Heath M. Robinson: Undaunted Courage Under Fire, Extortion 17

Born on June 5th, 1977, in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Petoskey, Heath enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 1995. His path to the Teams was not easy: his first attempt at Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 1996 did not end in success. He did not quit. Heath returned to Coronado in June 1999, completed the course in January 2000, and earned his Trident.

He went on to serve with SEAL Team Three and SEAL Team Seven before reporting in April 2004 to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, where he would serve for the rest of his career, deploying repeatedly in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On March 17, 2010, during a raid against Taliban forces, Heath's actions embodied everything the Teams stand for. When a teammate went down mortally wounded, he exposed himself to enemy positions to reach him, providing covering fire and overwatch under intense fire to bring his brother back. That single act of valor earned him his fourth Bronze Star Medal. Across his career he was decorated with four Bronze Star Medals, three with Combat "V" for valor, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Presidential Unit Citations, and a long list of honors reflecting what his citations called "bravery," "bold leadership," and "undaunted courage."

On August 6, 2011, Senior Chief Robinson was aboard the CH-47 Chinook helicopter callsign Extortion 17, part of a Naval Special Warfare quick reaction force responding to support U.S. Army Rangers engaged with insurgent forces in Wardak Province. When the helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, all 38 aboard were killed, the greatest single-incident loss of life in Naval Special Warfare history. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Senior Chief Heath M. Robinson never left a teammate behind, not under fire in Afghanistan and not in the sixteen years he wore the Trident. His courage remains the standard by which the word is measured.