According to Business Insider
Former US Army Staff Sgt. Ron Shurer, who had been awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroism in Afghanistan, has sadly passed away at 41, according to the US Secret Service.
In an Instagram caption accompanying a photo of him and his wife, Miranda, the retired Army Special Forces medic on Wednesday spoke on his concern about the efficacy of his lung-cancer treatment at the Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. Shurer said he had been unconscious for a week due to his fight with cancer.
“Very upset to write this … been unconscious for a week,” he said in an Instagram caption accompanying a picture of him connected to a breathing apparatus. “They are going to try and take it out in a couple hours, they can’t tell me if it will work.”
The Washington native enlisted in the US Army one year after the 9/11 attacks and became a medic at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Two years later, he was selected for and passed the Special Forces qualification course.
In 2008, he deployed to Shok Valley, Afghanistan, his second deployment to the country, and took part in a mission to capture or kill high-value targets.
During the mission, Shurer “received word that his forward-assault element was also pinned down at another location, and the forward team had sustained multiple casualties,” the Army said.
Shurer navigated his way to the pinned troops amid a barrage of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, treating soldiers on the way.
Once he arrived, he helped treat four “critically wounded” US Army soldiers and 10 injured Afghan troops. During the battle, snipers managed to hit his helmet and wound his arm.