Soldier of the Week – Army National Guard Major Troy Scott

June 21, 2014 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

photoBy Adria Markovic
YC/Co-Publisher
June 22, 2014

We at the Chronicle will be choosing a veteran to honor each week. We hope that you will pass this story around to everyone you know. If you see a vet out in the public, please stop and salute them and thank them for their service. This week we are honoring Major Troy Scott.

We have the world’s largest, baddest army,” said Major Troy Scott of the Army National Guard, while explaining how easily stereotypes against other nations’ militaries can often arise. “But when you’re building a coalition, you have to get past those obstacles.” MAJ Scott ‘s deployment to eastern Afghanistan in 2008- his first and for which he has received a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor for his service- was spent in the company of those whom many back home may not have expected.

Two thirds of the “Herculean” Task Force he commanded were members of the Polish military brigade – not American soldiers. MAJ Scott was assigned as Senior U.S. Advisor to the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, operating as the Deputy Commander of the 1200 man Task Force White Eagle- predominately Poles- from March 2008 to October 2008.

It was the only coalition battalion-size task force under the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division. On October 31, 2008 the Polish Military Contingent assumed responsibility of their own Brigade battle space, with MAJ Scott continuing on as advisor to the Polish brigade. Said MAJ Scott, “Sometimes U.S. Forces, we look at ourselves- and rightly so- as a superior force.” But, he explained, to watch one of our NATO partners (particularly the Poles) operate in Afghanistan and exceed expectations proved to be a tremendously gratifying experience

There has been a further impact to maintaining such a partnership as well. Keeping the Poles in Afghanistan allows the U.S. to keep 3 times the number of our soldiers out of Afghanistan. “The value is expediential- a combat multiplier,” he said. It was MAJ Scott’s job to ensure that the American expectations were understandable for the Poles, for whom English was not their second language, but their third. Scott, who had no previous experience with the Polish military or even the Polish language, observed the melding of two differing armies and cultures, fighting alongside one another for a shared goal in a foreign space.

Learning the land and history of the region was key to both MAJ Scott and his Task Force. During his deployment, his brigade participated in the largest coalition movement of personnel in Afghanistan, moving battle spaces from the Paktika province to the Ghazni province. “You have to be a little bit politician, engineer, city planner, lawyer,” described MAJ Scott. For his service and leadership, MAJ Scott has also been recommended for the Silver Star and Distinguished Service Cross.

 

Source: Our Military

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Soldier of the Week – Army National Guard Capt. Joel Arends

November 13, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 13, 2009

Army National Guard Capt. Joel ArendsEditor’s Note:
Home State: South Dakota
Awarded: Bronze Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Then-1st Lt. Arends and his team of 30 soldiers operated in and around Baghdad from February 2004 to April 2005. They were responsible for catching a number of terrorists, including one carrying bomb-making materials, jidhadist propaganda and large sums of cash. The terrorist claimed to be a professor at a major university in the United States. They also captured one of Saddam Hussein’s personal bodyguards. Another time, Arends’ team rescued Iraqi civilians from burning vehicles when insurgents attacked a checkpoint near their patrol area. Members of the team rushed into the flames and pulled several Iraqi civilians out of burning vehicles and administered lifesaving medical treatment. For his efforts, Arends was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in March 2005. Arends is now a Captain in the Army Reserve.

Source: Our Military

Soldier of the Week – Army Sgt. 1st Class James Brasher

November 6, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
November 5, 2009

Army Sgt. 1st Class James BrasherEditor’s Note:
Home State: Albuquerque, NM
Awarded: Silver Star

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Army Sgt. 1st Class James Brasher’s “daring acts of intrepidity and gallantry in the face of a numerically superior and determined force,” have earned him a Silver Star according to the citation that accompanied the medal.

Those courageous acts occurred on Dec. 8, 2007, when Brasher was serving as platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The company had been tasked to participate in Operation Mar Kararadad, during which Brasher repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to keep his soldiers out of danger.

The multinational mission to clear insurgents from the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qal’eh, actually began the night before when the company landed by helicopter just outside of the city. Under cover of darkness the soldiers moved to occupy a hill overlooking the city.

