Former York resident and current Army Capt. Sean McQuade is seen here holding up a book that was discarded years earlier by the York School Department, which he found during his deployment to Afghanistan. McQuade recently received a new honor for his bravery during his deployment.
Courtesy photo
YORK - Army Capt. Sean McQuade, a York High School graduate and former summer and part-time officer with the York Police Department, has been awarded the Silver Star for his gallantry in action in Afghanistan.
Last summer, while on leave, McQuade returned to York and spoke with The York Independent about his service in Afghanistan and the most unexpected of occurrences: finding a book discarded years ago by the York School Department in the empty house of an insurgent leader on the other side of the globe. The book was stamped with an insignia from a company that works to improve literacy.
As of his visit home last summer, McQuade had received Bronze Star for performance during his first eight months of service in Afghanistan, during which time he had serves as a first lieutenant.
Now a captain in the Army, McQuade was honored at a ceremony on Nov. 21, along with two other First Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment soldiers, with the Silver Star. The award came as a result of bravery during an incident in Shudergay Village the preceding April.
According to the nomination for the Silver Star Medal submitted by McQuade's commanding officer, "Capt. McQuade's total disregard for his own personal safety, in order to suppress enemy fighting positions ... exemplifies what it means to be a combat leader. His valorous actions under intense enemy fire display his personal courage, his dedication to duty and his men."
McQuade explained that his current job is company commander of the B Company, First Battalion 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. He is scheduled to deploy to Iraq later this year.
