Travis Atkins

Travis William Atkins While serving with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division in Iraq, he sacrificed his own life to shield three fellow soldiers from an insurgent who was wearing and activated an explosive vest.

Distinguished Service Cross citation Atkins was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. The accompanying citation reads:

Medal of Honor award ceremony and citation His son Trevor accepted the award From President Donald Trump, along with his sister Jennifer, his mom, and grandparents. Also in attendance were the Vice-president, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Secretary of the Army, as well as five previous living recipients of the award, and numerous distinguished members of the military. Witnesses to the award also included the three men whose lives Atkins saved in his selfless act.

The president said of Atkins, “He did not run. He didn't know what it was to run. He acted in the tradition of the 10th Mountain Division in his 'climb to glory.'”

alt=A light blue neck ribbon with a gold star shaped medallion hanging from it. The ribbon is similar in shape to a bowtie with 13 white stars in the center of the ribbon.

Awards and decorations President Donald J. Trump posthumously awards the Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony to the son of Army Staff Sgt. Travis W. Atkins for his father’s heroic 2007 actions in Iraq, March 27, 2019.

Legacy In June 2012, the ceremony room at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Butte, Montana was named in honor of Atkins. In January 2013, the Mountain Functional Fitness Facility at Fort Drum in the state of New York was renamed in his honor.