At dawn, Company A started taking small-arms and heavy machine-gun fire from a small town at the base of the hill. Brasher and the 2nd Platoon leader decided the town, which was isolated from the rest of Musa Qal’eh by a dry riverbed and already scheduled to be cleared by the Platoon, should be cleared immediately.

As the soldiers began systematically clearing buildings, a Taliban fighter attempted to the lead squad, which included Brasher. He killed the gunman before he could kill or injure any Paratroopers.

The squad began taking small-arms as it advanced to the next compound. Again, Brasher reacted, throwing fragmentation grenades toward the enemy position, thereby suppressing the attack and preventing the enemy from getting a fix on the soldiers’ position.

When the platoon leader’s element was attacked with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled-grenades, Brasher joined the group to pinpoint the enemy position, once again exposing himself to enemy fire.

Brasher then led a squad to clear a compound that put him and his soldiers in a better position to return fire. As he was directing the Paratroopers, he spotted a Taliban fighter with a machine gun and opened fire. He then led his squad over a mud wall in pursuit of the fleeing insurgent, killing two more gunmen as the squad rounded the corner. When the squad encountered a larger enemy force more insurgents were killed.

As the Taliban forces consolidated into a highly defensible compound with thick walls, Brasher spotted the enemy positions inside and began engaging them. That’s when one of the insurgent’s bullets tore through his right forearm and bicep, which slowed him down, but didn’t stop him from fighting and giving instructions, according to the citation. In fact, the unit’s medics had to force him to submit to medical care.

“SFC Brasher’s fearless actions and dedication to mission accomplishment enabled Second Platoon to destroy over 20 well-trained Taliban fighters. His quick decisions and aggressive stance against the enemy saved the lives of his men,” the citation reads.

For his gallantry in action with marked distinction, Army Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Scarparrotti, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division presented Brasher with a Silver Star on October 9. The ceremony was held at the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Source: Our Military

Soldier of the Week – USMC Lt. Col. Brian M. Kennedy

October 27, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

By Brian J Arthurs
Investor’s Business Daily
October 26, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Marine Corps Lt. Col Brian M. Kennedy

Challenges hit the Marines ahead of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Many, like Brian Kennedy, had just traveled from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Kuwait.

In his case, he had gone by sea along with the Cobra helicopter he would pilot. When he reached the Persian Gulf, he faced harsh weather and other conditions he couldn’t replicate in prewar training.

For Kennedy and his fellow Marines, they would need bravery and a commitment to purpose.

Kennedy, a major at the time, was among the first to fire on the Iraq War’s opening day. He piloted his Cobra in support of the Marines advancing through safe lines identified on the ground to avoid land mines set by the enemy.

“The weather conditions were very challenging,” said Kennedy, now a lieutenant colonel. “The wind-swept sand floated in the air, making the sky and the ground the same color.”

As ground forces advanced on enemy targets from March 20 to April 14, 2003, Kennedy and his team of Cobras targeted enemy weapons installations.

On March 20’s start of the war, plans called for Kennedy to lead four Cobras in support of a nighttime mission. But plans changed.

The word came down for Kennedy and his team to get airborne and provide cover before dark. Flying at dusk meant the night-vision gear would be less effective. Now the pilots had to follow chopper instruments to guide them at dangerously low levels in poor visibility.

Fog Of War

The view was so poor, the helicopters had to turn on their exterior lights to make them visible to one another — and to the enemy.

“We were facing mostly small-arms fire, anti-aircraft fire,” Kennedy told IBD. “But we also saw some RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) that looked like flying roman candles through night vision and (also looked like) a surface-to-air missile, but mostly machine guns.”

Kennedy recalls that for all the artillery fired his way, the biggest threat that night wasn’t Iraqi forces, but the possibility of running into the ground or another Cobra.

“Night One was undoubtedly the worst conditions I’ve ever flown in,” he said.

Despite the challenges, the Marines achieved their objective.

Three days later, Kennedy embarked on a mission that would last 12 hours. He led his section over a battlefield near the Rumaylah oil field, just across the border from Kuwait, that the Iraqis defended with artillery and small-arms fire.

