Central Florida veteran killed in action to receive long-awaited Medal of Honor

OVIEDO, Fla. — A local veteran who died heroically during the war in Iraq will finally receive the Medal of Honor he was nearly denied due to a technicality.

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U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe died on October 17, 2005 when his Bradley fighting vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device just north of Baghdad.

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Cashe was reported to have repeatedly returned to the burning vehicle, pulling six men and an Iraqi interpreter to safety while Cashe was himself on fire and exposed to enemy gunfire.

Cashe died from his injuries a month after the assault.

The White House is expected to announce that Cashe will finally be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, although a legislative loophole nearly prevented it from happening.

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Last year, Florida Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, who represents Cashe’s hometown of Oviedo, helped pass a bipartisan bill to award Cashe the Medal of Honor while also changing a federal law that previously required the medal to be awarded within five years of the actions for which it was being given.

The president signed the bill in December 2020, paving the way for Cashe to officially receive the medal.

“I am overjoyed…I wish this amazing man were alive to receive it himself,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am so happy for his family and fellow soldiers who fought for years to ensure that Alwyn received the recognition he earned.”

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A formal ceremony honoring Cashe and presenting the Medal of Honor to his family will take place on December 16.

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Cox Media Group