Retired Navy SEAL From Western Mass. Is Awarded Medal Of Honor

Updated May 24, 2018

Alex Ashlock

President Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt K. Slabinski during a ceremony in the White House Thursday. Slabinski oversaw a daring 2002 assault and rescue mission on a snowy Afghanistan mountaintop and carried a "seriously wounded teammate down a sheer cliff face" while leading "an arduous trek across one kilometer of precipitous terrain, through waist-deep snow while continuing to call fire on the enemy." (Susan Walsh/AP)

A former Navy SEAL from western Massachusetts has been awarded the Medal of Honor.

Retired Navy Master Chief Britt Slabinski is a veteran of SEAL Team Six. The Northampton native was honored Thursday at the White House for risking his life during a 2002 rescue mission in Afghanistan that took place on a snow-covered mountainside. The team fell under fire by al-Qaida, and several SEALs died.

There has been some controversy in the special operations community about honoring Slabinski. In total, seven Americans died in the battle, and some reports say among the dead was a man who was left behind alive when the SEALs evacuated.

This article was originally published on May 24, 2018.

Retired Navy SEAL From Western Mass. Is Awarded Medal Of Honor

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