By GARY HABER ghaber@tampatrib.com
Published: Nov 15, 2003
Photo by: MacDill Air Force Base
Gen. Bryan Brown, left, says it was Mitchell's "presence, leadership
and courage that made the difference in that battle.''
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE - Presenting the nation's second- highest
military honor for the first time since the Vietnam War, the U.S.
Special Operations commander saluted a soldier who ``chose courage''
under fire in Afghanistan.
Army Maj. Mark Mitchell, 38, received the Distinguished Service
Cross on Friday, two years after leading 15 men against 500 prisoners
who seized control of a fortress and its weapons.
During a bloody three days, Mitchell's unit helped save the life
of one CIA agent, recover the body of another, apprehend ``American
Taliban'' John Walker Lindh, and coordinate bombings that kept
prisoners from escaping with much ammunition.
Mitchell is ``an American hero who, when he had the chance to
decide, chose courage,'' said Gen. Bryan Brown, head of U.S. Special
Operations Command. ``It was Mark's presence, leadership and courage
that made the difference in that battle.''
Facing a MacDill Air Force Base crowd that included CIA Director
George Tenet and the slain agent's widow, Mitchell said he did
``no more and no less than my sworn duty.''
``I'm unconvinced that my actions deserve this,'' he said of the
award that ranks second only to the Medal of Honor.
Expressing sympathy for the families of all U.S. troops killed
, he said to his wife and two children looking on: ``You were
the only people I ever hoped would consider me a hero.''
Maj. Mark Mitchell is a 1987 graduate of Marquette University.
