Master Sgt Anthony Siriwardene, awarded Silver Star for heroism

Anthony Siriwardene immigrated to the United States from Sri-Lanka at the age of eight, crew up in Arlington, Virginia and graduated from Washington-Lee High School. After graduation he enlisted in the Army as a Combat Engineer before completing the Special Forces Q-Course and earning his Green Beret.

In August, four years earlier, Siriwardene and his teammates battled for 56 hours through seven enemy engagements in Zabol Province, Afghanistan.

Working alongside the Afghan National Army, Siriwardene’s team came under heavy enemy fire while on patrol in the Buka Ghar Valley, an insurgent stronghold.

During the second engagement, Siriwardene repeatedly left the safety of his vehicle to reposition an element of ANA soldiers, said Capt. Blayne Smith, Siriwardene’s team leader.

“The enemy forces would have taken advantage of the ANA element and would have destroyed their unit if Master Sgt. Siriwardene had not directed them in the right positions,” said Smith.

As the battle raged on, the insurgents called for reinforcements and regrouped into better-trained, stronger units in order to attack again.

The sixth engagement found the team taking extraordinary volumes of machine gun fire and a vicious onslaught of rocket propelled grenades. Siriwardene again risked his life by sprinting to the last truck which was taking the brunt of the attack.

As the turret burst into flames, Siriwardene pulled the gunner to safety and then using the cover of a vehicle began to gather up ANA soldiers who had been pinned down by enemy fire.

The following morning, Siriwardene’s team was joined by a Quick Reaction Force element and after the fiercest of the seven battles, was able crush the enemy forces.

“We had pinpointed and fixed the enemy,” said Siriwardene. “Now, we basically controlled the tempo of the battle.”

When the fighting was over, the team was able to confirm 65 enemy kills.

Siriwardene doesn’t believe he did anything to deserve recognition over his teammates.

“The way the guys in the detachment performed – it was amazing,” he said. “This is what we do.”

DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Katryn McCalment

CITATION:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Master Sergeant Anthony M. Siriwardene, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as a member of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Sergeant Siriwardene distinguished himself by exceptional valor under fire and total disregard for personal well-being during combat operations from 7 August 2005 to 9 August 2005. Sergeant Siriwardene’s personal courage and commitment to mission accomplishment in a combat zone, under the most extreme of circumstances, greatly contributed to the success of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Special Operations Task Force – 31, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: Sergeant First Class Anthony M. Siriwardene, United States (US) Army, heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the US as the Engineer Sergeant, Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 316, Special Operations Task Force – 31, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) from 7 August 2005 to 9 August 2005. Sergeant Siriwardene distinguished himself in seven fierce enemy engagements with a well trained and aggressive enemy, during a time span of 56 hours, while operating as the driver of the first vehicle of the element.

While conducting operations in Zabol Province, Afghanistan, Sergeant Siriwardene’s calm manner and tactical competence under fire were imperative to the detachment’s survival. During the second attack in Buka Ghar Valley, Sergeant Siriwardene maneuvered his vehicle so the gunner could place heavy fire on well placed machine gun positions. He and another member dismounted the vehicle and advanced forward while receiving enormous amounts of fire.

The Afghanistan National Army (ANA) elements that were part of the patrol helped consolidate, assess, and obtain control of the situation while ODA 316 continued to receive heavy machine gun fire and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) from numerous positions. Sergeant Siriwardene moved to a position to gain positive control of the ANA element and focused their fire on the enemy, without which, the element would not have been able to positively engage the enemy’s heavily fortified positions with pinpoint accuracy. The enemy forces would have taken advantage of the ANA element and would have destroyed their unit if Sergeant Siriwardene had not directed them in the right positions.

ODA 316 continued to pursue the enemy during their retreat. The enemy forces had called ahead for reinforcements to set up what was to be the third ambush. Sergeant Siriwardene immediately recognized the third Anti Coalition Member (ACM) ambush and put his vehicle in position so his gunner could fire upon the well emplaced and trained enemy.

Sergeant Siriwardene once again dismounted with another member of his vehicle to attempt to flank the ACM positions. Sergeant Siriwardene’s bravery allowed the ANA element to maneuver on the larger ACM element. This caused the enemy to maneuver to a location they thought would give them a tactical advantage which only led them to a point where the gun vehicles could eliminate them.

