Silver Star for Navy Corpman Juan M. Rubio for Actions On Euphrates River

photo/story Bill W. Love
Naval Hospital Corpus Christi Public Affairs

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan M. Rubio, 32, of San Angelo, Texas, was awarded the Silver Star Medal April 27 for conspicuous gallantry against the enemy Jan. 1, 2005, while serving corpsman with 4th Platoon, Small Craft Company, 1st Marine Division.

The citation accompanying his Silver Star Medal detailed how a well-emplaced and determined enemy ambushed Rubio and members of his team along the Euphrates River in a complex attack. As Rubio and an assault element swept through the ambush site, insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device. Rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun and small-arms fire followed immediately after the explosion, wounding three Marines.

Realizing the severity of the Marines’ wounds, and bleeding profusely from his own, Rubio low-crawled across open terrain, exposing himself to enemy fire to provide triage. Simultaneously taking care of three urgent surgical casualties, Rubio coached his fellow Marines who were assisting other casualties as incoming enemy fire intensified.

After stabilizing the wounded for casualty evacuation, Rubio directed the platoon to provide covering fire as he and several Marines began moving the casualties towards safety.

Without regard for his own life, he once again exposed himself to the heavy and accurate enemy fire, moving the Marines from the ambush site to the shoreline.

Rubio’s Silver Star Medal elevates him to a distinctively exceptional category of valor among Navy corpsmen since the commencement of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Only two others have been awarded the Silver Star, none have received the Medal of Honor, and only one hero has been presented the Navy Cross.

Army Capt. Greg Ambrosia, XO-A CO. recipient of Silver Star

By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Army Capt. Greg Ambrosia, executive officer of Company A and recipient of the Silver Star that Mullen awarded here, said he can attribute his leadership and confidence during such patrols to the lives he saved during one particular encounter with Taliban fighters on the night of Sept. 27.

Ambrosia and his men set up a makeshift outpost after a nighttime air assault into the valley. The troopers made contact with the enemy early the next morning, receiving a hail of rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire. But they couldn’t spot where exactly the attack was coming from, he said.

His basic function and responsibility was to radio information from the company commander in a nearby mounted element on the side of the mountain back to the battalion headquarters, he continued.

“We spotted an enemy scout and eventually made contact, but he was able to [disengage and communicate] our location to other fighters in the valley,” Ambrosia said.

Ambrosia’s element had a translator monitoring the enemy communication with a basic one-way radio. After the initial contact, it was quiet for about 45 minutes. The interpreter continued to monitor the radio, and Ambrosia learned that the scout was coordinating with other enemy fighters in the area to launch an attack, he explained.

Soon there were at least three enemy elements with three to five fighters each closing in on the platoon. So close, in fact, they were in hand-grenade range of his troops, he said.

“They were able to get to really close using the terrain,” he continued. “At one point, I started calling the vehicles in the valley to start shooting on our position, because the enemy was too close to call in artillery or mortar fire.”

“So we ended up having our guys shooting on our own position,” he continued.

Even though Ambrosia and his men maintained some safety behind a mound of rocks, the smoke from the mounted vehicle engulfed their position. He began call for aerial support from AH-64 Apache helicopters, he said.

Enemy radio traffic intercepted by Ambrosia’s interpreter let the paratroopers know the insurgents planned to overrun their position and take them hostage, but they were able to repel the attack, he said.

However, Ambrosia’s radio requests for Apaches to provide aerial support wouldn’t arrive for another 45 minutes, he added.

“That’s when it began to get really hairy,” he said. “The enemy was getting really close and using hand grenades.”

Ambrosia’s actions and direction of his men repelled the enemy fighters long enough for the helicopters to arrive. The modest captain said he doesn’t know exactly how many enemies were killed, but knows that two of his men were wounded. None were killed.

“I’m very thankful for that,” Ambrosia said.

“It has been a very dangerous time here,” Mullen told the troopers. “You’re almost home; it’s not far off, so stay focused and get home safe. I can’t say enough about how impressed and proud I am of what you’ve accomplished.

