Wesley Holt

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Wesley Holt, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 29 December, 2004, near Combat Outpost Tampa, in Iraq. Following a massive truck bomb attack that left one American dying and many others wounded, Staff Sergeant Holt’s Stryker was ambushed while racing to reinforce Combat Outpost Tampa when it too was attacked from ambush about a half mile from the Outpost. Staff Sergeant Holt and a comrade prepared charges under the cover of the Strykers, then ran out to un-detonated and highly-unstable bombs previously placed by the insurgents. While enemy fire struck around them, the two men prepared their charges, detonating the IEDs and clearing the road.