The remaining ACM elements broke contact again, only to reform and gather more experienced and trained fighters further down the route. ODA 316 and the ANA intercepted ACM communications stating they would reorganize at a location that they had success with in the past.

Sergeant Siriwardene demanded to continue on and finish the enemy. As ODA 316 and ANA entered Cakyan Ghar Valley, the ACM element opened fire on the lead element with extraordinary volumes of machine gun, RPG, and AK-47 fire. Sergeant Siriwardene immediately maneuvered his gun vehicle to a position to engage this highly trained, numerically superior, and well equipped ACM Force that the team had been dealing with and pursuing for the past thirty hours.

Sergeant Siriwardene got out of his vehicle and engaged without care for his own life. His only concerns were for the care of his fellow team mates and eliminating some of the fire from the machine gun positions that had the ANA element pinned down. Sergeant Siriwardene continued engaging the enemy positions.

The remaining ACM ambush opened up heavy fire on the element, causing Sergeant First Class Roundtree’s turret burst into flames. Sergeant Roundtree continued to engage the enemy without care for his own welfare or safety until Sergeant Siriwardene pulled him down from his gun position because of the intense fire that had raged around him. Once he pulled Sergeant Roundtree down to safety, Sergeant Siriwardene maneuvered back to the rear vehicle of the element that had a downed turret gunner.

Upon arriving at the downed vehicle, Sergeant Siriwardene was essential to the movement of Staff Sergeant Falkel into the rear of the vehicle so the gun turret could be re-occupied. At that point, the vehicles could start to maneuver to reach adequate cover. Sergeant Siriwardene took it upon himself to stay behind, knowing the danger that he faced but only thinking of the ANA Soldiers that were trapped by the fierce fires. He maneuvered, ensuring that he gathered up all the ANA Soldiers that were scattered throughout the enemy kill zone.

If not for the bravery of Sergeant Siriwardene, moving under enormous amounts of fire, ensuring no ANA were left behind, the ANA element would have sustained tremendous losses. The following morning the element began its final pursuit of the ACM Forces in the Marah Valley to link up with ground Quick Reaction Force (QRF) element.

Shortly after the link up, contact began for the seventh time. This was the largest, most violent ACM Force of all that were faced in the prior 56 hours. Sergeant Siriwardene maneuvered his gun vehicle so the gunner could begin to lay down heavy volumes of fire on the ACM element. The ACM opened up on the lead element and the vehicle received extraordinary volumes of machine gun, RPG and AK-47 fire.

Sergeant Siriwardene’s vehicle was struck numerous times and yet again he continued to fiercely lay down fire so the rest of his element could clear the choke point. The enemy was engaging with tremendous amounts of fire at the moment. His continuous engagement without concern for his own well being allowed his heavily suppressed elements to get to positions of better cover and his relentless punishment to the enemy while he was fully exposed later caused them to retreat.

Sergeant Siriwardene willfully and voluntarily chose to serve in OEF supporting his fellow Soldiers, the legitimate Government of Afghanistan, and the United States of America in the Global War on Terrorism. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Special Operations Task Force – 31, the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan, Special Operations Central Command, and the United States Army.

The ISAF Joint Command (IJC) is aware of protests that took place earlier today in Garmsir District. Protestors gathered over an allegation of desecration to the holy Koran.

“While denying these allegations, we take them very seriously and support a combined investigation with local Afghan authorities,” said Major Gen. Michael Regner, IJC deputy chief of staff for operations. “ISAF is an international force that includes Muslim soldiers, and we deplore such an action under any circumstances.”

This allegation comes in reference to an operation against the Taliban in Garmsir district. On Sunday, January 10 Afghan forces conducted the operation, supported by coalition forces. No shots were fired, no property was damaged and no one was detained. The joint force protected the dignity of all innocent civilians during the operation.

During today’s protest an insurgent sniper shot an Afghan official who was within FOB Delhi in Garmsir District. ISAF service members identified the insurgent sniper, shot and killed him. There were no other injuries or shots fired.

“As partners with the Afghan people, we will thoroughly investigate allegations to determine the facts,” Regner said. “IJC remains committed to our Afghan partners and we will continue our efforts in support of a free and prosperous Afghanistan.”

Local ISAF task force leadership in Garmsir have been invited to participate with the District Governor and Chief of Police in a shura tomorrow.

