WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Oviedo soldier who died while rescuing fellow service members from a burning vehicle in Iraq was one of three awarded the Medal of Honor during a ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe received the Medal of Honor posthumously along with Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz. The Medal of Honor was also awarded to Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee, who will be attending the ceremony set to begin at the White House at 1:30 p.m.
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Cashe was serving in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded next to the vehicle he used while on patrol. He ran back into the vehicle to save soldiers trapped inside, suffering burns to about 70% of his body.
The Florida native died from his injuries at 35 years old on Nov. 8, 2005, at a military hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
The Medal of Honor usually must be awarded within five years of the act that merits the award, but Congress frequently passes waivers to that rule. In this case, it happened last year in a bipartisan bill signed by then-President Trump, allowing the Dept. of Defense to formally recommend to the president that Cashe be awarded the medal.
Cashe will be the first Black service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Watch the full ceremony below: