A Dogface Soldier: The Story of Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe

Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hull | Date Taken: 08/10/2021
On October 17, 2005, Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe, a platoon sergeant assigned to 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, extracted six Soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter from a burning Bradley Fighting Vehicle in Salah Ad Din Province, Iraq. Cashe’s platoon had been tasked to clear a route for a resupply convoy when a roadside bomb exploded beneath their vehicle, causing it to quickly become engulfed in flames. Cashe returned to the burning BFV multiple times to remove his team and move them to safety. All of the Soldiers on that vehicle, including Cashe, sustained significant burn injuries and were evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Ultimately, four of the Soldiers perished from their wounds; Cashe was the last to die, succumbing to injuries November 8, 2005. Cashe, who grew up in Oviedo, Florida, deployed in support of the Gulf War in 1991, participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and returned to Iraq in 2005. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for his brave and heroic actions, the third highest award exclusively for military operations involving conflict.