. Army Cadet Clarence Ketterer is one of these soldiers: He successfully rescued numerous Iraqis following a deadly attack two years ago.
Ketterer served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from June 2005 to June 2006, with the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment of the Michigan Army National Guard. While stationed in Habbaniyah, Iraq, he was a Squad Leader responsible for conducting raids, patrols, searches, counter-intelligence and counterinsurgency operations.
On October 10, 2005, then-Staff Sgt. Ketterer’s platoon encountered a dangerous situation. A suicide bomber had hit an Iraqi patrol in Kalidiyah. Ketterer’s platoon arrived to assess the scene, and it became clear that the Iraqi element needed immediate help.
Ketterer ordered his vehicle between the bombed Iraqi vehicle and enemy fire, to protect several wounded Iraqis. Disregarding the danger around him, Ketterer left safety to assist a medic on the ground evacuating Iraqi soldiers from the kill zone.
Still needing to buy time before an ambulance arrived, Ketterer took the fight to the enemy. He organized the soldiers into a defensive position where they could better target the hostile forces. As the ambulance arrived, Ketterer simultaneously assisted in loading the wounded while laying down suppressive fire against the insurgents. Ketterer also successfully guided the ambulance from the battlefield.
For saving the lives of coalition forces, Ketterer received the Bronze Star Medal with Valor. He has also been awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal.
A native of Warren, Michigan, Ketterer began his military career in 1999 as a member of the ROTC of Central Michigan University. Ketterer sought out a career in the armed forces at an early age, and he credits his grandfather’s service in the Korean War as an inspiration. In 2004, he participated in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Siani, where he oversaw treaty agreements between Egypt and Israel. The Central Michigan University senior currently serves as a Company Executive Officer on campus, and is a double major in sociology and history.