Brett W. Thorpe, who died of a heart attack while protecting Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, has received that country's highest medal for his devotion to duty.
Brother Thorpe, 44, a member of the Spanish Trails Ward, Enoch Utah Stake, died May 29, 2003, while running alongside the motorcade of the Afghan president. (See Church News, June 21, 2003, p. 12.)
He became the first American to receive Afghanistan's highest honor, the Baryal Medal, at a U.S. State Department ceremony in Washington, D.C., Aug. 19. The medal, which bears a torch and laurel leaf design, was presented to his widow, Jeannie Thorpe.
Brett Thorpe was dedicated to the cause of bringing freedom to Afghanistan, said Haron Amin, Afghanistan Charge d' Affaires, speaking at the ceremony.
"He volunteered to go into harms way once again to serve his nation to help one of our closest allies develop the kind of democracy that the Afghan people deserve and desire," said assistant Secretary of State Francis Taylor.
He said President Karzai wanted to present the medal in Afghanistan, but had the medal presented in the United States so Brother Thorpes family could attend.
Peggy Thorpe, Brett Thorpe's mother, said her son wanted to return to action in the war against terrorism. The job he took was one of constant danger as he helped protect the president in a land subject to attacks by extremists, local warlords and drug lords.
Brother Thorpe was contacted by a former military associate to teach a firearms class, and this led to his work with DynCorp., a company that was contracted by the State Department to provide security for the Afghan president.