Ronald Shurer, Medal of Honor recipient and Rogers High graduate, to be honored Friday
Rogers High School is unveiling a monument Friday honoring a graduate and Medal of Honor recipient.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II was awarded the highest military honor in October 2018 by President Donald Trump. Shurer saved several wounded soldiers under fire in Afghanistan.
The monument will be dedicated Friday, Dec. 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Rogers High School. The public ceremony will be held in the school’s auditorium.
The South Hill Puyallup Rotary Club and Veterans United Home Loans covered much of the cost of the $5,770 statue, said Jack Taylor of the Puyallup VFW.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support of the community,” Taylor said.
In 2008, Shurer’s task force was on a mission to capture or kill targets of the Hezeb Islami al Gulbadin in Shok Valley, the U.S. Military said. The troops came under fire while traveling through the valley. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire stopped the task force. A team ahead also was pinned down and had multiple casualties, according to the Army site dedicated to Shurer.
Shurer made his way to that team amidst gunfire. On the way there, he found and treated a soldier suffering a shrapnel injury to the neck. He also returned fire on the enemy, killing some of them, while continuing to the pinned team, the site said.
When he reached the team, he treated four critically wounded soldiers and 10 Afghan commandos.
Shurer also ran 15 meters through gunfire to reach another wounded soldier, the site said. Snipers shot Shurer in the helmet and hit his arm. He got to the wounded sergeant, pulled him to cover and began to treat him. Shurer ran back into gunfire to help another soldier with a serious leg wound, according to the site.
For five and a half hours, Shurer alternated between holding off the enemy and treating the wounded. He fashioned nylon webbing into a cradle-like wrap to lower three critically wounded people down a 60-foot cliff while avoiding gunfire and falling debris, the site said.
Shurer graduated from Rogers in 1997. Puyallup School District superintendent Tim Yeomans said it’s an honor to commemorate Medal of Honor recipients.
“Their hometown is proud to take this opportunity to show our appreciation,” Yeomans said in a statement.
Shurer attended Washington State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business economics. He enlisted in the Army after Sept. 11, 2001 and became a medic. In 2006, he was deployed to Afghanistan as a Green Beret.
Since leaving the Army in 2009, Shurer has worked with the Secret Service and lives in Virginia with his wife, Miranda, and their two sons.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
