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An American soldier who gave his life to protect three comrades from a suicide bomber in Iraq will receive a posthumous Medal of Honor on Wednesday at the White House.
A struggle soon ensued between one of the men and Atkins, who used hand-to-hand combat techniques to subdue him, Aijo said.
"All of the sudden, I see Travis wrap the guy up, and he lifts him up, and he slams him to the ground," Aijo said. "Honestly, the first thought that crossed my head was how impressive the slam was."
But something was wrong, Aijo said. "Once they hit the ground, the way Travis began positioning his body, it seemed strange to me. I didn't know what was going on."
Atkins was still holding the man down, but positioning himself more toward the other soldiers, Aijo said.
"Mind you our medic is feet away, I am feet away up in the gun turret," he said. "That's when the detonation happened."
Suicide bombers were not common in the area Atkins' unit operated, Aijo said.
"It all happened so quickly, that my initial thought was that maybe they had hit or rolled onto an [improvised explosive device] ... maybe artillery, mortars -- something," Aijo said. "It didn't become more clear to me until the second man came around and he also detonated."
The unit later learned that the men were using grenade-detonated suicide vests, Aijo said.
"Travis would have seen that; it would have been clearly obvious and he had that split second to make that decision. And that was the decision he made -- to sacrifice himself so that we could all live," Aijo said.
For some people, the military is a calling. That was the case for Army Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins, who reenlisted during the height of the Iraq War after a break in service. It was a decision that led to his death, but his dedication to the cause saved the lives of three of his fellow soldiers, and those actions are now earning him the Medal of Honor.
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