Military Service

Army Ranger, combat infantryman with the elite 10th Mountain Division, and veteran of 485 days of fierce fighting along the Afghan-Pakistan border, Captain Sean Parnell’s unique leadership skills welded his platoon into one of the most fierce and effective American fighting units in modern military history. Repeatedly outnumbered and outgunned by a foe whose avowed purpose was to overrun his platoon and behead his Soldiers so that their torturous deaths could be filmed and posted on Al Qaida propaganda websites, Sean’s “Outlaws” battled furiously in the most rugged terrain on the planet—the towering Hindu Kush Mountains. Eighty-five percent of his platoon received Purple Hearts for wounds incurred in battle, but his men gave far more than they received. Outlaw Platoon killed over 350 enemy fighters in some of the biggest firefights of the Afghan War.



Not only did he lead his men against Taliban, Haqqanni and Al Qaida fighters, but his platoon was repeatedly attacked by uniformed members of the Pakistani military on the Afghanistan side of the border. In January, 2007, a Pakistani frontier corps force joined an Al Qaida-led mass assault on Sean’s platoon, then stationed in a remote and half-completed combat outpost scores of miles from the nearest friendly base. The ensuing battle created an international incident and led directly to a confrontation between U.S. State Department officials and the Pakistan government. Sean was wounded in action on June 10, 2006 when his platoon was nearly overrun for the first time by a force that outnumbered them almost ten to one. Refusing to leave his men as they battled the enemy at point-blank range, Sean was knocked unconscious and wounded two more times during the firefight. Each time, he returned to his feet to lead his men again. His selfless example prompted one of his Soldiers to remark later, “Sean Parnell saved us all.”

After the June 10, 2006 battle, Sean continued to suffer from untreated head and neurological wounds. For weeks after, cerebral-spinal fluid leaked from his ears and nose while he continued to patrol with his men. His dedication to his men came at great personal cost: when he returned home following the 06 deployment, his wounds forced him from the Army and he was medically discharged. His platoon remains one of the most decorated Army units since 9-11.