Silver Star, Bronze Star with V

Thomasville Times
Gushing blood and likely in shock, Marine Capt. Jason P. Schauble refused to stop. One of his men lay motionless on the floor of a farmhouse in Iraq and the - Norwood native wasn’t going to leave him.

Knowing that at least a dozen armed insurgents were inside, Schauble threw a flash grenade into a darkened room and went in shooting, drawing the enemy’s fire so that the Marines behind him could get to their fallen comrade.

”I wanted to make sure I got my guy out,” Schauble said Tuesday by phone from his new home in North Carolina. ”I didn’t know if he was wounded or if he had died, but I didn’t want to leave him there.”

For his bravery in risking his life to save others, last Friday Schauble was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor in the American military. Schauble, a nine-year veteran of the Marine Corps who once hoped to make it a career, formally retired from the service for medical reasons on the day he was recognized for his actions in the Jan. 3, 2005, raid.

Schauble, 31, was shot several times at close range and has spent the last year and a half in hospitals and rehabilitation clinics, and has undergone eight surgeries. He only has partial use of his right hand.

He was also awarded a Bronze Star with a ”V” for valor and a Meritorious Service Medal in a ceremony at Camp Lejeune.

Eagle, Globe & Anchor
Capt. Jason Schauble and his men knew exactly what they needed to do: Enter and gain a foothold inside an insurgent-controlled farmhouse.

But the 4th Platoon of 1st Marine Division, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company came under intense fire from the Iraqi insurgents in January 2005, and one Marine was killed.

For Schauble, deciding what to do was simple. He had no idea his choice would later earn him the military’s third-highest award for valor in combat.

“I did what I did at the time because I thought it was the right thing at the time,” Schauble said Friday morning after an awards ceremony in his honor at Camp Lejeune. “It’s never been about me.”

His men had already pulled back to set up a barricade and were reorganizing for a second assault. Sensing his Marines were in danger, Schauble did what he says any Marine would.

He went alone into the darkened room to recover the fallen Marine. Insurgents fired upon Schauble from less than 6 feet away.

He moved deeper into the room and killed two insurgents before receiving wounds that would cause him to medically retire this week. Schauble, 31, was shot twice in the forearm and once in the chest, which was protected by his body armor.

“I don’t have full use of my right hand,” Schauble said as he attempted to stretch out fingers that seemed as if they were restricted by thick wire.

After being injured, Schauble stayed in what he described as “the middle of the night in the fire,” drawing the insurgents’ attention — and ammunition — toward him.

“Risking his life to protect his Marines,” according to the citation for one award he received Friday, Schauble’s actions allowed his men to move in and kill five insurgents.

Described as “instrumental” in the stand-up of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Schauble became the 66th Marine to receive a Silver Star since the war in Iraq began. He also received a Bronze Star with V device for valor and a Meritorious Service Medal before his medical retirement Friday.