The 21st century began the start of a new millennium; the beginning of a period filled with the promise of discoveries and advancing technologies. But with new eras also come new wars, battles between certain areas that have perhaps always been contentious, leading to civil wars or invasions of different territories; others are based on issues that have never gone away, like the war on terrorism. Since the start of the 21st century, more than 22 wars have commenced, many of which are still underway.
One of the more significant conflicts is one that started at the turn of the century, the Global War on Terrorism, which began in October 2001 when the United States and its allies attacked Afghanistan in the wake of the terror attacks in the U.S. Two years later, the war expanded into Iraq. The U.S. removed troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 and saw an end to its Iraqi presence in December of that same year (some troops remain in Iraq to advise and train the nation’s special security council).
Over these 21 years, American servicemen have distinguished themselves in combat in both those countries. To compile a list of the most decorated American war heroes of the 21st century, 24/7 Tempo consulted reference material from the Department of Defense, Spec Ops Magazine, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. We only considered recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Silver Star, and the highest individual awards from three military branches – the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the Air Force Cross.
This list is compiled of men who were each awarded two or more medals of valor while in combat. Representatives of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, some of them were wounded trying to protect their fellow injured service members, and two – Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor and Army corporal and medic Angelo Vaccaro – were slain in the line of duty. Monsoor and Vaccaro are but two of the 5,364 military personnel who have died in the War on Terror as of Sept. 12, 2022. Monsoor is the only one on this list who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. (Don’t miss the most highly decorated women in American Military History.)
Michael Monsoor
- Medals of Valor: Medal of Honor. the Silver Star
Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor was awarded his medals posthumously for his actions in Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. Monsoor was a Master-at-Arms Second Class when he deployed with a Navy spec-ops task force as part of a sniper team on a rooftop in Ramadi, one of the most dangerous Iraqi cities at that time. Insurgents surrounded the sniper team shortly after dawn and attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.
A grenade hit Monsoor in the chest and landed in front of him and two other Navy SEALs. Monsoor threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion. He saved the two SEALs but not himself. He died from his wounds a half-hour later.
David Cooper
- Medals of Valor: Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star
Army Chief Warrant Officer David Cooper, who had been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq 23 times during the War on Terror, was flying a helicopter on November 27, 2006, in central Iraq, leading a group of aviators supporting a ground-deployed spec-ops team as it moved toward a staging site in the open desert. When a rocket-propelled grenade disabled his wingman’s helicopter, Cooper stayed on to support the team protecting the crash area. Enemy fighters swarmed the area and attacked the ground forces who weren’t covered.
Cooper flew into enemy fire and attacked the fighters to deflect attention from the ground troops. When his ammunition was spent, Cooper landed near the crash site, and the ground troops helped him reload with the rounds from the downed helicopter.
Mark L. Donald
- Medals of Valor: Navy Cross, the Silver Star
When Lieutenant Mark Donald’s convoy came under heavy fire from rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on Oct. 23, 2003, in Afghanistan, he sprang into action. The Navy SEAL returned fire while pulling a wounded Afghan soldier to safety. Donald, a combat medic, then grabbed a wounded Marine wedged behind the wheel of a truck. Even as bullets ripped his clothes, Donald continued to treat the Marine’s wounds.
After evacuating some of the wounded, Donald went looking for other wounded soldiers while evading machine-gun fire. He provided medical treatment until all the wounded were evacuated. After he left the military, Donald became a public speaker. He also is the author of the book “Battle Ready: Memoir of a SEAL Warrior Medic.”
Erich Phillips
- Medals of Valor: Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star
Army Sergeant Erich Phillips was a 23-year-old mortar platoon sergeant stationed at a mountainside outpost in Nuristan province in Afghanistan on the morning of Aug. 22, 2007, when insurgents launched a rocket attack against about two dozen members of his unit. The insurgent force was estimated to be three times their size and they almost overran the position.
The platoon’s medic suffered a chest wound, and Phillips dragged him to safety. The unit fought off the attack, with half of them wounded in a three-hour battle, before A-10 Warthogs arrived and strafed the area to push back the enemy.