The Cobras had to cut through haze because of oil smoke and burning Iraqi equipment. Kennedy flew two hours at a time, returning to base camp only to resupply and refuel. He never left the cockpit.
map

“You’re just not thinking about the time it takes to refuel and re-equip,” said Kennedy. “(There’s) no way you’re going to say no to a mission and let down a fellow Marine on the ground trying to find his way through a breach in the minefields. We pushed the limits to make sure we helped our fellow Marines on the ground.”

Again, Marine forces advanced in these crucial opening days.

Teamwork was crucial to more Kennedy success in battle. On March 28, he and his team provided invaluable support to their allies.

While the British army’s 7th Armored Brigade maneuvered to take Basra, Kennedy and other U.S. air support forces engaged Iraqi troops, again from low altitude in minimal visibility. The combined effort helped the coalition prevail.

Kennedy kept coming. According to his fellow servicemen, his flights decimated eight artillery positions and an enormous artillery stash.

The biggest hits landed on April 5. Kennedy and his team destroyed the Iraqis’ last remaining ballistic missile system. These systems had the capability of delivering chemical weapons against allied forces stationed in Kuwait.

This mission was especially harrowing. If flying at night and through smoke from burning oil fields wasn’t bad enough, Kennedy had to pilot his Cobra at just 300 feet so he could see the ground. Then there were surrounding tension wires suspended at 500 feet.

“We flew on instruments only while we were (higher) in the smoke clouds,” Kennedy said. “And when we knew we were clear of the wires, we would drop straight down in order to see the city so we could prosecute the targets.”

His fellow Marines were impressed by Kennedy’s cool and attention to detail. “He never tried to do too much,” said his co-pilot, Capt. Dennis Pyszczymuka. “He always spent the time needed to prepare in advance for his missions. He was very proactive. He always wanted to know what you had to say. He wouldn’t just make a snap decision, even when it was his to make.”

For his heroics, Kennedy received the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, a top military honor.

“What impressed me most about (Lt. Col.) Kennedy was his calm demeanor,” said Maj. Lee Mayer, who piloted another Cobra in the section. “He never let the rush of combat affect his judgment. He always did the right thing.”

Kennedy served another tour in Iraq in 2005. By then, the enemy had morphed from an organized military force into one of terrorists often hiding in the shadows.

He says it made for a significant tactical change for the Marines. Rather than having direct engagements, combat required more intelligence gathering to root out an enemy trying to blend in with the citizenry.

College And Corps

Kennedy, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1989 after graduating from Ohio State University. He was eager to try something difficult, where the outcome “was not preordained.”

His interest in aviation had been piqued at an early age. He worked at an airport with his dad, doing everything from pumping gas to washing planes and cutting grass runways.

When Kennedy entered flight school in 1990, Desert Storm was on the horizon. He says he selected the Cobra because it seemed like the most rewarding mission.

Now 43 and near his 20th year in the Marines, Kennedy is the executive officer of Marine Aircraft Group 39 at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He’s passing along his knowledge to the Marines’ new aviators.

Kennedy’s Keys

• Bravely led a team of four Cobra helicopters supporting Marine forces in the opening days of the Iraq War, battling the enemy and harsh weather, smoke and fire.

• “Calm, like panic, is contagious. Stay calm.”

Source: Investors

Soldier of the Week – Army Pfc. David Hutchinson

October 23, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

By David Hogberg
Investor’s Business Daily

October 23, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Army Pfc. David Hutchinson

Army Pfc. David Hutchinson landed in Afghanistan on May 16, 2008.

It would be a short deployment.

On his fifth day a grenade wounded him — but not before he killed five terrorists and helped secure the safety of 16 fellow soldiers.

A year later he received the Silver Star for bravery. The Pentagon says he’s just the fifth Army reservist so honored.

Hutchinson was born in 1987 in Humble, Texas. He joined the Army Reserve when he was 18, joining his family’s long line in uniform.

“There was a strong sense of patriotism in the family,” Hutchinson told IBD. “That was instilled in me from the get-go.”

