Vet of the Month to honor Shurer
Feb. 27—The Free Press
NORTH MANKATO — American Legion Post 518 will fly a flag in March in honor of Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II.
An indoor ceremony is slated 10 a.m. Saturday at Post 518, 256 Belgrade Ave. The ceremony is open to the public.
Shurer was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, to parents both serving in the U.S. Air Force. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Spokane, Washington. He qualified to train as a Special Forces medic.
Shurer was deployed with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan in November 2007 as a senior medical sergeant.
On April 6, 2008, the team was participating in a joint U.S.-Afghan raid in the Shok Valley of Nuristan Province of Afghanistan. They were attacked by more than 200 fighters. To reach the first wounded soldier, Shurer ran through enemy fire. He continued up the mountain, returning fire for another hour, killing several insurgents to reach more wounded soldiers. He stabilized four more wounded soldiers, receiving more enemy fire including a strike to his helmet and a wound to his arm.
He then treated a soldier who lost a leg and continued aiding the injured and fighting the enemy for several more hours. He helped evacuate the wounded back down the mountain.
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 Oct. 1, 2018.
Shurer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, and May 14, 2020, he died. He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
For more information about the tribute, call Mark Conrad at 380-8405 or Post 518 at 625-1264.