ISAF

Maj. Danny Strelkauskas, currently the commanding officer of Force Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, pins the Navy Cross on Gunnery Sgt. John S. Mosser, during a ceremony at Recon Point in Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 18. Mosser was awarded the Navy Cross by Strelkauskas, who was Mosser's team leader at the time, for actions in Afghanistan on June 2008. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jeffrey Cordero)

Gunnery Sgt. John S. Mosser, a native of Dripping Springs, TX, was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award given for valor in combat, in a ceremony here Dec. 18. Maj. Danny Strelkauskas presented the award to Mosser on behalf of the President of the United States.

According the citation, Mosser, currently assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, received the award for “extraordinary heroism while serving as Team Sergeant for Marine Special Operations Company H, 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Special Operations Command, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on June 26, 2008.”

Then-SSgt. Mosser’s patrol came under heavy fire while conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol under the cover of darkness to apprehend a high value target and an enemy security element. The terrain was restrictive and mountainous with large boulders and rugged terrain along the route.

The team came upon a white sport utility vehicle off to the side of the road and a red pick up truck blocking the path. Mosser’s team dismounted from their ground mobility vehicles, and immediately came under heavy machine gun fire from elevated positions cutting off forward and rear movement.

Mosser began to fire back at the enemy targets while directing his team to cover and safety. The team returned fire with machine guns, however, could not identify the enemy’s position. Mosser left his cover and ran back into the kill zone to direct the machine-gunners back on enemy positions then back to cover.

Two Marines soon were injured with gun shots through the legs and fell back into the kill zone. Mosser and another Marine, under heavy enemy sniper fire, ran back into the kill zone returning fire on the enemy positions and provided first aid to the Marines before dragging them to safety.

Mosser then left cover again to distract the enemy’s fire on the remaining team members that were pinned downed behind their vehicles. One team member was shot in the chest and Mosser remained in the line of fire until the individuals behind their vehicles could move the wounded to a better position of cover and continue medical attention.

After an hour of returning fire and maneuvering to better firing positions, close attack support from friendly aircraft began to drop ordnance on the enemy’s position. Seeing the rounds not on target, Mosser left cover again and positioned himself in the kill zone to gain accurate map coordinates for on-target airstrikes.

Two more Marines were soon wounded and Mosser again exposed himself to enemy machine gun and sniper fire for a fifth time to provide covering fire for the movement of the casualties.

Mosser then ordered the extraction of the remaining team members trapped in the ambush to safety while coordinating the movement of vehicles. An estimated 40 enemy combatants were killed in action.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP S.D. BUTLER, OKINAWA, Japan

“I had been in firefights before but not like that,” Mosser said Friday. “It was unique. The enemy was well entrenched and firing at us from a high angle above. We were just reacting. There wasn’t much thinking — just return fire and take cover.” [snip]

“I wasn’t the only one doing things that day,” Mosser said. “The other Marines and sailors that were with me are some of the bravest people I have had the honor of serving with.”

Strelkauskas said the gunny was humble.

“There should have been a lot more of us that died that day,” Strelkauskas said, “but because of his heroic actions, we made it out of there.”

Stars & Stripes

See also: Major Daniel Strelkauskas – Silver Star

Staff Sgt. Michael E. Norton awarded Silver Star for actions in Afghanistan

A squad leader with the 75th Ranger Regiment was awarded the Silver Star for risking who his life to save two fellow Rangers in Afghanistan.

“Any Ranger would have done the same thing,” said Staff Sgt. Michael E. Norton of Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Rangers. “The Ranger Creed says, ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’ There was no moment of thinking about what to do. I had to get my brothers and the most important thing in my mind was how hurt they were.”

Norton led his squad on an objective, Aug. 4-5, to raid an enemy combatant’s headquarters camp in the mountains of northwestern Khowst Province in Afghanistan.

While moving to the objective, Norton and one of his team leaders were alerted to possible enemy combatants along the route and moved forward to assess the situation. As Norton and his team leader were attempting to identify the possible enemy in the valley, a seven to nine man enemy element initiated a complex, near ambush on Norton’s squad from the high ground with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire from a position of 25 meters to the squad’s front.

“The fire came from our 12 o’clock and then maybe a couple of seconds later from our right and left,” Norton said.

