The story of Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe captured the attention of the military community as the citation for his Silver Star awarded for bravery in Iraq circulated on the internet years after his passing. With tremendous grassroots support, his Silver Star was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in 2021.
Now the Association of the United States Army has continued its long running, and incredibly popular, graphic novel series about Medal of Honor recipients by honoring the sacrifice of Alwyn Cashe.
The graphic novel is penned by comic book industry pro Chuck Dixon and illustrated by other industry veterans who have drawn for every comic from Spiderman to Justice League. Now they turn their talents to telling Cashe's incredible story.
Cashe served in the Gulf War, in the Balkans, and then took a drill sergeant assignment prior to being assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division during the second Iraq conflict. In October 2005, the insurgency was heating up as Cashe's mechanized infantry unit was assigned to role of keeping critical main supply routes open.
On October 17, 2005, Cashe led a Bradley armored vehicle convoy which was struck by an IED outside Samarra. The fuel cell on the vehicle was immediately ablaze and Cashe was covered in flames as he escaped the vehicle.
Despite being on fire himself, Cashe went back into the Bradley to recover his teammates and drag them to safety. With severe burns over most of his body, Cashe was medically evacuated back to the United States where he succumbed to his wounds weeks later.
Cashe's story of selfless sacrifice served as an inspiration to a new generation of American soldiers.
The graphic novel is available to be downloaded or read online free of charge at the AUSA website.