Medal of Honor recipient laid to rest at Arlington

Medal of Honor recipient U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery Oct. 27, 2020.

Shurer was awarded the Medal of Honor Oct.1, 2018, for his actions in Afghanistan on April 6, 2008. Members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Secret Service, previous Medal of Honor recipients and his family gathered to honor Shurer as he was laid to rest.

Shurer was honorably discharged in May 2009 and became a special agent in the Phoenix, Ariz., office of the United States Secret Service. He was later selected for the agency’s Counter Assault Team and assigned to its Special Operations Division in Washington, D.C. He lived in Burke, Va., with his wife and two sons. Shurer was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2017, and died May 14, 2020 as a result of the disease. He was 41.

Soldiers assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson Platoon and 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) conduct military funeral honors for Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II on Oct. 27, 2020 at Arlington National Cemetery. Shurer was awarded the Medal of Honor Oct. 1, 2018 for his actions in Afghanistan on April 6, 2008. Members from the U.S. Army, U.S. Secret Service, previous Medal of Honor recipients and his family gathered to honor Shurer as he was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. (Army photograph by Sgt. Steven Lewis)

Shurer was born Dec. 7, 1978, in Fairbanks, Alaska, to parents both serving in the U.S. Air Force. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 2002.

As a senior medical sergeant during the Battle of Shok Valley in April 2008, he and his team were attacked by an enemy force of more than 200 fighters. Shurer fought for more than an hour to reach part of his unit, killing several insurgents along the way. He was initially awarded a Silver Star for this action, but in 2016 The Pentagon upgraded this recognition to a Medal of Honor. He received the latter honor in a White House ceremony on Oct. 1, 2018.

The story of Shurer’s actions that day are the subject of a chapter in the book No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan.

Lt. Gen. Francis M. Beaudette (Commanding General of the United States Special Operations Command) gives Miranda Shurer (wife of for Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II) a flag that resembles Shurers sacrifice to his country as his military funeral comes to a close on Oct. 27, 2020 at Arlington National Cemetery. (Army photograph by Sgt. Steven Lewis)

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson Platoon; soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard); and the U.S. Army Band, “Pershing’s Own;” conduct modified military funeral honors with funeral escort for U.S. Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Oct. 27, 2020. (Army photograph by Elizabeth Fraser)

Rev. Bob Cilinski conducts funeral rights over the casket of Staff Sgt. Ron J. Shurer II at Nativity Catholic Church Oct. 27, 2020 Burke, Va. Shurer was awarded the Medal of Honor Oct.1, 2018, for his actions as a Green Beret medic with 3rd Special Forces Group during the Battle of Shok Valley in northeastern Afghanistan April 6, 2008. He was part of a team sent to capture or kill several high-value members of the Hezb-e Islami al Gulbadin militant group. (Army photograph by Staff Sgt. Kyle Alvarez)

President Donald J. Trump arrives at the Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 1, 2018. Shurer was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions while serving as a senior medical sergeant with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task-Force-33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on April 6, 2008. (Army photograph by Spec. Anna Pol)

From left, Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan, Secretary of the U.S. Army Dr. Mark T. Esper, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey participate in the Medal of Honor Induction Ceremony for former Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va., Oct. 2, 2018. Shurer was awarded the Medal of Honor Oct. 1, 2018 for actions while serving a senior medical sergeant with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task-Force-33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on April 6, 2008. (Army photograph by Spec. Anna Pol)

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