May 15 (UPI) — Former U.S. Army medic and Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II died Thursday, the U.S. Secret Service said. He was 41.
Though his family hasn’t revealed a cause of death, Shurer was hospitalized this week for treatment related to lung cancer.
“Today, we lost an American hero: Husband, Father, Son, Medal of Honor Recipient – Special Agent Ronald J. Shurer II. From a grateful Nation and Agency – your memory and legacy will live on forever. Rest in Peace,” the Secret Service said on its Twitter account.
Shurer posted Wednesday about being placed on a ventilator at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C.
“Very upset to write this…. been unconscious for a week. They are going to try and take it out in a couple hours, they can’t tell me if it will work,” he wrote on Instagram alongside of photo of himself in a hospital bed with his wife, Miranda Shurer.
President Donald Trump awarded Shurer the Medal of Honor on Oct. 1, 2018, for rendering aid to troops during a firefight in an Afghan valley.
He was honored for assisting teammates during combat with Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin in the Shok Valley in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan on April 6, 2008.
He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions, but after review military officials decided to upgrade it to a Medal of Honor.
The Special Operations Task Force’s mission Shurer took part in was to kill or capture the leader of the militant group, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, but they came under fire as they made their way through the valley. Another element of the team also came under fire at a separate location, some of whom were critically hurt.
“With disregard for his safety, Shurer moved quickly through a hail of bullets toward the base of the mountain to reach the pinned-down forward element,” the U.S. Army said.
“After providing aid, Shurer spent the next hour fighting across several hundred meters and killing multiple insurgents. Eventually, Shurer arrived to support the pinned down element and immediately rendered aid to four critically wounded U.S. units and 10 injured commandos until teammates arrived.”
The Army said Shurer saved the lives of all the teammates he treated despite being shot in the arm. He also assisted evacuating three teammates who couldn’t walk down a near-vertical 60-foot cliff while taking fire.
In addition to his wife, Shurer is survived by his sons, Cameron and Tyler.