LCpl. Todd Corbin-NAVY CROSS--Cpl. Jeff Schuller-SILVER STAR

Navy Cross, Silver Star awarded for actions in deadly firefight Story by Beth Zimmerman, Marine Corps Times

Lance Cpl. Todd Corbin and the rest of his battalion commander’s personal security detachment had just finished several days of routine patrol and had returned to Hadithah Dam when they got the call. A platoon from the battalion was taking fire on the east side of the Euphrates River, and they needed Marines to block the insurgents’ retreat. Corbin hopped into his 7-ton truck, while other members of the detachment — which was now a quick-reaction force — piled into three Humvees and two tanks and barreled east toward the action. By the end of May 7, 2005, four Marines would lose their lives, but Corbin’s role in saving more than half of the QRF would earn him the Navy Cross more than a year later. A Marine driving the third Humvee, then-Cpl. Jeff Schuller, would later receive the Silver Star. From silence to chaos That day, the QRF consisting mostly of leathernecks from 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, passed plenty of Iraqis on its way to the west side of the river, but once it passed under the gate into Hadithah, “there was no one out, nothing moving,” Corbin said. Passing an alley perpendicular to the road, the convoy started turning around. Before the vehicles could all face north, Corbin said, “all hell broke loose.” A white van tore out of the alley and blew up between two of the Humvees. Then, another explosion “came out of nowhere,” said Corbin, who still isn’t even sure if it was from a roadside bomb or a rocket-propelled grenade. Meanwhile, the enemy pelted the Marines with RPGs, mortars and small-arms fire in a “choke point” surrounded by high ground, Corbin said. “It was a total nightmare,” said Schuller, now a 26-year-old sergeant. A Navy corpsman and three QRF Marines — two sergeants and a lance corporal — were killed instantly. Only five of the remaining 15 Marines were unscathed, leaving more than half of the QRF killed or injured, Schuller said. Corbin, 32, who has since been promoted to corporal, “leapt into the enemy fire, directing Marines to engage and marking targets,” his Navy Cross citation states. He ran to his patrol leader, a seriously injured sergeant, threw him over his shoulder and ran back to the 7-ton, all the while “firing at the enemy with his off-hand,” the citation states. “He just jumped [out of the 7-ton] and took over,” said Schuller, who added that they were down to uninjured corporals and lance corporals running the QRF at that point. “He immediately started getting the killed and wounded, not thinking of himself.” When the gunner for Schuller’s Humvee, Lance Cpl. Mark Kalinowski, was hit in the wrist with shrapnel, Schuller jumped up and took the lance corporal’s spot behind the M240G machine gun. Under intense enemy fire, Schuller gunned down insurgents shooting from the windows, doorways and roof of a nearby hospital, and others shooting from another roof and the alley. He swung his machine gun back and forth between targets for nearly 40 minutes, according to his Silver Star citation, using all of his ammo — short of launching a rocket. “When the 240 went dry, [Kalinowski] handed me my M16 with a full magazine … as I got the M16 empty, he had a new box of 240 [ammo] waiting for me,” Schuller said.

