“Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.” - Heraclitus
I have taken the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail to make it the Warriors and Brothers in Arms Trail. I hope to provide a little education, fun, challenge, and just maybe an appreciation for the generations of Americans who put their lives on the line so that we may enjoy our freedoms – to include Geocaching. These vignettes are not comprehensive histories – all factual errors are mine. If you find an error, contact me so that I can fix it.
His Story
August 2020 update
On Oct. 17, 2005, 35-year-old Army Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe was one of the few soldiers in his unit to escape his burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle after it was struck by an improvised explosive device. The enemy was now targeting the blast site with small-arms fire, but instead of taking cover and tending to his wounds, Cashe went back into the roaring inferno to rescue his trapped comrades — over and over again.
While on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, the IED explosion ignited the lead Bradley vehicle’s fuel cell, spewing fuel all over Cashe in the gunner’s hatch. Initially sustaining only light injuries, Cashe extricated himself from his hatch, assisted the driver to escape the vehicle, and extinguished the flames on the driver’s body.
However, the blast had left the vehicle entirely engulfed in flames, and six American soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were still inside. Here is an excerpt from Cashe’s Silver Star citation:
Without regard for his personal safety, Sergeant First Class Cashe rushed to the back of the vehicle, reaching into the hot flames and started pulling out his soldiers. The flames gripped his fuel soaked uniform. Flames quickly spread all over his body. Despite the terrible pain, Sergeant First Class Cashe placed the injured soldier on the ground and returned to the burning vehicle to retrieve another burning soldier; all the while, he was still on fire.
Cashe helped remove all six soldiers, still alive, as well as the interpreter’s body, while additional soldiers arrived on the scene to witness his heroics. A testament to Cashe’s tremendous sacrifice was the fact that he initially escaped the vehicle with slight injuries but left the scene with worse injuries than the comrades he saved; 72% of his body was covered in second- and third-degree burns. Cashe died from his wounds on Nov. 8, 2005.
There is a petition for this action to be upgraded to a Medal of Honor - I will update this cache when that happens - He is more than Hero#4
Cache is not at the posted coordinates
77 57 12 56 57 99 79 17 25 60 31 72 20 78 61 78 61 96 13 58 54 00 31 72 20 89 69 67 76 13 16 61 51 69 73 71 99 69 58 54 96 13 40 71 63 78 61