VOA标准英语2014--US Awards Medal of Honor for Heroics in Bloodiest of Afghan Battles

 

US Awards Medal of Honor for Heroics in Bloodiest¹ of Afghan Battles

PENTAGON —

U.S. combat troops are withdrawing from Afghanistan, on pace to leave the country by the end of this year.  But on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama took time to honor a soldier whose actions while under fire in Afghanistan earned him the Medal of Honor.

It was a brutal² assault that has gone down as one of the bloodiest for U.S. forces in Afghanistan - a July 13, 2008 attack near the northeastern village of Wanat.

Setting up at a new outpost, former Staff Sergeant³ Ryan Pitts and his fellow soldiers faced a pre-dawn onslaught from about 200 Taliban fighters.

“Almost instantly every one of them was wounded," Obama said. "Ryan was hit by shrapnel in the arm and both legs and was bleeding badly.  Already three Americans in that valley had fallen, and then a fourth.”  

Obama said the terraces near the outpost erupted, with more fire and grenades coming from the village itself. Pitts fought back, holding off the Taliban, helping⁴ to call in airstrikes even as the attack claimed the lives of nine fellow soldiers.

“It is remarkable⁵ that we have young men and women serving in our military who day in day out are able to perform with so much integrity, so much humility⁶ and so much courage," the president said. "Ryan represents the best of that tradition.”

The Battle of Wanat, as it came to be called, was not without controversy⁷.  The mother of Corporal Jason Bogar, who died in the attack, claimed the Army made huge mistakes leaving her son, Sergeant Pitts and the other soldiers needlessly exposed.

“The Afghan villagers told them you're going to be attacked. And then the predator⁸ drones were pulled the night before," Carlene Cross said.

The Army has changed its tactics as a result.  And Pitts, now working for a software company if the proud father of a one-year-old boy.  Like the other Afghan War veterans to receive the nation’s highest military honor, he says the medal does not belong to him alone.

“The honor belongs to every man who fought at Vehicle Patrol Base Kahler, especially to those who made the ultimate sacrifice that allowed the rest of us to return home,” he said.

That medal now adorns⁹ his neck, as the president put it, a testament¹⁰ to a sacrifice that the United States must never forget.

1 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

9 adorns   

装饰，佩带( adorn的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Have adornment, the building adorns the product of material. 有装饰，就有建筑装饰材料的制品。
• In this case, WALL-E adorns every pillar. 在这段时间，Wall-E占据了各个显要位置。

10 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。