His grandfather, uncle and a few cousins all joined the military, mostly in the Air Force.

Hutchinson had a simple reason for not going that route: “I’m not a big fan of flying.”

Hutchinson is with the 420th Engineer Brigade. Not that he does much engineering. He mostly trains for brigade security. This involves providing safe transport for VIPs.

On the morning of May 21, 2008, members of the brigade’s security detail were in a convoy of four Humvees driving through the mountains of Afghanistan.

Riding Shotgun

Hutchinson was in the third Humvee manning the MK-19, a machine gun that fires 40 mm grenades. “We wanted to know what it was like on that route before we had to drive it with somebody important,” he said.

The ambush came at 11 a.m. as the convoy moved up a small mountain.

“Just about the time that all four trucks got into the pass, the front truck opened up with its 50-caliber machine gun,” Hutchinson said. “At that point I couldn’t see anything, I could just hear the shooting at the front. I immediately started looking around, and two or three seconds later I saw several insurgents pop up on the right side of the convoy, which was my sector of fire.”

Roughly 20 of the enemy attacked the convoy with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-fired grenades. From 200 feet away terrorist snipers tried to riddle the convoy.

Hutchinson was in the Humvee’s turret and opened up with his MK-19. Despite the crash of battle, he aimed methodically. “There were several positions I could see fire coming from, so it was a matter of assessing which position had the most fire coming from it,” he said.

A machine gun nest at the top of a hill, from which the terrorists were firing a Russian-made PKM, gave the enemy fire superiority. Other terrorists were popping up from the nest, firing AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.

“To me, it was very obvious that one position had the most amount of fire coming from it, so I focused my firepower on that spot,” said Hutchinson. “Once that was destroyed, I started assessing other spots that had fire coming from them, and I adjusted and fired at those positions.”

By all accounts his MK-19 shots were the main reason the Americans held the terrorists’ ambush at bay, letting the convoy move out of the line of fire. He was so effective, the enemy turned its focus on him.

The terrorist barrage hit him hard, with Hutchinson’s fellow soldiers later counting 100 bullet marks in the turret.

Hutchinson answered with his own onslaught for a few minutes. He emptied an entire can of ammunition before two grenades struck his Humvee. The force of the blast knocked him out of the turret and into the crew compartment. Shrapnel had gashed his right leg.

“When I landed down in the truck, I couldn’t feel my legs,” he recalled. “Actually, I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. At that point, I couldn’t get back in the turret.”

Hutchinson had landed in the lap of 1st Sgt. David Gusberry, who was in the rear passenger seat. As the private rolled over, he saw that Gusberry was seriously injured.

“His entire face was covered in blood, his armor was covered in blood,” Hutchinson said. “Since I couldn’t get back up into the turret, obviously the next best thing I could do was treat his wounds and try to control the bleeding as best I could.”

Gusberry, who was scanning for the enemy and improvised explosive devices that day, recalls Hutchinson’s cool.

“He never panicked. He did his job, then worked on my injuries,” said Gusberry. “He stayed by me to make sure I didn’t go into shock.”

As the attack subsided, the convoy moved out of the mountain pass and met up with a medical helicopter. Hutchinson refused treatment, insisting that the medics tend only to Gusberry. As injured soldiers must be secured on a stretcher before getting on a helicopter, Hutchinson’s decision shortened the time the chopper spent on the ground.

Hutchinson credits his training, which he received at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, from a couple of sergeants first class, Jimmy Snell and Robert Parsons.

“They told us at the beginning that the training would be long and hard, 14 to 16 hour days,” Hutchinson said. “But if we stuck it out, we’d be part of the security detail.”

The training involved practicing ambush scenarios in which Hutchinson and his fellow soldiers were outnumbered six-to-one.

“That taught us to not freak out, that there was always a way to get out of those situations,” he said. “That hard and very realistic training they put us through contributed to everyone coming out of the situation (in Afghanistan) alive.”

Gusberry says training really took with Hutchinson. Why? “His can-do attitude,” said the first sergeant.

Since returning from Afghanistan, Hutchinson, 22, has been promoted to specialist along with landing more medals: a Purple Heart, an Army Achievement Medal and an Army Good Conduct Medal.

