Now, to truly understand the extraordinary actions for which Clint is being honored,

you need to understand the almost unbelievable conditions under which he and B troops served.

This was a time in 2009 when many of our troops still served in small, rugged outposts, even as our commanders were

shifting their focus to larger towns and cities.

So Combat Outpost Keating was a collection of buildings of concrete and plywood with trenches

and sandbags.

Of all the outposts in Afghanistan, Keating was among the most remote.

It said at the bottom of a steep valley, surrounded by mountains.

The terrain that a later investigation said gave ideal cover for insurgents to attack.

Cop Keating, the investigation found, was tactically indefensible.

That's what these soldiers were asked to do, defend the indefensible.

The attack came in the morning, just as the sun rose.

Some of our guys were standing guard, and most, like Clint, were still sleeping.

The explosions shook them out of their beds and sent them rushing for their weapons.

And soon the awful odds became clear.

These 53 Americans were surrounded by more than 300 Taliban fighters.

What happened next has been described as one of the most intense battles of the entire war in Afghanistan.

The attackers had the advantage, the high ground, the mountains above, and they were unleashing everything they had. Rocket propelled

grenades, heavy machine guns, mortars, snipers taking aim. To those Americans down below,

the fire was coming in from every single direction. They'd never seen anything like it.

With gunfire impacting all around him,

Clint raced to one of the barracks and grabbed a machine gun.

...