Navy Cross Silver Star As that was happening, Corbin raced back and forth through the kill zone, dragging Marines back to the 7-ton. He said he can’t remember how many times he ran across the firing zone. At one point, Corbin and a wounded Marine were carrying their corpsman to the 7-ton when the enemy opened up with small-arms fire at close range. Corbin leaned over the corpsman to shield him from the action while Schuller pushed back the enemy with his machine gun, the citation says. Since one gunner had been killed and two were wounded, Corbin said, only one gunner was left, firing a Mark 19 from the 7-ton. When the Mark 19 jammed, the only remaining gunner was Schuller, Corbin said. “My biggest worry was that we were gonna run out of ammo,” said Schuller, who even fired his 9mm pistol. Schuller was “just short of shooting my AT4 and throwing my Ka-bar” before he dismounted, he said. He then ran to the 7-ton and helped Corbin load Schuller’s vehicle commander, who had been killed, before he returned through enemy fire to guide Kalinowski to the 7-ton. Grabbing magazines of ammo from Corbin, Schuller fired his rifle while the rest of the QRF packed into the 7-ton. Any Marine who could fire a weapon had it pointed out of the truck, firing at insurgents, Corbin said. “The 7-ton looked like a porcupine with all these weapons sticking out of it,” he said. It also had three flat tires and a shot-up radiator. “I don’t even know how this vehicle even ran,” Corbin said. “The whole platoon rolled out in that 7-ton,” Schuller said. “It’s a testament to Cpl. Corbin’s knowledge of that vehicle that he kept it running.” Corbin was flipping switches the whole time he drove the five miles back to the battalion aid station, Schuller said. “Because of [Corbin’s] heroism, no Marine lost his life after the initial attack,” the citation states. An overwhelming honor Corbin and Schuller received their medals during a ceremony July 4 at 3/25’s headquarters in Brook Park, Ohio, an event Schuller said was humbling and a little surreal. “In hindsight, would I do that again? Hell, I don’t know,” Corbin said. “It’s a situation you want to say yeah, every time, but you don’t know,” he said. “It’s just what you’re trained for … and you do it for your buddies. “I live my life for those who didn’t come home.”

Marine Lt. Stephen J. Boda-SILVER STAR

Afghanistan May 8, 2005, 1st Lt. Stephen J. Boada, was attached with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during that time, serving as a forward observer and forward air controller serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom .

"You always train for the possibility of being deployed," said Boada, "It was good to finally have the opportunity to put that training to use. Even though some of it seemed pointless at the time, there was a good reason for all of it. In what seems like a symphony of chaos, there is organization."

Boada found himself with Kilo Company, 3/3, where he took part in a multitude of successful information operations, patrols, and civil affairs; while also the coordinating of aircrafts and mortars in the area.

While moving on a five to seven day patrol operation of eastern Afghanistan, Boada and roughly thirty other Marines set out in a mounted convoy through the Alisheng Valley to hopefully gain information on people who were on a target list.

"We set out at approximately 0700 in a mounted convoy through the Alisheng Valley," said Boada. "As you start to come up through the valley, the road eventually ends for vehicles, so we set out on foot. We were trying to get to the end of the valley and as we went a long, would stop at villages, consulting elders about certain issues."

While getting getting closer to the end of the valley, the Icom scanners that were being used to pick up radio frequencies, began receiving radio traffic that was translated by an interpreter to be enemy forces. The forces were watching the Marines and plotting to ambush them in the valley.

"We could hear them discussing how many of us there were, and how we would never make it out alive," said Boada "So from there we set up a satellite communications antenna and called back to higher. We requested close-air support to sweep the hills but the poor weather wouldn't allow it."

The radio traffic continued as the Marines proceeded to move through the valley. They were only stopped when they heard over the radio, "They just passed us. We'll get them on the way back."

"The Marines were getting pretty amped up at that moment and we could recognize two of the voices over the radio to be cell leaders who were responsible for a police station that was rocketed just before we arrived," said Boada. "It was difficult to see anything around us though due to the mountains. We knew what area the enemy was in, but couldn't pin point anything."

At that time, 1st Lt. Sam A. Monte, platoon commander, directed a squad and a 240 Gulf team, to go southeast onto a hilltop to scan the area. In a short time, they received a call back from the squad that they had spotted ten to 12 individuals across the valley, who had automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades in their possession.

"At the same time we heard a single rifle shot, but the round didn't actually land anywhere near us," said Boada. "At that time, we couldn't tell whether it was caused by sniper fire, or whether it was possibly a signal."

The machine gun team was then directed to engage toward the enemy who was located roughly seven to 800 meters away, said Boada. The individuals then fled into a ravine up the mountainside.

"The support by fire remained on the hilltop as we decided to make our way toward the enemy," said Boada. "As we began moving into the draw, a brief fire fight broke out, but none of us were injured."

