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Silver Star
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING
Service: A
Battalion: 3d Battalion
GENERAL ORDERS:
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Master Sergeant Anthony Ray Charles Yost, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with 3d Battalion, 3d Special Forces Group (Airborne), while assigned to Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 381 (ODA-381), 3d Battalion, 3d Special Forces Group (Airborne), FOB 51, Mosul, Iraq, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 19 November 2005, at Mosul, Iraq. Master Sergeant Yost's personal bravery and selfless actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: Master Sergeant Anthony Ray Charles Yost distinguished himself exceptionally valorous conduct while engaged in combat operations against enemies of the United States during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, 3d Battalion, 3d Special Forces Group (Airborne), while assigned to Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 381 (ODA-381), FOB 51, Mosul, Iraq. In the early morning hours of 19 November 2005, while serving as the Detachment Operations Sergeant, Master Sergeant Yost was called into action to respond to distress calls from elements of the Iraqi Police Service and 2-1 Infantry, 172d Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) that were engaged in a furious battle with heavily armed insurgents in northeastern Mosul. In a dense urban area against determined opposition, the Iraqi Police (IP) had suffered four KIA and many more wounded while the U.S. infantry had already suffered 11 wounded, two of whom would later die of wounds. Master Sergeant Yost responded to their urgent calls for assistance by rapidly assembling his detachment and elements from the 2d Iraqi Army Division that had been trained and advised by SFODA 381. After organizing this response force and moving to the objective area, Master Sergeant Yost was informed that U.S. infantry had been engaged from multiple locations and were unable to secure and clear the house. Even rocket fire from U.S. helicopters had been unable to dislodge this determined enemy force. Without regard for his own safety, Master Sergeant Yost volunteered to lead an assault to secure the house. He quickly assembled a group of Special Forces and IA soldiers, and led them into the target house where they were rapidly engaged by insurgents, both inside as well as outside of the house. As the firefight raged, Master Sergeant Yost, accompanied by a squad of Iraqi Army Soldiers, fearlessly moved forward and entered the enemy stronghold. Once inside the house, Master Sergeant Yost led his Iraqi Soldiers on a room to room search, once again with total disregard for his own safety, and eliminated the insurgents inside the house. As he was consolidating his force, an enormous explosion from a hidden demolition charge engulfed the house, instantly reducing most of it to rubble and fatally wounding Master Sergeant Yost and several of the Iraqi Soldiers accompanying him. The corpses of seven insurgents were recovered from the rubble of the house as well as a cache containing explosives, mines, remote detonating devices, and a scoped rifle. Master Sergeant Yost died leading a group of Iraqi soldiers from the front, soldiers that he had trained. Rather than simply have the Iraqi Army unilaterally clear the house, Master Sergeant Yost voluntarily and audaciously led the assault element, going far above and beyond what was required of him as a combat advisor. Master Sergeant Yost's exceptional courage and leadership inspired the inexperienced Iraqi soldiers to follow him and assault a determined enemy that had already inflicted significant casualties on friendly forces, despite the immediate danger they faced. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the Command, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.
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Anthony Ray Charles Yost Son of Penny Cairnduff killed in Iraq war November 22, 2005 Soldier is 69th to die with Michigan. ties

Cheyenne Yost with plaque honoring her father at Fort Bragg

killed in Iraq war November 22, 2005 Soldier is 69th to die with Mich. ties Penny Cairnduff heard the military chaplain's words over the phone, but she didn't believe them.
Her son couldn't be dead. He was coming home from Iraq in January. And, besides, she thought, doesn't the military notify family members in person?
When she heard the knock on her front door Saturday night, reality sank in: Cairnduff's son, 39-year-old Master Sgt. Anthony Yost of the U.S. Army Special Forces, was dead, killed in a suicide bombing while working with the Iraqi army last week.
Yost, a native of Millington in Michigan's Thumb, is the 69th member of the U.S. armed forces with known ties to Michigan to be killed in Iraq.
According to a news release issued Monday by the U.S. Department of Defense, Yost was killed Saturday in Mosul, Iraq, when "a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his position during combat operations."
Yost was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
Cairnduff said she and Yost's wife of two years, Joann, were both notified Saturday.
"She was hysterical," Cairnduff said of her daughter-in-law, who lives near Ft. Bragg. "She was on her way to go somewhere, and when she opened the door, the chaplain was there with the news."
The same chaplain called Cairnduff at work Saturday afternoon. Another showed up on her doorstep to deliver the news in person that night.