He also is recovering from his wounds. For that he thanks the medics on the ground, plus the doctors, nurses and physical therapists at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. “They are all top-notch,” Hutchinson said. “It’s very obvious they know what they are doing.”

Step By Step

“I can walk for longer distances without a cane,” he said. “I’m also getting back the ability to jog, and May was the first month I had gotten back on a bicycle in over a year.”

Gusberry is also making his way back, although he suffers from partial blindness and will be medically discharged from the Army in a few months. “It could have been a lot worse,” he said.

As Hutchinson heals between Reserve jobs, he works as a retail sales consultant for AT&T . He could be called back to Afghanistan as soon as he’s made a full recovery. He sounds ready to help: “One of the things I noticed while I was there were the people building their own freeways. A lot of the roads are just dirt and hard rock. It was actually inspiring to see these asphalt roads being built, making travel between various cities that much faster.”

Source: Investors

Soldier of the Week – Army Pfc. James Arellano

October 16, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
October 15, 2009

Army Pfc. James ArellanoEditor’s Note:
Home State: Wyoming
Awarded: Bronze Star.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Pfc. Arellano was deployed to Iraq in November 2005 with the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. While on a foot patrol south of Baghdad on Aug. 17, 2006, Arellano encountered insurgents using IED and small-arms fire. Arellano stepped on an IED; the explosion severely injured the soldier. He died from injuries sustained from the blast.

For his work while in Iraq, Arellano was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantry Badge on Aug. 30, 2006.

 

Source: Our Military

Soldier of the Week – Army Spc. Kraig Lemme

October 11, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
October 8, 2009

Army Spc. Kraig LemmeEditor’s Note:
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Awarded:Soldier’s Medal

Spc. Lemme and other soldiers were on a mission outside of Baghdad in October 2004 when a radio message alerted them that a tank had overturned into a canal. Lemme and three others went to investigate. They found an Abrams tank flipped over, with three soldiers trapped inside. Lemme and his team used tow cables attached to another tank to try and pull the overturned tank from the canal. While they were unable to haul the tank completely out of the water, the rescue team was able to raise it above the waterline. Lemme, a trained rescue swimmer, helped the three trapped soldiers escape through a hatch and swim to safety. Lemme was awarded the Soldier’s Medal on Sept. 15, 2006.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

Source: Our Military

Soldier of the Week – Marine Corps 1st Lt. Elliot Ackerman

October 1, 2009 by  
Filed under Soldier of the Week

by Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Sept. 30, 2009

Marine Corps 1st Lt. Elliot AckermanEditor’s Note:
Hometown: Washington D.C.
Awarded: Silver Star

Insurgents had a relatively free run of Fallujah the six months preceding November 2004. With little or no Coalition presence in the city, they had turned the urban landscape into a warren – like maze of fortified positions, booby traps, and sniper positions. The terrain could not have been more demanding for the Marines called in to clear the city. First, however, they had to establish a foothold, a task that fell in part to then-2nd Lt. Ackerman and his platoon. On November 10th, he and his men entered the city in what became a six-day struggle to open operational lines.

Insurgents attacked from numerous directions as Ackerman’s Marines pushed into the city. Twice in the early moments of the shooting, Ackerman braved enemy fire to pull injured Marines to safety – and then organized their evacuation. But in the midst of the battle, the vehicle sent to recover the injured could not find their position. Ackerman charged from his cover into the open, dodged what his citation calls a “gauntlet of deadly enemy fire,” and directed the vehicle to the Marines.

Later, as Ackerman and his team were clearing a building, he noticed that his Marines were exposed on a rooftop. After ordering them down, he took their place and began marking targets for tanks as insurgents fired at him from all directions. Despite suffering shrapnel wounds, Ackerman continued to direct the attack, and coordinated four medical evacuations. “There is only one alternative,” Lt. Ackerman said later. “It is to do it or not do it.” For his leadership and actions, Ackerman was awarded the Silver Star on Jan. 12, 2007.

