Soldiers' bravery saves lives during Epic Fury

On the morning of March 27, the piercing sound of the “Alarm Red” warning rang out across Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Sgt. Xavier Jones, Staff Sgt. Kalob Mitchell and Spc. Nicholas Cabo, all with the 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, rushed to Bunker 100, expecting another missile warning. Within moments, the shelter meant to protect them would become the site of one of the most significant moments of their lives.

Seconds later, a 550-pound ballistic missile exploded yards from the bunker’s location with overwhelming force filling it with dust and debris. Staff Sgt. Kalob Mitchell, 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, initializes the Sentinel Radar Nov. 13, 2025, at Prince Sultan Air Force Base, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

“We’re sitting there talking, and then all of a sudden, we didn’t hear anything, no sound at all. Everything went black, so we were hit,” Mitchell said.

The blast wave threw them from their position and slammed them against the opposing interior wall, and in an instant, all three Soldiers lost consciousness. Staff Sgt. Kalob Mitchell, Sgt. Xavier Jones and Spc. Nicholas Cabo, all part of 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, sit together after their initial medical evaluation on March 27 at the Role 2 Medical Facility at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

“I was awoken by Spc. Alma. Woke up, checked on them. They were good. At that time, we heard screams from the opposite side of the bunker. Two Soldiers, I’m not too sure who they were, who had significant injuries; ran over there, applied tourniquets, T Triple C (Tactical Combat Casualty Care), everything,” Mitchell recounted. Still dazed from the blast, Mitchell relied on instinct and training. Alongside Cabo and Jones, Mitchell applied a tourniquet to a severely wounded Soldier, treated another with a neck injury and helped calm and keep safe a disoriented Soldier until it was safe to evacuate the bunker. Staff Sgt. Kalob Mitchell, 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, poses for a picture after the Purple Heart ceremony on Oct. 1 at the III Armored Corps headquarters building at Fort Hood, to recognize him for his bravery and selfless service during a missile attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

“Sgt. Jones and I even carried them out to the ambulance on the stretcher,” Cabo said. “So, because nobody else came in the bunker, they just brought the stretcher, and two people, and we’re like, well, someone else has to help y’all, so we carried them out.”

Despite their own injuries Mitchell, Cabo and Jones were able to help others. Sgt. Xavier Jones, the 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, poses for a picture after the Purple Heart ceremony on Oct. 1 at the III Armored Corps headquarters building at Fort Hood, to recognize him for his bravery and selfless service during a missile attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

“I think it was just the adrenaline because after we woke up, I checked myself,” Cabo said. “I just saw that my leg was a little bit bleeding, so I didn’t really mind it. It wasn’t anything like crazy bleeding, so we just heard screams and went to go help those guys.”

Jones, Mitchell and Cabo believed that the intensive damage to the Soldier’s leg, could have cost him his life if the trio were not there. Spc. Nicholas Cabo, 6th Battalion, 56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, poses for a picture after the Purple Heart ceremony on Oct. 1 at the III Armored Corps headquarters building at Fort Hood, to recognize him for his bravery and selfless service during a missile attack at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.

“That guy probably would have died because he was bleeding a lot from his right leg, and good thing Sgt. Mitchell just came up really quick, then called for us and we helped him out,” Cabo said.

Capt. Tyler Ritter, commander of 6-56 ADAR, 1st Cav. DIVARTY, received messages from the injured Soldier saying, “Sir, your Soldiers saved my life. I thank God every day that these gentlemen survived. Their actions brought great credit upon the 6-56 Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division and III Armored Corps. These Soldiers are my heroes. May God bless them.”

This selfless service, a pillar of the Army values, earned each of the three Soldiers the Purple Heart medal — approved by the Department of the Army July 17, followed by a recognition ceremony on Oct. 1. Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, described the act as the “ultimate description of what we mean when we talk about warfighting, readiness, grit and taking care of our Soldiers.”

Mitchell, Cabo and Jones said they were grateful to receive the recognition.

“So honestly, it’s kind of cool,” Jones said. “I don’t think any of us was like going for a Purple Heart because it actually sucked. Like that situation was horrible … When I saw it on my STP (Soldier Talent Profile) I was like man, I never would have thought I would have got a Purple Heart. I never thought I was going to see anything like we saw.”

Mitchell said he was just glad they are still here to tell the story and to pass on to those who have not seen any combat that what they are doing matters. The solace Mitchell takes in the realization that they almost died is overwhelming, he explained.

