Fallen soldier honored by Steelers’ Alejandro Villanueva cleared to receive Medal of Honor

Alwyn Cashe, the Army sergeant honored on the back of the helmet of Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Alejandro Villanueva this season, has been cleared to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor.

President Trump on Friday signed a bipartisan bill previously passed by the U.S. House and Senate that waives a statute of limitations to present the highest military honor to Cashe, who died in 2005 while attempting to save fellow soldiers during a tour in Iraq.

Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, said coach Mike Tomlin gave him permission to honor Cashe, whose death at age 35 came from injuries after entering a burning vehicle that had been subjected to an explosive device. As described in the Military Times, Cashe’s repeated rescue attempts resulted in second- and third-degree burns on over 75% of his body.

“Witnesses said that even as the heat burned his uniform and body armor off of him, Cashe continued to ignore the pain to pull his men out of the fire,” Leo Shane III wrote in a Military Times account.

“I felt that my decision to honor Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe was something that was very personal to me,” Villanueva said during September, “due to the fact that in the veteran community there is a strong push to get him a Medal of Honor, which is something that the community believes that he deserves.”

Steelers LT Alejandro Villanueva has the name Alwyn Cashe on the back of his helmet

Cashe was posthumousky awarded the Silver Star for heroism after his death at 35 while on duty in Iraqhttps://t.co/a4Pbp3UERU had said ALL players' helmets would have Antwon Rose Jr's name pic.twitter.com/UMqbxVo6mj

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) September 14, 2020

Villanueva’s decision to honor Cashe during the season opener at the New York Giants was not without controversy because earlier that day the Steelers had announced the team was going to wear the name “Antwon Rose Jr.” on the backs of their helmets. A story posted to the team’s official website emphasized the entire team would wear the name of Rose, a Black teen who in 2018 died after being shot from behind three times by East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld. Rose fled on foot from a vehicle that had been pulled over because it had been involved in a drive-by shooting minutes earlier in North Braddock. Rosfeld was acquitted by a jury the following spring.

In his sixth season as the Steelers’ starting left tackle, Villanueva was the only Steelers player whose helmet did not have Rose’s name for the season opener. Rose’s mother, Michelle Kenney, criticized Villanueva for that decision in a since-deleted Facebook post. In the wake of protests over social justice and perceived racial inequity this summer, the NFL in 2020 allowed players to affix the names of victims of police brutality or associated phrases connected to the movement.

Since the opener, many Steelers have either had different individuals’ names on their helmets or phrases such as “End racism,” or “It takes all of us.”

Who is Alwyn Cashe and why did Alejandro Villanueva choose to honor him? https://t.co/kjNjAttQMn

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 17, 2020

Cashe, who is Black, was initially awarded the Silver Star for valor. But since, many have argued he deserved the most prestigious Medal of Honor because an enemy bombing the vehicle qualified the situation as “active combat.”

The bill signed Friday was introduced in the House two days after Villanueva’s helmet was seen by 10.8 million viewers in a “Monday Night Football” television audience. The bill, introduced by U.S. Reps. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., Michael Waltz, R-Fla., and Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent last month. It was presented to the president last week.

Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.