On December 12, 2005, Sergeant Machan’s patrol convoy incurred an improvised explosive device attack in Ghorak, Afghanistan, which injured four soldiers. Guided by Sergeant Machan’s calm and strong leadership, the remainder of the patrol secured the area, conducted clearance drills and breached a lane to the wounded soldiers. Realizing the seriousness of their injuries, Sergeant Machan provided direction to his team to safely extract, treat and evacuate the soldiers despite the potential risk to him and to his patrol.