Area soldier earns medal for actions

Specialist Lenhart's truck caught fire and slid, but he avoided hitting a gun truck in front of him.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CHAMPION -- A 20-year-old Champion High School graduate who saw active Army duty in Iraq for a year has been honored for his actions during an attack on his convoy of delivery trucks.
Specialist Scott Lenhart, who is stationed at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border, returned from Iraq in June after driving a Freightliner tractor -- pulling a 40-foot trailer there for a year -- in the 594th Transportation Company. He delivered items such as military personnel, food, water and concrete barricades, he said.
On Nov. 8, 2004, the humvee lead gun truck was hit by a bomb near Fallujah. The explosion punctured the humvee's fuel tank, igniting fuel on the road, and the shrapnel hit the humvee's driver in the elbow, Lenhart said.
The incident earned Lenhart an Army Commendation Medal with Valor. The interchange is considered one of the most dangerous sections of road in Iraq. The convoy was returning to its base camp at Taji, 17 miles north of Baghdad.
Account
According to a narrative submitted when Lenhart was nominated for the medal, the soldier displayed actions above and beyond the call of duty that day.
"SPC Lenhart heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct under fire by coming to the aid of fellow soldiers," the narrative states.
"The gun truck [in front of Lenhart's semi] spun around 180 degrees, spewing flaming fuel all over the road and SPC Lenhart's truck," the narrative says. "The burning fuel caused the tractor-trailer to slide and catch on fire.
"Despite the lack of visibility caused by smoke, debris and a shrapnel-riddled windshield, SPC Lenhart managed to maintain control of the system and avoid hitting the gun truck in front of him. The tires on his truck were burning, which gave him almost no traction.
"His phenomenal driving ability prevented the trailer from jackknifing, despite the rate of speed at which he was traveling. As soon as his truck stopped, SPC Lenhart exited the vehicle and provided security" with his weapon, it says.
As a Combat Lifesaver, Lenhart then gave medical care to the humvee driver.
Lenhart's "excellent knowledge of main supply routes, choke points and convoy procedures allowed him to negotiate roads and extreme weather conditions without loss or damage to equipment," it continues.
More accomplishments
Also during that year, Lenhart "drove continuously with little rest" more than 60 days, the narrative said. He was also key in moving two military units to Fallujah in preparation for Operation Phantom Fury.
"His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service," it concluded.
The narrative also notes Lenhart drove more than 20,000 miles during his deployment without any accidents or incidents, earning him the Company Safety Award for the month of December 2004.
Lenhart graduated from Champion in 2003 after spending two years in the auto service program at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center.
He first started thinking about a career in the military when he entered high school. The terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001, "had a lot of influence on" his decision to enlist when he was a high school junior, he said.
He left for his nine-week basic training in July of 2003, a little more than a month after high school graduation. His Combat Lifesaving training followed that.
runyan@vindy.com