Editor’s Note:

  • Hometown: Washington D.C.
  • Awarded: Silver Star
  • We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

    Source: Our Military

    Soldier of the Week- Army Major Lisa Carter

    September 25, 2009 by  
    Filed under Soldier of the Week

    by Dan Samaria
    Publisher/YC
    Sept. 25, 2009

    Army Major Lisa CarterEditor’s Note:
    Hometown: Atlanta, GA
    Awarded: Bronze Star

    When Lisa L. Carter was an Atlanta postal worker caring for her two-year-old daughter, she had a strong feeling she was capable of more. Little did she know that, almost two decades later, she would be in command of more than 90 soldiers in the sands of Iraq. Nor would she have predicted that a Bronze Star would be pinned on her uniform in 2003 for her extraordinary service in support of the 555th Maintenance Company.

    Spurred on by colleagues, she joined the Army Reserves in 1987 and was forever changed when she saw a black female officer and thought, “If she can do it, surely I can do it.” From that day forward, she tirelessly reached for excellence. In 1996, she received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Georgia State University and earned Army lieutenant gold bars through the school’s ROTC program, all the while raising a family as a then-single parent.

    Around the Christmas holiday of 2002, the 2/43 Air Defense Artillery Battalion and the 555th Maintenance Company received their deployment orders to Iraq with 80 percent of the company on leave. Carter had a goliath task ahead, and she embraced it. As the 555th Maintenance Company Commander at Ft. Bliss, Texas, she meticulously, safely, and effectively rail-loaded the entire company of 51 pieces of equipment in record time. Under her leadership, the unit’s support of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force aided more than 65 contact missions, recovered 45 vehicles, and repaired more than 35 pieces of equipment within a four month period. Able to maintain a grueling operational tempo, her personnel were instrumental in the battalion’s 95 percent above readiness rate during three critical weeks of intense combat. For these stellar accomplishments, then-Captain Lisa Weems (Carter) was awarded the Bronze Star.

    Now back in the United States as member of the Defense Department’s Why We Serve program, the major is engaged in telling her story to fellow citizens. From a hard-working single mother in Atlanta to a distinguished Army major, Carter now sums it up: “Service members know that this is their job and responsibility – to serve.”

    Editor’s Note:

  • Hometown: Atlanta, GA
  • Awarded: Bronze Star
  • We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

    Source: Our Military

    Soldier of the Week- Marine 1st Sgt. Paul Archie

    September 16, 2009 by  
    Filed under Soldier of the Week

    by Dan Samaria
    Publisher/YC
    Sept. 14, 2009

    Marine 1st Sgt. Paul ArchieEditor’s Note:
    Hometown: Dallas, TX, NJ
    Awarded: Bronze Star

    A year ago, many people fretted that Iraq’s Anbar province was lost. Yet since then progress has come at an almost unthinkable pace, the results of principled and dangerous work by Marines working with locals. As the top enlisted Marine in his company, 1st Sgt. Archie provided consistent leadership in battle from August 2006 through February 2007, a key period of the turnaround in Anbar.

    In October of last year, insurgents launched a brazen attack on his company’s base: mortars, rockets, AK-47’s, and a suicide bomber driving a truck. Archie coordinated the defense of the base by setting up fortifications on six rooftops and sending out Humvees to block roads from incoming insurgents. Under constant and heavy fire, he moved throughout the battlefield, making sure his Marines had everything they needed. He also successfully oversaw the evacuation of two wounded Marines from the fight. Archie is largely credited for the defense of the base during the intense hour-long fight.

    That was not 1st Sgt. Archie’s only encounter with insurgents: His company saw combat all over Anbar during the seven-month deployment. In all, Archie undertook more than 200 combat missions and guided his company through more than 100 engagements with the enemy. Archie estimated that in many areas, there was a 50 percent chance his unit would face an Improvised Explosive Device attack.

    For his leadership, dedication, and courage, 1st Sgt. Archie received the Bronze Star with the Combat Distinguishing Device at Camp Lejeune on July 30, 2007.

    Editor’s Note:

  • Hometown: Dallas, TX, NJ
  • Awarded: Bronze Star
  • We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

    Source: Our Military

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