Behind the first enemy rocket-propelled grenade team, a medium machine gun on elevated ground to the northwest engaged them with highly effective fire. Two more enemy combatants were on the slope of the valley to the west, engaged the Ranger squad with an AK-47 and rocket-propelled grenades along the long axis of their formation, while another group of enemy fighters were on elevated terrain to the east, raked them with small arms fire from the rear of the Ranger squad formation.

The multiple enemy positions had effectively enveloped Norton’s squad from multiple directions at a distance of 25 to 50 meters, leaving Norton and his element pinned to the floor of the valley by the intense and accurate small arms fire.

The valley left no room for maneuver; Norton, his squad and the machine gun team element behind them immediately returned fire, but they were unable to gain fire superiority over the well-established enemy.

After the second rocket-propelled grenades knocked two of his Rangers temporarily unconscious and blasted the rest of his squad with shrapnel and debris and realizing his element could not gain fire superiority, Norton shouted for his squad to break contact.

When Norton realized that two Rangers had not gotten up and were still exposed to the heavy volume of enemy fire from the high ground to the east and west, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Norton turned around and with marked distinction, purposefully charged back into the interlocking fire of the enemy ambush kill zone in order to recover his downed Rangers.

“The example of personal courage that Staff Sergeant Norton showed, to get his men out of the kill zone is a testament to his character,” said Maj. Keith Carter, A Company commander. “NCOs such as Staff Sergeant Norton are the reason I wanted to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment, and it is an honor to lead them.”

Without hesitation, Norton dove down into the midst of enemy fire with his unconscious comrades, uncertain of their status.

“There was nothing fancy going on in my head besides hoping they weren’t dead,” said Norton.

While the rest of the element attempted to suppress the enemy, and lying next to the Rangers, Norton “started shaking and yelling as quietly as I could.”

After reviving his Rangers, Norton led them back to cover through the hail of direct fire and rocket-propelled grenade strikes, saving their lives and bringing his entire squad out of the enemy onslaught intact.

“I’m proud of the actions of my squad, because we continued the mission after that,” said Norton. “It was just two minutes out of our overall mission.”

As his platoon fought off the enemy ambush with direct fire, mortars and close air support, Norton quickly assessed his casualties and reorganized his squad to return to the fight.

Norton continued leading his squad in the follow-on assaults through two more direct fire contacts, killing two enemy combatants.

“We receive a lot of great training here at 3rd Ranger Battalion and I was just acting on instinct,” said Norton.

The training conducted by Rangers means everything on the battlefield.

“The goal of the company and battalion is to create the most realistic scenarios possible while minimizing risk,” Carter said. We constantly integrate new enemy tactics from overseas into our training so that we are ready in any situation.”

The overall assault force killed 20 enemy fighters, destroyed two enemy anti-aircraft guns and several other weapons, explosives and military supplies on the objective resulting in the disruption of a major enemy headquarters and encampment.

Norton joined the Army from his hometown of Pensacola, Fla., June 2004, after graduating from West Highland Christian Academy and has deployed six times in support of operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. He is the son of Jimmy and Deborah Norton of Holly, Mich.

U.S. Army

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Daniel A. Strelkauskas, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy as Mission Commander, Marine Special Operations Company H, Second Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, on 26 June 2008.

While conducting a time-sensitive mission, the dismounted patrol Captain Strelkauskas was leading came under heavy machine gun and sniper fire from entrenched positions. He began immediate actions to move his team to cover as the patrol began taking casualties. With complete disregard for his own life, and under heavy fire from more than a dozen positions, Captain Strelkauskas ran deeper into the kill zone to drag a wounded Marine across open terrain to a covered position.

With multiple fragmentation wounds to his hands and rounds ricocheting near his position, and with the enemy machine guns delivering devastating fire and preventing the movement of casualties, he ordered a critical Close Air Support deployment of 2,000-pound bombs well within danger close parameters. This provided enough suppression of the enemy force to allow the relocation of the wounded to a consolidation point where five friendly Wounded-in-Action and one friendly Killed-in-Action were evacuated.

Upon completion of the evacuation, Captain Strelkauskas coordinated follow on air strikes resulting in an estimated 40 enemy killed in action, including several mid-level Taliban leaders. Through his tremendous courage and extraordinary battlefield leadership, he guided his team out of a complex and well-orchestrated ambush executed by an entrenched enemy.

By his bold initiative, undaunted courage, and complete dedication to duty, Captain Strelkauskas reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.

