President Obama awards Medal of Honor to former staff sergeant Clinton Romesha

A former Army staff sergeant received the Medal of Honor Monday for his service in Afghanistan, making him only the fourth living person to hold the honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Clinton Romesha, 31, held back tears as he was awarded the honor from President Obama for "conspicuous gallantry" during a battle to protect a remote U.S. outpost from insurgents in 2009, according to published reports.

During the battle, some 300 Taliban insurgents surrounded the remote outpost, firing from every direction at the 53 soldiers defending the camp, Obama said during his remarks. Eight soldiers were killed and 22 wounded, including Romesha, but he continued to fight and lead other soldiers to safety and reportedly killed at least 10 insurgents, reports said.