Amazing Alumnus
Rusty Bradley ’93 Student, Soldier, American Hero by Col. Ron Spearman ’64
Bradley briefs an Army Ranger during the Battle for Sperwan Ghar.
“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:8 (NIV) tttttt A hero is defined as a person noted or admired for nobility, courage, or outstanding achievement. A hero can also be a great warrior. Rusty Bradley, former Army Green Beret and best-selling author, is a man that fits all of these definitions. After graduation from Mars Hill College in 1993, Rusty enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served with the 25th Infantry Division for three years and with the famed 82nd Airborne Division from 1997-2003. In 1999, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, and graduated as a Second Lieutenant. In 2003, he attended and successfully completed the Special Forces Qualification course to become a U.S. Army Special Forces officer. During his third deployment in Afghanistan, in 2006, NATO launched Operation Medusa, the largest military operation in its history. The Canadian Military conducted the main attack. As a supporting effort, three Special Forces A-teams, were to conduct reconnaissance of the valley, distract 10
Mars Hill, the Magazine | Spring 2015
Taliban forces, and establish blocking positions to the south. One of those teams, including 60 Afghan Army soldiers operating under its leadership, was commanded by then-Captain Bradley. As often happens in war, operations did not go as planned. With the Special Forces teams and their Afghan partners watching from the other side of the valley, the main coalition attack ran into stiff resistance and a Taliban counterattack threatened the success of the entire operation. Realizing this, Bradley and his comrades quickly identified Sperwan Ghar, a decisive piece of high ground in the valley, as the key to regaining the initiative and enabling the attack to continue. The small force of approximately 80 men, led by Bradley’s unit, assaulted the hill and entered into a brutal firefight with close to 1,000 insurgents. Against all odds, through grit, enthusiasm, discipline, and craft, the extremely outnumbered Special Forces and their Afghan Army allies wrested an impossible victory from a much larger enemy force. The group held its position over nine days of intense fighting, protecting its Canadian allies, and