Service: Marine Corps

Rank: Captain

Military Times

In practice, the July 2008 mission in western Afghanistan was a deadly, grueling, four-hour firefight as a large number of Taliban fighters rained automatic weapons fire onto a group of U.S. Marine and Army Special Forces troops.

When it was over, an estimated 40 anti-government fighters were dead, including the primary target. But so was one American. And an additional nine U.S. Marines and soldiers were wounded, five seriously.

In the intervening 240 minutes from the start of the firefight, then-Capt. Daniel Strelkauskas suffered shrapnel wounds to his hands and ran through the “kill zone” to drag a critically injured staff sergeant to safety.

Strelkauskas continued to rally his troops. He also directed a 2,000-pound bomb strike that allowed the Americans to maneuver to safety.

For those actions, the 32-year-old Marine major was awarded the Silver Star on Wednesday, the third-highest award a Marine can receive for bravery in battle.

“It’s a very humbling day,” the unassuming Strelkauskas said before the ceremony at Camp Pendleton. “There were a very small amount of us who found ourselves in a very bad place that day. It was how the men on the team responded, which was unbelievable.”

Strelkauskas’ award is the first of several being awarded to troops who displayed extreme courage and valor that day. One is receiving a Navy Cross, another will receive a Silver Star, and several are being awarded a Bronze Star.

North Country Times

NARRATIVE:

Captain Daniel A. Strelkauskas is enthusiastically recommended for the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in connection with combat operations involving an opposing force while serving as Team Leader, Marine Special Operations Team 1 (MSOT 1), Marine Special Operations Company Hotel (MSOC H), 2d Marine Special Operations Battalion (2d MSOB), U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command (MARSOC) on 26 June 2008 in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM XII. Captain Strelkauskas was in receipt of imminent danger pay during this period.

On 25 June 2008, MSOC H was tasked by the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan (CJSOTF-A) to execute a Time Sensitive Target (TST) mission in order to clear a known High Value Individual (HVI) location followed by an Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) mission of a suspected enemy weapons cache in the mountains north of Khusf, Herat Province, Afghanistan. Upon receipt of the mission from CJSOTF-A, Captain Strelkauskas, with the assistance of his Team Chief, Staff Sergeant Mosser, quickly developed and briefed a course of action and prepared MSOT 1, MSOT 2, and an element of 24 Afghan National Army (ANA) Soldiers to depart at 2000L.

On 26 June 2008, after an overnight movement of 12 hours, the patrol arrived at the target area. After conducting final inspections and back briefs, Captain Strelkauskas lead the clearing element as they pushed into the objective area in order to clear and conduct SSE of the suspected weapons cache, while MSOT 2 provided over watch security.

The weapons cache was located deep inside a canyon with a one lane un-improved road providing the only entrance. Maneuver in the canyon was very restrictive, leaving little to no room for vehicles to turn around. Once observation of the site was complete and no threat appeared present, MSOT 1, led by Captain Strelkauskas, dismounted and maneuvered into the canyon floor to exploit the suspected weapons cache site. Upon reaching the target area, two vehicles were found, one parked to the side of the road and another parked in the middle of the road, impeding the movement of the team. Captain Strelkauskas ordered the team to search, render safe, and push the impeding vehicle out of the way with a Ground Mobility Vehicle while the rest of the team began to search the target area.

