Former Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha, a 4th Infantry Division soldier who led a counterattack after one of the most violent enemy offensives in Afghanistan, is the focus of the latest graphic novel in the Association of the U.S. Army’s series on recipients of the nation’s highest award for valor.

Medal of Honor: Clint Romesha recounts his actions as a section leader in Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, in the division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, during a massive ambush by a heavily armed enemy at Combat Outpost Keating in the Kamdesh District of Nuristan Province on Oct. 3, 2009.

A native of Lake City, California, Romesha enlisted in September 1999 as an armor crewman and has deployed to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the morning of Oct. 3, 2009, Romesha and his soldiers woke up to an attack by some 300 enemy fighters who had surrounded the soldiers’ combat outpost and were firing recoilless rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft machine guns, mortars and small-arms fire, according to Romesha’s Medal of Honor citation.

Moving under intense enemy fire, Romesha conducted a quick reconnaissance of the outpost and sought reinforcements from the barracks before returning to action with the support of an assistant gunner, according to the citation.

Romesha took out an enemy machine gun team and, while engaging a second, was peppered with shrapnel when the generator he was using for cover was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Ignoring his injuries, and with the help of another soldier and the assistant gunner, Romesha again rushed through the exposed avenue to assemble more soldiers, the citation states.

He mobilized a five-man team and returned to the fight equipped with a sniper rifle. With complete disregard for his own safety, Romesha repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he moved about the battlefield, engaging and destroying multiple enemy targets, including three Taliban fighters who had breached the outpost's perimeter, according to the citation.

As the battle raged, Romesha maintained radio communication with the tactical operations center, and as enemy forces unleashed a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades and recoilless rifle rounds, he identified the point of attack and directed air support to destroy over 30 enemy fighters, according to the citation.

Romesha and his team provided covering fire for seriously wounded soldiers. His team then pushed forward 100 meters under unrelenting enemy fire to recover their fallen comrades.

Though eight soldiers were lost, Romesha's heroic actions throughout the daylong battle were critical in securing the lives of many others and the outpost, giving Bravo Troop the opportunity to regroup and reorganize.

He left the Army in 2011 and moved with his family to North Dakota, where he took a job as a field safety specialist for an oil company.

Romesha received the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on Feb. 11, 2013, after which he said, “This award is for the eight soldiers that didn’t make it and for the rest of the team that fought valiantly and magnificently that day. I will forever be humbled by their bravery, their commitment to service and their loyalty to one another.”

Medal of Honor: Clint Romesha is available here.

AUSA launched its Medal of Honor graphic novel series in October 2018. This is the 25th novel in the series. The digital graphic novels are available here.

“This book is a great addition to our Medal of Honor series, a contemporary story of a fierce ambush in which Staff Sgt. Romesha played a heroic role,” said Joseph Craig, director of AUSA’s Book Program. “I’m proud of the work the creative team did to bring Romesha’s story to life.”

Each AUSA graphic novel is created by a team of professional comic book veterans. The script for Medal of Honor: Clint Romesha was written by Chuck Dixon, whose previous work includes Batman, The Punisher and The ‘Nam.

Artwork and the cover were by Geof Isherwood, who has worked on The ’Nam, G.I. Joe and Conan the Barbarian; colors were by Peter Pantazis, who previously worked on Justice League, Superman and Black Panther; and the lettering was by Troy Peteri, who has worked on Spider-Man, Iron Man and X-Men.