 On September 8, 2009, Captain William Swenson and a joint combined team of U.S. and Afghan forces came under enemy fire during combat operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. What went wrong? In war, one always has a plan. You have an expectation of what the outcome will be. On that day, as usual, the plan changed. The outcomes changed. Captain Swenson was a mentor embedded in Afghanistan. His mission was to help the Afghan forces understand their American counterparts. The captain was part of a contingent on their way to meet with the village elders in Gunjigal when Taliban forces ambushed the mission. Well, as we approached the village, we received contact. At first the contact was sporadic and this is where we started trying to utilize the effects of artillery to mitigate the enemy's ability to maneuver around us. Enemy forces dealt out an arsenal of attacks ranging from rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns. Captain Swenson led a group of Marines and Afghan forces into enemy fire multiple times to search for the wounded. Returning to the kill zone of final time, Captain Swenson and others again exposed themselves to recover three fallen Marines and one Navy corpsman. Could I have done anything different? No. But could I always hope that the outcome could have been different? Yeah. Hopefully, nobody else ever has to feel that outcome. And that's the important thing from that day, what we learn, how we move forward. His leadership effectively disrupted the enemy's assault and ensured accountability of team members. For his bravery above and beyond the call of duty, Captain William Swenson will be presented the Medal of Honor by the President at a ceremony in the White House on October 15th.