The Story:
Spc. Lemme and other soldiers were on a mission outside of Baghdad in October 2004 when a radio message alerted them that a tank had overturned into a canal. Lemme and three others went to investigate. They found an Abrams tank flipped over, with three soldiers trapped inside. Lemme and his team used tow cables attached to another tank to try and pull the overturned tank from the canal. While they were unable to haul the tank completely out of the water, the rescue team was able to raise it above the waterline. Lemme, a trained rescue swimmer, helped the three trapped soldiers escape through a hatch and swim to safety. Lemme was awarded the Soldier’s Medal on Sept. 15, 2006.