Paul D. Fiesel
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars
Army Master Sergeant Paul D. Fiesel received his first star in December 2008 for leading a special-ops detachment and Afghan troops that relieved another special-ops team under fire from as many as 400 enemy fighters and helped withdraw wounded soldiers. He was awarded the second star following an engagement with the enemy in September 2011. Fiesel was on patrol with a spec-ops detachment when a four-man team from his unit came under heavy fire from enemy fighters armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. He led another four-man group that attacked the enemy and rescued the trapped U.S. soldiers.
Angelo Vaccaro
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts
Army Corporal Angelo Vaccaro was a line medic with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division deployed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province who was awarded his first Purple Heart and first Silver Star when, despite his shrapnel injury, rescued another severely injured soldier and treating wounded soldiers under withering enemy fire. He was awarded the second star following an engagement with the enemy in October 2011.
Fiesel was on patrol with a spec-ops detachment when a four-man team from his unit came under heavy fire from enemy fighters armed with heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. During this encounter, a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, killing him immediately. He is the first U.S. soldier to receive two Silver Stars for his actions in the Global War on Terror.
Kirk Foster
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars
Sergeant First Class Kirk Foster was stationed with the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment in Iraq. Foster would distinguish himself in October 2005 by earning two Silver Stars that month. According to the citation for the second medal, while under enemy attack from direct fire and grenades, Foster “led an assault on an insurgent stronghold.” According to the citation, “His heroic leadership, courage under fire, and aggressive spirit saved lives by eliminating the enemy threat to his fellow Rangers.”
Sean Harvell
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars
Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean Harvell served with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron in Afghanistan when he earned two medals while he was deployed as a combat controller working with soldiers and Marines. On May 8, 2007, he helped dozens of troops escape an ambush. During the 10-hour firefight, Harvell helped direct a medevac helicopter to its landing zone and also coordinated air support.
His official citation says he exposed himself to enemy fire as close as five meters (about 16 feet) and directed strafing runs within just 45 feet of his position. Heroism in Afghanistan gave way to tragedy in America. In 2016, Harvell drowned near his home in Long Branch, Calif. (Five years earlier, his brother, Staff Sgt. Andrew Harvell, was killed in Afghanistan in 2011 when his helicopter was shot down.)
Ismael Villegas
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 09: Van Cleave Award Recipient Technical Sgt Ismael Villegas and Actor Tony Sirrico attend the 49th USO Armed Forces Gala & Gold Medal Dinner to Honor Military Heroes and Volunteers at 583 Park Avenue on December 9, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for USO of Metropolitan New York)
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars
Air Force Tech Sergeant Ismael Villegas was a joint terminal attack controller with a U.S. Army Special Forces team in Bagh Khosak, Afghanistan on Sept. 24, 2009, when he earned his first Silver Star. His three-man team was clearing explosives from the roadside when they were ambushed by enemy fighters using remote-controlled explosive devices and heavy machine gun fire.
With his teammates pinned down, Villegas sprinted about 200 meters across an uncleared minefield to get into a better fighting position. He returned fire while calling in air support, which routed the enemy and spared the lives of Villegas’ teammates. He earned his second star during action from Feb. 6-24, 2011 when he gathered intelligence on enemy positions, coordinated air strikes, and pulled a wounded teammate to safety.
Ted C. Westmoreland
- Medals of Valor: Two Silver Stars
Army Master Sergeant Ted C. Westmoreland was a medic with the U.S. Army Special Forces and earned his medals for actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, on July 25, 2003, his unit assaulted a building that held two of the most wanted targets in Iraq at the time. During the ensuing firefight, Westmoreland avoided enemy fire to save the lives of his teammates, earning him his first medal.
He received his second medal during operations in Afghanistan from Dec. 4 to Dec. 11, 2003. On a mission behind enemy lines, in what was described in his citation as a “mass casualty incident,” he is credited with saving numerous lives, both Americans and Afghans, despite being wounded and under enemy fire.