Cairnduff of Linden said her son joined the military after a short stint at a technical college.
He graduated from Millington High School in 1984.
Kris Currie, 39, a secretary at Millington Elementary School, graduated with Yost and told the Associated Press that he loved playing on the school's basketball and baseball teams.
Cairnduff said her son also played football.
"He was a guy's guy," Cairnduff said Monday, describing Yost's passions for exercising -- "he was rock-solid," his mother said -- and motorcycling -- he owned a red Harley-Davidson.
Yost also loved to hunt, especially deer, and ran a small gun business from his home. He had planned to hunt with his father, Donald Yost of Millington, after he returned home this winter, his mother said.
Yost had two children: a 13-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, who lives in Clio, and 2-year-old son Anthony James, who lives with Yost's wife in North Carolina.
Cairnduff said her son spoke five languages and was a weapons expert.
He had been deployed to Iraq in the spring and was expected to end his nearly 20-year military career after his return.
"He was almost due to get out, and there you go," Cairnduff said, her voice cracking. "We have faith here that God plucked him out ...
"I try to find the answers for everything, and I just can't find it."
Cairnduff said her son is expected to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia

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The Argos Press Owosso Michigan Tuesday 22 2005 newspaper

"Andy" Yost
MILLINGTON, Michigan -- A local hero will finally have a permanent place in his hometown.
Bronze boots, a gun and helmet will soon stand above white granite in front of the Millington Cemetery to honor the town's fallen soldier, Master Sgt. Anthony "Andy" Yost.
After months of fundraising, a memorial for the locally famous Silver Star honoree who was killed in Iraq in 2005 will be unveiled July 19 during a ceremony for him.
"It just makes us feel like he's with us, like we've got him here," said Yost's aunt Linda Whitehead. "It's just a beautiful monument. We're just going to be so proud that his name will be on it."
Yost made international news amidst an unconfirmed story in a London paper -- which local family members now say was misreported -- that he was killed while hunting Iraq's onetime most vicious terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
According to official Army accounts, Yost, 39, volunteered to go into a house to help Iraqi soldiers in the midst of a firefight when an insurgent bombed the house in northeastern Mosul.
Yost was buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and his local family -- which includes 15-year-old daughter Cheyenne, his parents and grandparents -- wanted a place to visit and honor him.
Whitehead said the family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that helped raise more than the $10,000 needed for the memorial. The monument, designed by Michigan's chapter of Lest They Be Forgotten, also will include the names of other Millington troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"It could never have happened without all of those wonderful people who came together," Whitehead said. "To see the patriotism of these people who came out ... I don't even know what to say."
"He would have loved every moment of this," she added of her nephew, who was known for enjoying attention. "It's been so emotional. It's like he's been with us on this whole journey."
Two large fundraisers, including a February benefit concert at Boomers Roadhouse in Waterford, raised the bulk of more than $12,000.
Leading the fundraising efforts was Flushing resident Georgeann Ricketts, who used her music and business connections for sponsorships and donations that made the benefits possible.
The family calls her their "angel," Whitehead said.
"I know the family has gone through a lot," said Ricketts, who did not know Yost's family before. "I looked into (Yost's) story. Not only did he deserve it but every man in that operation deserves it.
"It really touched me. I was thankful that they asked me and trusted me enough to help."
Cheyenne Yost of Clio said she's proud of her dad and wanted a memorial to make sure he isn't forgotten.
She plans to visit the new monument on holidays, the anniversary of his death and just when she wants to feel closer to him.
"It will give me a place to go when I'm sad and his friends can remember him and honor him there," she said.

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15 Jan 2018
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