By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 29, 2021
Under fire from a charging gunman, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Moriarty stood and fired his handgun at the M16-wielding assailant who minutes earlier had killed two unarmed Special Forces soldiers.
His actions during the brazen attack on a convoy of U.S. soldiers at the security gate at Jordan’s King Faisal Air Base allowed another Green Beret to slip around a barrier to flank and disable the attacker.
Moriarty was shot twice, including once in the heart, and died on a medical evacuation aircraft over an hour later.
On Wednesday, more than four years after the deadly incident and on the day he would have celebrated his 32nd birthday, Moriarty’s family accepted a Silver Star Medal awarded for his courageous last stand.