America's North Shore Journal

Navy Cross – posthumously

Citation:

For extraordinary heroism while serving as Fire Team Leader, 1st Squad, 2d Platoon, Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, FIRST Marine Division during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 12 December 2004.

While conducting a security sweep in the Askari District of Al Fallujah, a platoon-sized insurgent force engaged 3d Platoon. Corporal Clairday immediately repositioned his men and jumped a four foot gap three stories up onto the roof of the enemy stronghold where a mortally wounded Marine lay, isolated by the enemy. After throwing several fragmentation grenades, Corporal Clairday fiercely led the attack into the house. He was immediately hit with enemy AK-47 rifle fire in both legs and fell into the kill zone.

Under heavy enemy fire, he continued to aggressively engage the enemy while extracting himself from the doorway. Without regard for his own wounds, he rejoined the squad making entry and entered the house a second time. Once inside, he took control of the stack and repositioned himself in the front while suppressing the enemy using fragmentation grenades and his rifle.

Again, without concern for his own safety, Corporal Clairday led the Marines into the room where he single-handedly attacked the insurgents and received mortal wounds. His courageous actions enabled reinforcing assault elements to destroy the insurgent position.

By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Corporal Clairday reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

UNION-TRIBUNE

A Marine who died after leading his comrades in two assaults on insurgent strongholds in Fallujah, Iraq, has been honored with a Navy Cross.

Cpl. Jason S. Clairday, of Salem, Ark., was the 18th Marine to receive the prestigious decoration out of more than 140,000 who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. The Navy Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor for recognition of bravery in combat.

Clairday, who was 21 when he died, was wounded in a December 2004 assault on a house where Marines were cornered. He nonetheless insisted on leading a second assault with grenades and M-16 fire, saving several Marines but receiving wounds which ultimately proved fatal.

“He was told to evacuate; he was supposed to evacuate,” said Col. Larry Nicholson, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment. “He did not. He rallied his Marines and said, ‘We’re going in strong.’ “

L.A. Times

With grenades and M-16 fire, Clairday and his fire-team members killed the insurgents inside the home and saved several Marines. But wounds he suffered during the second assault proved fatal.

Travis Icard, who served with Clairday in Fallouja, told Marines and others attending the ceremony that his former fire-team leader “guided me to be a better Marine and to be a better man…. Cpl. Clairday taught me things you can’t learn in a textbook. He was always hard-working but never hard to work with.”

Nicholson, commander of the 5th Marine Regiment, credited the bravery of Clairday and other Marines who “went into that city and took it away from the terrorists” for improvements in Fallouja, which is no longer controlled by insurgents.

Clairday, of Salem, Ark., played baseball in high school, sang in the church choir and went into the Marines looking for stability in his life.

He married his high school sweetheart only weeks before he deployed to Iraq with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in September 2004.

The couple had dreamed of having seven children and living their lives in rural Arkansas. Sarah Clairday had a miscarriage shortly before her husband deployed, but both figured they would have plenty of time to try again in the future.