HOW STEFFEN KNOSKA SAVED A COMRADE’S LIFE UNDER ENEMY FIRE

On June 7, 2009, A Platoon of the security company came under such heavy attack along the “Little Pluto” route in the Kunduz area that a Dingo wheeled vehicle was knocked out and blocked the road.

Staff Sergeant Steffen Knoska was not far from the site of the attack at the time, and as squad leader of the reserve force he was ordered to help the pinned-down comrades.

When he reached the disabled Dingo with his soldiers, the enemy opened fire again. Bursts of rifle fire and anti-tank rounds struck all around the men. Out of the corner of his eye, Knoska saw one of his comrades get hit and go down screaming. Thinking fast, and with no regard for his own life, the staff sergeant ran straight to the wounded soldier, returned fire and tried to recover him on his own. The position the wounded senior private had gone down in, combined with the enemy fire, made that impossible. “I realized I wasn’t going to get him out on my own,” Knoska said later. His example pushed the other soldiers of the platoon to fight back and to join the rescue. One soldier who tried to help him was shot as well, but was able to get himself to safety. Knoska himself was hit in the combat helmet by a round, and the helmet saved his life.

The weight of return fire soon made it clear to the insurgents that they were losing the engagement, and they pulled back quickly. With two comrades, Knoska finally got the badly wounded soldier out of the fight and handed him over to the medics.

Staff Sergeant Steffen Knoska played a key role in saving the wounded man and drove his soldiers on through his brave and selfless conduct under fire. On January 22, 2010, he was awarded the Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr for Bravery (Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr für Tapferkeit).