Green Beret who was awarded Medal of Honor by Trump gives first TV interview
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After being awarded the nation's highest military honor on Wednesday, Master Sgt. Matthew O. Williams made his first television appearance Friday and said that the ceremony was “overwhelming, to say the least, and extremely humbling.”
“It’s a real testament to the capabilities and what the U.S. Special Forces, specifically the Green Berets, are capable of,” Williams told “Fox & Friends.”
President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to Williams, an Army Green Beret who fought his way up a frozen mountain in Afghanistan to help rescue wounded comrades during a mission to kill or capture a terrorist leader.
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PRESIDENT TRUMP PRESENTS MEDAL OF HONOR TO GREEN BERET FOR 2008 AFGHANISTAN HEROICS
Williams, who helped save four critically wounded comrades and prevented the lead element of a special operations force from being overrun in Afghanistan, was at the White House Wednesday, joined by his wife, Kate, and their 2-year-old son, Nolan.
Williams "put his own life in great peril to save his comrades,” Trump said during the White House ceremony.
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The Texas native previously was awarded the Silver Star for his heroics during the six-hour battle on April 6, 2008, in Afghanistan’s Shok Valley. Williams was part of a joint U.S.-Afghan raid hunting Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the former Hezebela Islami Gulbadin militia, the Army Times reported.
TRUMP PRESENTS MEDAL OF HONOR TO FORMER ARMY STAFF SERGEANT WHO RESCUED ENTIRE SQUAD IN IRAQ
He was serving as a weapons sergeant with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 at the time.
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“Definitely one of the best parts is having everybody together," Williams said. "Reuniting with the team and having family and friends joining me for this moment. It’s extremely special."
Williams joined the Army in 2005. He deployed to Afghanistan multiple times throughout his military career. The battle was one of the most difficult during his time in Afghanistan, he told Stars and Stripes.
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Williams has continued to serve in the Army, assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C.
“Matt, we salute your unyielding service, your unbreakable resolve and your untiring devotion to our great nation and the nation that we all love,” Trump said before presenting Williams with the Medal of Honor.
Fox News’ Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.