The Marines continued and crossed a river that rose up to their chests. As they began to climb up the hillside they again contacted higher, who was able to push a section of A-10 Warthogs out to the area.

"Cpl. Johnny Polander, a squadleader, was on the radio on the hilltop and he was able to let us know where the individuals were located," said Boada. "At that time Lance Cpl. Kirven, a team leader, was able to send a 203 smoke round to mark the cave that the individuals entered. We also popped smoke in ours and the SBF did the same thing, we just had different colors so the aircrafts knew the difference."

After that was complete, Boada informed the aircrafts of the situation on the ground and they proceeded to use 30 mm cannons into the enemy cave, making three or four passes with 2.75 mm rockets. After every pass, the SBF was again contacted, and they would give any adjustments that would need to be made for the aircraft fire.

"When they ran out of ammo, more A-ten warthogs came out and there were about eight or nine passes made, total," said Boada. "During that time, we could hear the enemy over the radio making exclaims such as, 'That went just by my head,' so they were indirectly helping us adjust our fire."

When the situation was under control, the Marines began their long trek up the mountainside to assess the situation and check for any enemy KIAs, said Boada.

Once reaching the caves, Boada teamed up with Sgt. Robert R. Campbell, a squad leader, and began searching the different caves with the other Marines. This was when Marines heard Lance Cpl. Nicholas C. Kirven identify a dead body. He called out and Cpl. Richard P. Schoener came down to provide security for a dead check.

"Sgt. Campbell and I were only probably twenty-five meters away when we first heard the bursts from an AK-47 and the screams," said Boada. "The squad began circling toward Kirven and Schoener who were laying on the ground, but the gunfire wouldn't stop and we couldn't tell exactly how many people were firing at us."

Most of the Marines managed to find some cover and Cpl. Chinana, a scout sniper attached to Kilo Company, had a 203 but wasn't able to fire because the weapon needed at least 30 meters to arm itself and the Marines were too close. Chinana would then attempt to mark the cave with a 203 smoke round, but the round would ricochet, and Chinana would receive a bullet frag on his scalp line and fall back.

"We really didn't have any other option at that point because the Marines were laying so close to the mouth of the cave," said Boada. "I made the call to move up closer so we could see where the fire was coming from and attempt to grab the downed Marines."

Boada popped a smoke grenade as he and Cpl. Troy Arndt, team leader, made their way to a position very close to the Marines.

"The fire was still coming as we popped more smoke and kind of leap frogged from rock to rock," said Boada. "Cpl. Arndt attempted to grab one of the Marines by the sappy plate carrier, but the gear ripped and he fell. By that time the smoke was clearing up and I grabbed him and we got to cover again."

At this point, Boada said he could reach out and touch the downed Marines because they were so close. He then grabbed a fragmentation grenade and threw it, although fire was still coming.

"I ended up repeating the process about four times," said Boada. "Cpl. Arndt would prep the grenades for me, I would shout 'Cover and fire!,' and throw the grenades. Cpl. Arndt did some amazing things out there as a young corporal, I hope he gets recognized for something."

At this time, support was being given by Campbell and his Marines while Arndt and Boada were attempting to gain the opportunity to retrieve the downed Marines.

"We had to actually shoot over Arndt's and Boada's heads to cover them," said Campbell. "I admire both of them and their bravery."

Finally, there was silence and no movement in the cave, said Boada. Another corporal made the call to search the cave, which was secure.

Several attempts were made to regain the lives of Schoener and Kirven, but the CPR was useless, said Boada. They had passed away.

"By that time, it was about 1800 and getting dark," said Boada. "We weren't prepared for a night operation and there was a lack of both food and water. We set up an LZ to try to get a a medivac for the Marines, but they couldn't send one to us because of the weather."

At this time Boada said the Marines were beginning to get frustrated with the whole situation.

"They were doing a heck of a job out there, and they had just lost two of their friends," said Boada. "After everything that happened though, they still remained focused."