As the search and movement of the inoperable vehicle began, an unknown number of Taliban forces initiated a coordinated and determined ambush utilizing accurate sniper and machine gun fire on MSOT 1 and MSOT 2 from approximately 200 to 300 meters away. Captain Strelkauskas immediately began exchanging fire and orchestrated an immediate action drill to move the search team, who were completely exposed in the kill zone, back to the GMVs as other members provided covering fire. One GMV became stuck in the harsh terrain of the canyon as the team began to back their vehicles out of the kill zone. Almost immediately, accurate sniper fire zeroed in on several key locations and resulted in two team members, Staff Sergeant Heredia and Staff Sergeant Guendner, sustaining severe gun shot wounds. Because of the extremely accurate sniper and machine gun fire, the foot mobile team maneuvered to a position that provided cover from the barrage of incoming fire. Once in their new position, they found themselves completely pinned down and unable to assist the Marines wounded from initial contact. Captain Strelkauskas continued to engage the enemy, providing accurate covering and suppressive fires for his Marines from his defensive location, despite receiving painful wounds to both hands as bullet fragments sprayed all around him. Staff Sergeant Heredia, an Element Leader, had initially received a gunshot wound to the leg and lay exposed to enemy fire. While applying his own tourniquet, Staff Sergeant Heredia received a catastrophic gun shot wound to the chest, above his body armor, and was now in desperate need of medical attention. It was clearly evident by the enemy sniper’s actions that his intention was to lure first responders into the kill zone and engage them as they attempted to help the wounded Marines. With complete disregard for his own life, Captain Strelkauskas ran across 20 meters of open terrain under heavy sniper and machine gun fire, grabbed Staff Sergeant Heredia and dragged him to safety. This heroic and selfless act immediately motivated and inspired Staff Sergeant Mosser to rescue the other wounded men who were still fully exposed to enemy fire. Captain Strelkauskas immediately began administering first aid to Staff Sergeant Heredia’s wounds while a U. S. Army Special Forces Medic began to maneuver into position in order to assist him. Due to the severe nature of the gunshot wound to his chest, Staff Sergeant Heredia succumbed to his wounds within minutes. After ensuring he had done all he could for his fallen comrade, Captain Strelkauskas began providing cover fire for the Army medic so he could cross the kill zone to care for the mounting casualties.

For the next four hours, Captain Strelkauskas continued to direct his men with the assistance of his Team Chief, provided guidance to MSOT 2 for Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) and directed adjustments for the much needed Close Air Support (CAS) that had arrived on station. Unfortunately, all CAS efforts proved ineffective as the insurgents were deep within caves where the CAS ordnance had little to no effect. By this time, casualties had mounted to four urgent surgical; Staff Sergeant Guendner who had been shot in the upper thigh, Chief Petty Officer Shattuck who had received a gun shot wound though the chest, Sergeant Cagney who had been shot in the shoulder, and Sergeant Schoenhiet who received a gunshot wound to the head. Sergeants Cagney and Shoenheit had been CASEVAC’d to the Casualty Collection Point (CCP) located out of the kill zone with MSOT 2. At this point, the CASEVAC Aircraft, which had been loitering in the area and could not land due to the landing zone being unsecure, reported they were running low on fuel and could only remain on station for an additional 10 minutes. With another two critically wounded men still pinned down in the kill zone, the U. S. Special Forces medic advised Captain Strelkauskas that the wounded could only survive 10 more minutes without further medical aid and MEDEVAC. Captain Strelkauskas then issued the order for everyone to prepare to move the remaining two critically wounded casualties in the kill zone, despite the very active fire fight. These ultimately life-saving actions were carried out by Staff Sergeant Mosser, the MSOT 1 Team Chief. Captain Strelkauskas then directed the MSOT 2 Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC), through Staff Sergeant Mosser, who is also a certified JTAC, to employ CAS assets to drop a series of 500lb and 2000lb bombs within danger close as a last ditch effort to suppress the insurgents so the remaining two casualties and the body of Staff Sergeant Heredia could be retrieved from the kill zone. This tactical decision was the turning point of the fire fight and allowed the team to execute this plan of action. With ordnance at danger close distances and still under heavy fire, Captain Strelkauskas and Staff Sergeant Mosser coordinated teams of personnel to extract the remaining two casualties to vehicles and then move them to safety. While directing the rescue of the last two casualties, Captain Strelkauskas remained in position with Staff Sergeant Heredia’s body, despite a constant hail of rounds impacting all around his position. His “No Marine Left Behind” sense of dedication was contagious and would continue to inspire all those in the Task Force. The heavy barrage of CAS was finally effective enough to provide a slight lull in the enemy fire, which allowed all casualties and Staff Sergeant Heredia’s body to be removed to safety.

Once all personnel had been successfully extracted, Captain Strelkauskas ordered all forces to push outside of small arms range. He again directed the JTAC to resume surgical bombing onto enemy positions. At conclusion of the battle, there were estimates of 40 enemy killed in action (7 confirmed), including several mid-level targets. His heroic actions and continuous dedication to duty both inspired and guided his team out of a complex, well orchestrated, and determined ambush by a well entrenched enemy. His selfless courage saved the lives of the men he led and turned the engagement into a Coalition victory, rendering him exceptionally well-deserving of recognition with the Silver Star Medal.

San Diego Tribune