AMERICAN HERO OF THE WEEK! 7-11-2010

• Awarded: Soldier's Medal

Practice makes perfect, and for U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sergeant Clayton Gorton, cross-training with NATO coalition troops while serving together in Afghanistan is one of the most important aspects of their mission.

"Working with foreign troops is a unique experience because we all have different ways of approaching situations," said Gorton. "They are all very professional and they know what they are doing, but training together is really important to ensure that we respond to situations in the same way."

In July 2009, Gorton was leading 15 German and American Soldiers through a grenade training session in Afghanistan. His group was situated behind a five-foot berm and the throwing line was 50 meters away.

"I told them when we were training that if any grenade didn't make it over the berm, we were to get down to the ground quickly," said Gorton, to avoid lethal injuries from the shrapnel.

As they came to the line one by one he instructed them to release the grenade and throw it over the berm. After the first fourteen Soldiers successfully detonated the grenades, Gorton watched as the last grenade was released and then hit the top of the berm, sending the live grenade back toward the throwing position. The German Soldier who threw the grenade turned to run, but Gorton jumped on the Soldier and threw him to the ground. As the grenade exploded about 15 feet away, sending shrapnel flying through the air, Gorton protected the Soldier from possible lethal injuries.
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