It was at that time, that the Marines began to carry their fallen comrades in ponchos.

"The Marines tried to buy some donkeys to help carry the Marines but it was no use," said Boada. "They carried the Marines the whole time, about seven miles through mountainous terrain."

"What had started as a three hour patrol, ended as a twenty two hour ordeal," said Campbell. "It was the worst day of my life."

AC130 support was available and would be able to give the Marines a heads up if there were enemies up ahead. They were able to engage and neutralize 25 individuals who were setting up ambushes in two separate areas, said Boada.

"We continued to move through out the night and arrived back to our vehicles at about 04 or 05," said Boada. "The Marines really did a hell of a job out there. They weren't even my Marines but I know I couldn't have picked a better bunch."

Boada said the hardest part about the whole deployment was having to leave the Marines he was with upon returning to K-Bay, especially the Marines he was with on that fateful day.

"They were ready for anything, even Kirven and Schoener," said Boada. "Those two were great Marines."

Boada received a purple heart and a Silver Star medal for his gallant actions against the enemy while serving as a forward observer and forward air controller that day, but remains truly humbled by the experience.

"I think about what happened out there every day, and will for as long as I live," said Boada. "I think about what we could have done different. What we could have done to have those two Marines walk home with us."

Boada is now back with 1/12, but feels he should be going to Iraq with the Marines of 3/3.

"It just doesn't feel right and I regret not having the opportunity to deploy with them again," said Boada. "I try to keep in touch with all of the Marines I was with."

Campbell said he feels the award for Boada is a much deserved one.

"He is an artillery officer," said the Jackson, Tenn. native. "The things he did, he didn't have to do. He put himself in harms way and did everything he could do to try and save those two Marines. We all did everything we could do, and it was truly an honor to work with Lt. Boada."

"The Marines I was with that day deserve the recognition," said Boada. "They all need to be talked about, talked about more than me, they are all amazing." link

Marine Corps Reserve Sgt. Jeff Hunter--SILVER STAR

For his actions under fire from an ambush that seriously wounded the OIC--Marine Sgt. Jeff Hunter received the Silver Star

“I honestly don’t believe I did anything all that heroic,” Sgt. Jeff Hunter told Military.com when asked about his Silver Star. That’s a common refrain among American warriors serving in combat zones, but for those who served with Hunter during two intense fights, it’s a dramatic understatement.

Albuquerque, NM
Silver Star recipient

In the early hours of May 25, then-Cpl. Hunter set out on foot with Lima Company toward Haditha's market district in the opening days of Operation New Market.

According to Hunter, the company planned to arrive at the market by sunrise in order to catch insurgents by surprise. He said the trip seemed like any other, until a Marine shot a stray dog that had charged him. About ten seconds later, "all hell broke loose," Hunter said.

The award citation released by the Corps and interviews with Hunter and his fellow Marines reveal the platoon was ambushed by small arms fire that seriously wounded an officer on the patrol. Sgt. David Wimberg, Hunter's squad leader, ordered the squad to take a house to their left, where they were receiving fire.

Wimberg hopped the fence and opened the gate for Hunter's fire team, then kicked in the door and ran inside with Hunter on his heels.

"Sgt. Wimberg barely took a second step into the room before a muzzle to an AK-47 was presented [at his chest] and fired several times," Hunter said in a recap of the events he wrote after the firefight.

When Wimberg fell to the ground, "I instinctively reached down and grabbed him, pulling him back out of the house," Hunter wrote. "I dragged him to the right of the door under a window and lay on top of him while I heard him wheeze for us to frag the room."

Hunter called for two of his squad mates to take Wimberg to their corpsman while he pushed forward with the attack on the house.

"In the back of my mind, I knew that I was now in charge of the squad and I had to get control of the situation," he wrote.

"Acting as squad leader, [Hunter] reorganized his Marines and led them into the insurgent position…ultimately securing the house with close-range small arms fire and hand grenades," according to the Corps release. Wimberg later died as a result of his wounds, but Hunter's actions during the firefight "enabled his company to regain its momentum," the release said.