“The one that hit us was on the smaller side, so it was about 250 kilograms of explosive versus what some of the bigger ones they had hit us with, which were about 750,” Mitchell said. “And all it would have took was it being one of those, and we wouldn’t have been here.

“I guess I’d say that it kind of puts it in perspective that we went, we did our job to the best of our ability and we almost paid the ultimate price,” Mitchell added.

Mitchell urges other Soldiers to hone in on their skills, or whatever their profession is, because one day they may be called to show up and put them to use.

The trio agreed that the long hours in the field for training can be relentless, however, it is critically important. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing about the Army that’s annoying because you don’t get that real feeling all the time, so when you’re out in the field and it kind of seems pointless … you’re just like ‘why are we doing this?’ And then once you actually do it, like it was definitely beneficial,” Jones said.

Mitchell said he feels they do not appreciate the importance of field exercises until they experience something like Operation Epic Fury and those skills came in handy.

“I know it sucks going to the field and all that, but it gets you ready,” Mitchell said. “So, when I was putting the tourniquet and everything on, like, the shell shock was real. I was on autopilot. I had no idea where I was, what I was doing, but I’d done it so many times, putting on a tourniquet. It was like second nature for me.”

Mitchell did such a good job with the tourniquet; the surgeon said she thought one of the paramedics had put it on.

Though the trio felt great about saving lives, the journey back home was not easy and they were grateful for the resources at their disposal. Cabo explained he went between three different hospitals from Germany to Virginia, then Fort Hood, passing medical notes from each visit through the system.

“All those notes came down, and with the Intrepid Center, they are all trying to help to reintegrate, but there’s just so much that they need to do in so little time that all these appointments, plus trying to do regular work, both were a little bit stressful,” he said.

The Soldiers also recognized the struggle of leaving a deployed site to come back to garrison. Jones noticed the difference in the need to fix equipment there versus fixing it here at home.

“I’m trying to get back to reality, trying to get anxiety back down, trying to just not be as alert, trying to reintegrate,” Jones said. “I was at work a couple of weeks before I took leave, and it just was ... it felt different. Like it felt non-serious, and it just was throwing me off because seeing everybody have fun, we had fun too, but … it was just different.”

Jones shared on a more personal level, they were suffering while just trying to get back to a “garrison” state. The Soldiers attest to sleeping problems and moments of antisocial behavior.

“So I guess it has this ... like a slight impact because I just don’t want to be around people,” Jones said. “I mean, I’m a gamer initially, but I usually try to go out. But now I don’t even try to go. I really just chill.”

Cabo has also had his moments.

“Because there’s the runway, the airfield runway over there. So, one day I went to Sam’s Club, and I was like, ‘oh, drone’, and so I stopped and looked. I’m like, ‘it’s coming.’ Then I saw the plane, or the type of aircraft it was, I was like, ‘oh crap, it’s just in my head.’”

While reintegration has presented its challenges, the Soldiers said support from family, friends and behavioral health professionals has played a vital role in helping them adapt and heal.

“I find it super helpful because the only person I would talk to about the situation, if anyone, besides like behavioral health, will just either be the team or my wife. So talking to somebody who has an outside perspective from it is good,” Cabo said.

Cabo urges other Soldiers to do the same.

“Just go to appointments and try to really give them (medical professionals) honest feedback so they can help you as much as they can and give you what you really need,” Cabo said.

Mitchell agreed.

“I feel like it’s, kind of, instilled in the military, like don’t go to sick call. Like, you’ll be seen as a problem child. Like they’re running from something. But these are real issues, and they need to be addressed. So be honest with the medical staff and get the help you need,” Mitchell said.

Although the past several months have tested them physically and emotionally, the trio’s bond remains strong. They still find reasons to laugh together, balancing lighthearted moments with honest conversations about their shared experiences.

Jones said the ceremony went beyond what was necessary. For him, a high-five would have sufficed.

"I mean, we raised our right hand for a reason," Jones said. "We all knew what we were going into."

Without a family military background, he enlisted to serve his country and support his daughter, never expecting public recognition. To him, the occasional ‘thank you for your service’ was all the acknowledgment he would receive.

For those struggling with reintegration, Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center programs such as the Multi-D Behavioral Clinic and Outpatient Behavioral Health clinic, which accepts walk-ins, can help. Call 254-553-3624 or 254-553-8711.

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