North Carolina Army National Guardsman Discusses Silver Star Heroics at Coca-Cola 600

Each week ExtenZe Racing awards a local hero with a $1000 award and VIP treatment at the track during race weekend. During the Memorial Day weekend, I had the honor to spend some time with Silver Star recipient and fellow North Carolina Army National Guardsman, CWO4 James B. Herring. Chief Herring was the ExtenZe Local Hero during the Coca-Cola 600.

Chief Herring serves with Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group out of Roanoke Rapids, NC. During his 2006-2007 deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Chief Herring earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Bronze Star and Purple Heart among other awards.

On December 23, 2006, Chief Herring was the ground forces commander for a five-vehicle patrol outside of FOB Gabe, near Baquabah, Iraq. The patrol was searching for an insurgent cell responsible for IED and RPG attacks on coalition forces. It was during this patrol that Chief Herring's heroism earned him the military's third most prestigious award, by saving 23 lives that night.

"Intelligence was telling us who was in charge of it and where they were, where they lived. So we went into the village to try to locate them. We went in there in the dark at night-time, before it got daylight," Chief Herring said.

"The streets were empty, which was kind of unusual for that village," Chief Herring laments. "I guess they knew the Army was in there, so they were all hiding in their houses. So we were driving through the streets looking for people who were doing not what they were supposed to be doing. We saw some guys with guns and we drove down the street and got ambushed. Not a big ambush, but we took a lot of small arms fire from our right side."

Chief Herring had three US vehicles in his patrol, along with two other coalition vehicles with Iraqis. One by one, they turned down an unfamiliar narrow street and without stopping turned towards someone holding a machine gun.

A machine gun round hit Chief Herring's driver SPC Steve Haas in the right thigh and his HUMMV subsequently crashed. While SGT Broughton Aragon was shooting his machine gun to the left, two insurgents were on the right with machine guns. Chief Herring then opened the door and shot them. After they were down, he returned to the truck and heard SPC Haas was shot. Chief Herring then called on the radio for a medevac.

The next thing Chief Herring did was get back out of vehicle and try to call the Iraqi forces vehicles into the fight. But those vehicles were immobilized for reasons unknown to him.

While running behind his truck, an RPG landed about 30 feet away. The concussion knocked Chief Herring to the ground. He rolled right back up and went to the drivers side with SFC John Masson the medic, to assist SPC Haas. They moved him to another seat and Chief Herring drove the vehicle off.

With the windows broken due to multiple gunshots, visibility was very low. Chief Herring then crashed into a light pole. He was quickly able to turn the vehicle around and lead the five vehicle patrol back to FOB Gabe.

"Hearing Jim's story really makes you stop and think about the individuals we must thank every day for allowing us the opportunity to do what we love to do in this free country," said Kevin Conway, the leading Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year driver. "It's people like Jim, fighting for our continued freedom, who are the true American heroes. It's hard to imagine what Jim endured that day, but we are very grateful for the courage and bravery he displayed."

Each week at the track, Conway has the opportunity to listen to the stories that heroes like Chief Herring have to offer. ExtenZe Racing has bestowed this award on others such as Robin De Haven, who saved six in the Austin, Texas IRS plane attack, and Gary Meade, who pulled a man from a burning condo, seconds before a devastating explosion.

The list of heroes recognized by ExtenZe Racing goes on and on.