Two months later, Hunter found himself in another fierce gunfight, a battle that lasted for four hours and meandered through the streets of Cykla, a village near Haditha. After enemy fire from a hostile house hit a Marine, Hunter’s platoon engaged the enemies, forcing them to flee to a second home. By the time his squad cleared the second house, the insurgents had already left. Two of the Marines approached a couple of nearby cinder block buildings, and one of them was suddenly hit by insurgents firing from a fortified position. Hiding behind a three-foot-high wall, Hunter returned fire and shot two insurgents. He also made two attempts to extract the wounded Marine. The shooting was too intense, so Hunter ran through the line of fire and across the street to an M1A1 tank – which he guided to strike the enemies’ position. The tank eliminated the threat and allowed the platoon to retrieve its mortally wounded comrade.

For his actions, Sgt. Hunter received the Silver Star last June at his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hunter is currently completing his education at the University of New Mexico.

• Military.com
• Albuquerque Tribune
• DOD Heroes
  

Marine Corps Sgt. Jarred L. Adams-Silver Star

ALASKA

Marine Corps Sgt. Jarred L. Adams Hometown: Wasilla, AK

Then-Cpl. Adams and his squad were traveling toward Husaybah, Iraq, on Jan. 6, 2005, to provide cover for a Marine reconnaissance unit that was scouting the area. As the convoy was traveling toward a roadway in the city of Husaybah dubbed the “intersection of death,” insurgents attacked, using RPGs and machine guns. Adams’ Humvee crashed, stranding its occupants in the line of fire. Adams immediately jumped out of the vehicle and took up a safer location to help the rest of the squad return fire as other Marines worked to dislodge the Humvee. Once the vehicle was freed, Adams and his squad began searching the area for other broken-down Humvees and injured comrades as insurgents continued their attack. They spotted a disabled Humvee and went over to help. Suddenly, a RPG struck Adams’ vehicle, killing one Marine and injuring others. Adams was also hit – his left arm and both hands had shrapnel wounds, his right arm was broken, and he had a sprained ankle. But Adams didn’t have time to think about his injuries or the pain; he had to quickly scramble out of the burning vehicle and assess the situation. After leading his squad to a safer location, Adams realized he was missing a Marine. Adams took off running through the line of fire, back toward the burning vehicle. He located the missing Marine and realized he had died in the attack. Grabbing his body, he ran back through the hail of enemy gunfire with the recovered Marine’s body. Adams refused medical attention for his injuries until he and all of his Marines had arrived safely back at headquarters. For his bravery, Adams was awarded the Silver Star on April 17, 2006. Click here for the Marine Corps Story Click here for the Anchorage Daily News story

Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman-Silver Star

1st Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman, 26, is congratulated by Lt. Col. Scott Alley, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, after Ackerman was awarded the Silver Star at a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Behind Ackerman is his mother, a native of Washington, D.C., received the medal for his heroism in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004.

by: Gunnery Sgt. Demetrio J. Espinosa

Lt. Elliot L. Ackerman, a 26-year-old native of Washington, D.C., was recognized for his courage under fire while serving as a platoon commander during the November 2004 battle to wrest Fallujah from the grip of fanatical insurgents.

Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, presented the award as Ackerman’s family and fellow Marines looked on.

The citation summarizing then-2nd Lt. Ackerman’s actions covers a six-day period that began on Nov. 10, 2004, when his platoon came under fire from a heavy enemy counterattack.

“We had a mission to get a foothold for the battalion,” said Ackerman, who returned last month from his second deployment, the latest as a member of Battalion Landing Team 1/8, the ground combat element of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We saw that the original building we intended to go in to just wouldn’t work to get that mission done. We pushed a little bit deeper than it probably would have been prudent to do.”

Pushing deeper ensured his unit would accomplish its mission, but the advance left him and his Marines more exposed to enemy fighters, who responded by pouring heavy fire on the Marines’ position.

