Navy SEAL receives Navy Cross

060913-N-0000X-001 Navy File Photo of Navy SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Sonar Technician Second Class Matthew G. Axelson, 29, from Cupertino, Calif., killed by enemy forces during a reconnaissance mission June 28, 2005. Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter will posthumously award the Navy Cross to Petty Officer Axelson during a ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, D.C. Sept. 13. Axelson was part of a four-man team tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad, Afghanistan, when they came under fire from a much larger enemy force with superior tactical position. Mortally wounded, Axelson held his position, drawing fire so one of his teammates could escape. The Navy Cross is second in precedence only to the Medal of Honor, and is presented to Naval Forces in honor of extreme gallantry and life-risking action in the face of combat with an armed enemy force. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)