On October 17, 2010, German corporal Tim Focken was seriously wounded in Afghanistan. Due to an ongoing gun battle, his evacuation was only possible from the air. A US Army Medevac helicopter was requested, landed under heavy enemy fire and moved Focken out of the combat area. US Army Staff Sergeant Peter M. Woken was part of the helicopter's crew and tended to the German soldier's wounds.

Earlier this month, the German government awarded Woken the German Medal of Honor for Gallantry in Action. Peter Ammon, the German Ambassador to the US, presented the honor at a ceremony in Washington DC. Woken said the German award showed that generals, ambassadors and politicians of the two nations now saw the soldiers "as brothers." The soldiers out in battle have already known this for a long time. Focken also travelled to Washington for the ceremony. Deutsche Welle spoke to the two men.

Deutsche Welle: Tim, how are you feeling?

Tim Focken: Reasonably good. I'm still in full-time rehab right now. I still have back and shoulder pain, but I can live with it.

What sort of injury did you have?

T.F.: I was shot in the left upper arm and some nerves and muscles were damaged. It felt like a bolt of electricity went through me. I needed a few seconds to realize that I'd been shot. I wanted to get up and my arm was lying on my back and then it was clear to me that the injury was a bit worse.

Peter Woken: When I saw the injury, I realized it could have been very devastating due to where it was on his body, very near large blood vessels, near the heart and the lungs.

Tim, can you recall how you were rescued?

T.F.: I remember it very well. My unit was able to continue fighting but there was heavy enemy fire. The Black Hawk had to abort a first landing attempt. I remember thinking "oh man, how am I going to get out of this." But then the helicopter was almost on the ground and the paramedic yelled that I had to be in there in 55 seconds and then I just ran.

You could still run?

T.F.: At first, I was lying in a trench and had a fentanyl lollipop, which has a bit of morphine in it. I was floating a bit. But then I got a boost of adrenaline and my only thought was "I have to get over there." I think I somehow held onto my arm and ran over and then I was in the helicopter and we were back up in the air.

P.W.: I was very surprised that he could still run. I've never seen Americans - and I'm not being negative - act the way he did under the conditions that we had. A normal person would stay down and be put onto a stretcher and wheeled up, you know. But he ran and jumped over a meter into the helicopter and continued to stay conscious. I believe he did that for his team that he was with. It was very brave.

T.F.: I was fighting with myself the entire time - that my men can't bring this thing to an end with me. I tried to somehow make the best of it and not concentrate on the injury, but rather support my men, give them a bit of courage. I didn't want them to think something awful had happened to me. I wanted to motivate them so they could keep fighting. The battle wasn't over yet at that time.

Peter, there were explosions on the ground and you only managed to land at the second attempt. Was there ever any consideration on board the helicopter to abort the rescue mission?

P.W.: Absolutely not. There was no way we were going to leave him on the ground. When we are fighting with coalition forces, it's just like fighting with another American. We will not leave them behind.

Is Tim the first German you've ever rescued?

P.W.: Yes.

Is it often the case that you're dispatched to rescue members of other coalition troops?

P.W.: We will go out and rescue anyone who's on the side of the right. We've rescued Afghan civilians and members of the Afghan army and Iraq army. It's hard to say this, but we do go out and rescue even the enemy.

Have the two of you had contact with each other since the incident?

P.W.: Just today.

T.F.: Which makes me very happy.

P.W.: And I can assure you that we will stay in touch with each other for the rest of our lives.

T.F.: I don't know any soldier who has been rescued and could then later meet up with his life-saver. This [reception in Washington] is a very big honor. It is the right thing to honor Peter and show the public that the cooperation is good - whether with the Americans or the British.

Tim, why did you become a soldier?

T.F.: I joined the Bundeswehr in 2005 and thought, as a trained carpenter, I could educate myself further and do something good for my country. No one thought at that time that things would take on these dimensions like in Afghanistan. But I don't regret having taken this step. We've done a good job [in Afghanistan]. You can see the progress: the strengthening of the Afghan army, the growth of the Afghan police force, the fact that they are willing to take their problems into their hands themselves. I can still recall driving through the villages at the beginning and they threw rocks at us. You really felt unwelcome. But then we were able to win over the population and they noticed that things can run differently. Most people there, I think, finally want peace in their country.

P.W.: In the beginning, they would throw bricks and rocks toward our helicopters. But we became something good to see. We would fly over and throw soccer balls to them and throw toys out the window to them so they would think, OK, these people are here to help, they really are, and I see them flying, and landing, picking up my own family members to help them. And so, what I see from the air is very similar to what Tim saw on the ground: that there is a change.

Peter, why did you become a soldier?

P.W.: My reason is to serve my country, for one, and also to honor my brother. He was in the navy and I wanted to honor him.

What are your future plans?

P.W.: Right now, I am just going to college, and plan to get a masters degree in master auto mechanics. I think my days in medicine are over, but I have definitely served my calling in that area as well.

T.F.: I hope that my future lies in the Bundeswehr. Germany has done a lot; the defense ministry has recognized that you have to do something for wounded soldiers. It depends on the level of injury. But it is my greatest wish to be a professional soldier.

Interview: Christina Bergmann, Washington DC / sac
Editor: Rob Mudge