As his Marines began to take injuries, Ackerman sprang to action, twice pulling his Marines to safety and coordinating their evacuation. The amphibious-assault vehicle sent to retrieve his Marines had trouble finding them, lost in the fog of war. Ackerman again risked his life, charging into the open from a covered position to flag down the vehicle and direct it to his Marines’ location. His actions took him through a “gauntlet of deadly enemy fire,” according to the citation.

“From that position that day, we were a little exposed,” he recalled. “Insurgents came out and slowly tried to surround us.”

For Ackerman, the fighting was just beginning. As the battle ensued, he recognized that his Marines on the rooftop of the building were exposed. He ordered them to seek cover in the building and headed to the roof himself. His actions prompted a hail of enemy fire on his position.

“The Marines, like Marines always do, just started performing in an incredible manner. We had a job to do and just had to make sure it got done,” said Ackerman.

According to his citation, Ackerman took heavy enemy fire on the rooftop but still “coolly employed an M240G machine gun to mark targets for supporting tanks, with devastating effects on the enemy.”

In all, Ackerman was able to simultaneously direct tank fire, coordinate four separate medical evacuations and continually attack with his platoon, all the while suffering from his own shrapnel wounds.

Ackerman said he was only doing what he saw others around him doing.

“I think we all go out there and know what our job is and what’s expected of you,” he said. “There is only one alternative; it is to do it or not do it. You have to do what needs to be done in a situation. That’s what all the Marines were doing. I feel this award doesn’t represent something for myself; it represents what I saw everyone doing out there."

Army Capt. Brennan S. Goltry - Silver Star

By Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
82nd Airborne
Public Affairs Office

“This is the type of stuff he does every day.” In the civilian world, those words might describe a hardworking, devoted colleague. In a combat zone, however, they take on a whole new meaning: “It’s not the first time [Capt. Goltry has] been shot, and it’s not the first time he charged the enemy,” explained Capt. Buddy Ferris, a fellow officer in the legendary 82nd Airborne Division.

Bakersfield, CA
Silver Star recipient

Those words were used to describe then-Lieutenant Goltry’s heroism in battle on February 2, 2007. That evening, Goltry was in command of the second truck in his platoon’s five-vehicle convoy as it moved through Sammara, just north of Baghdad. Though the sun had set, a moonlit night provided little cover for the convoy – perfect conditions for an ambush.

Suddenly, in what Goltry described as a complex “L-shaped” attack, enemy combatants unleashed a barrage of machine-gun fire at the convoy, disabling the lead humvee and wounding its gunner. Goltry saw his fellow paratrooper’s vulnerable position, and realized that the only way to protect the wounded soldier would be to imperil his own safety. He ordered his driver to move his vehicle in front of the damaged truck to create a buffer and draw away fire. Lieutenant Goltry opened his door to return fire, even as his vehicle bore the brunt of the enemy’s bullets.

Goltry was shot twice in his left leg. But this didn’t stop or apparently even slow him down. He jumped from his vehicle, rallied his men, and killed a hostile combatant as he led the offensive against the ambush. Rather than retreat, the squads pursued the enemies for several hundred meters and took over strategic positions as they cleared nearby houses. These efforts yielded the capture of an enemy combatant. Lieutenant Goltry refused to be evacuated in a medical vehicle and instead stayed with his platoon. Goltry later called the whole incident “just another day.”

For those who know him, Goltry’s valor in action is no surprise. And neither is his humility: When discussing his actions, he always deflects attention from himself. “I’m real proud of my men,” he said. “They fight real hard for me, and they’ve saved my (rear) more than once.”

Aristotle once declared that excellence is not an act, but a habit. For making a habit of bravery, determination, and courage, Capt. Goltry was awarded the Silver Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and two Purple Hearts on July 31, 2007. He is scheduled to receive a third Purple Heart for wounds sustained during an attack on Sammara’s police station this past May. Captain Goltry continues to serve in Iraq.

Defend America story by Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden