Afghan Guide

Lore & Background

Swenson graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science in 2001. He was commissioned from Officer Candidate School as a United States Army infantry officer in September 2002. His military education includes Basic and Advanced Infantry Officer Courses, Ranger School, and Airborne School. He has deployed three times in the war on terror, once to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. At the time of the Battle of Ganjgal, Swenson was a captain in 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, detailed as an Embedded Trainer for the Afghan Border Police. He left the U.S. Army in February 2011 and lived in Seattle, Washington. In October 2013, Swenson requested to return to active duty. On March 14, 2014, he was accepted back onto active duty and served as a plans officer at the I Corps headquarters. In 2014, Swenson was named 'Alumnus of the Year' by Seattle University. In March 2016, he was assigned to United States Army South. In December 2017, he earned a Master of Arts in Security Studies Western Hemisphere from the Naval Postgraduate School. In August 2018, Swenson took the place of Major General James E. Livingston on the board of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. Swenson was promoted to lieutenant colonel on October 31, 2019.

Reader's Guide

Swenson's Medal of Honor action occurred on September 8, 2009, during an operation to connect the Afghan government with native elders in the Ganjgal Valley in Eastern Kunar Province, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. The coalition force's 106-man column was ambushed by as many as 60 insurgent fighters. Swenson called for air support, crossed 50 meters of open space under direct enemy fire to administer first aid to his wounded sergeant, and responded to Taliban demands for surrender by throwing a hand grenade. He and comrades moved wounded to a helicopter for evacuation before returning to the enemy's 'kill zone' for at least two more trips in an unarmored vehicle to evacuate additional wounded. Swenson's party rescued and recovered several Afghan National Security Force wounded and dead, and recovered four fallen U.S. servicemen. The firefight caused 15 coalition deaths, including the four U.S. servicemen; Swenson's sergeant, Kenneth Westbrook, died of his wounds after returning from Afghanistan. Swenson's actions are believed to have directly contributed to saving more than a dozen Afghan lives.

Did You Know?

• Swenson was the first living officer to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
• Footage of Swenson from a camera on a helicopter was the first time part of an event leading to the Medal of Honor was filmed.
• Swenson's Medal of Honor recommendation was lost in the Army's email system, causing a significant delay.
• Dakota Meyer wrote that if it were not for Swenson, he would not be alive today.