The Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday that an investigator is reviewing a valor case that, if approved, would yield the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor in the war on terrorism.

“We have a case that I sent an investigating officer out to take a look at on the West Coast that, if proven, I think will prompt me to recommend the Medal of Honor for a living Marine,” Gen. James T. Conway said.

Marine Times

As a general rule, the Silver Star is faster and requires less paperwork to award. The Medal of Honor is often an upgraded award from the Silver Star. Keeping that in mind, here are a few Marine Corps Silver Star winners who might be the “Marine to be named later”.

• Lance Cpl. Moses Cardenas
• Cpl. Ian M. Dollard
• Staff Sgt. Charles M. Evers
• Sgt. Chad Cassady

This is just a small sample of the Marines that may be being considered for our nation’s highest award for valor in combat.

The challenge issued by a flight attendant during a recent commercial air flight seemed innocuous enough: “Name just one of the five Medal of Honor recipients from the current engagements in Afghanistan or Iraq, and get a free drink coupon.”

But the passengers’ response – more specifically, the inability of all but just one to respond – revealed how little the average American knows about its military heroes.

Bombarded by superhero lore almost from birth, many Americans grow to revere fictional heroes as well as sports and celebrity icons. But silence descended over the cabin of a flight bound from Jacksonville, Fla., to Baltimore when the conversation turned to those who had earned the nation’s highest honor for valor – even when a free cocktail hung in the balance.

Dale Shelton, an Annapolis, Md., resident who served five years as a Navy intelligence specialist, was the only passenger to press the button over his seat to beckon the attendant. Shelton’s response: Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the first Medal of Honor recipient in the global war on terror and in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Smith received the highest military honor for valor posthumously on April 3, 2005, two years to the day after saving more than 100 soldiers in the battle for Baghdad’s airport. His young son and widow accepted the award on his behalf during a solemn White House ceremony.

The flight attendant gave free drink coupons to Shelton, as well as his wife, Jean, and two other traveling companions. Then he returned to crew area to announce over the intercom that only one person had correctly answered the challenge.

This time, the attendant offered a second challenge: “Name an ‘American Idol’ winner.” The cabin lit up like a pinball machine as 43 passengers scrambled to push their attendant call button. Passengers named various Idol winners.

The attendant announced that he wasn’t going to award drink coupons for that answer, telling the passengers that “naming an Idol winner was not worth a free drink,” Shelton recalled.

“He concluded his announcement with the question: ‘What’s wrong with our country when out of 150 passengers, only one can name a Medal of Honor recipient, but 43 can name an American Idol winner?’”

Later during the flight, Shelton shared with the attendant his own frustration over “the current lack of appreciation of our military heroes.”

The attendant asked Shelton if he knew the names of the other four Medal of Honor receipts from the current military operations. Shelton said he was able to name three: Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor and Army Spc. Ross McGinness.

All were killed sacrificing themselves to protect their comrades during enemy attacks.

Murphy, a Navy SEAL, died June 28, 2005, trying to save his team members during Operation Red Wing in Afghanistan. Monsoor, also a SEAL, died in Iraq on Sept. 23, 2006, using his body to absorb a grenade blast that likely would have killed two nearby SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers. McGinnis died Dec. 4, 2006, after throwing himself on a hand grenade in Iraq to save four fellow soldiers when insurgents attacked their Humvee.

Shelton said he regretted that he had forgotten the name of Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham. Dunham died April 15, 2004, using his body to shield fellow Marines in Iraq from a hand grenade.

The flight attendant didn’t hold Shelton’s memory lapse against him. “He gave me all the remaining drink coupons he had in his possession and shook my hand,” he said.

DoD
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Department of Defense site for these heroes

Here are ten men who have inspired us at America’s North Shore Journal in 2008.

1. PO2 Michael A. Monsoor: Awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courage during combat in Iraq. Navy SEAL.
2. Spc. Ross McGinnis: Awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his courage during combat in Iraq. Dove on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers.
3. Master Sgt. Brendan O’Connor: Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his courage in combat in Afghanistan. Green Beret.
4. Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips: Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his courage in combat in Afghanistan. Paratrooper.
5. Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Nein: Lead the Raven 42 unit and earned a DSC there. Returned to Iraq for another tour.
6. Sgt. Gregory S. Ruske: Awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his courage in combat in Afghanistan. Army Reservist.
7. Staff Sergeant Kenneth Thomas, Jr.: Awarded the Silver Star for his courage in combat in Iraq. Ambushed while on river patrol in a boat.
8. Lance Cpl. Moses Cardenas: Awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his courage in combat in Iraq. Rescued fellow marine under heavy fire.
9. Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller: Miller’s story has not yet been told nor have any awards been announced. Insiders tell ANSJ that his actions were the stuff of legend.
10. Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter and Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale: UPDATE: Navy Cross. No awards for these two marines announced yet. Killed while preventing a massive truck bomb from reaching their fellow Marines.

Thanks to Cassy Fiano and Drew at Ace for the update on Haerter and Yale.

Here’s the original report. Keep reading.

Afghan National Commandos from 1st Company, 201st Kandak and members of the Afghan National Police, advised by Coalition forces, conducted a deliberate operation today [April 6 2008] eliminating several insurgents in Nuristan Province.

The Afghan National Security Forces, along with Coalition forces, conducted a cordon-and-search in Kendal and Shok villages in an effort to clear the area of insurgents when several groups of enemy fighters engaged friendly forces from several compounds and multiple fighting positions around and within the villages.

The combined force repelled the attack with accurate small-arms fire and crew-served weapons. During the long battle, the insurgents reinforced their positions in several compounds with large groups of fighters.

As the enemy reinforced their positions with additional fighters, the ground force commander called in close air support on the reinforced defensive positions. These compounds contained large numbers of heavily-armed insurgents who engaged the combined force with a heavy volume of machine gun fire.

After neutralizing the threat, the combined force detained numerous insurgents, secured several compounds, and discovered fully-loaded weapons and stores of ammunition.

There are no reports of civilian casualties at this time.

Following a thorough search of the objective areas, the combined ANSF and Coalition forces deliberately withdrew from the area with the detained personnel under the control of the Afghan National Police participating on the mission.

Kendal and Shok villages have long been identified as insurgent strongholds. Villagers in the area have lived in fear of insurgents supporting the Hizb-e-Islami-Gulbuddin (HIG) terrorist organization. This operation will significantly reduce their ability to conduct future operations in the area.

CJTF-101

Here’s the result. 10 Silver Stars to be awarded.

A harrowing, nearly seven-hour battle unfolded on that mountainside in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province on April 6, as Walton, his team and a few dozen Afghan commandos they had trained took fire from all directions. Outnumbered, the Green Berets fought on even after half of them were wounded — four critically — and managed to subdue an estimated 150 to 200 insurgents, according to interviews with several team members and official citations.

Today, Walton and nine of his teammates from Operational Detachment Alpha 3336 of the 3rd Special Forces Group will receive the Silver Star for their heroism in that battle — the highest number of such awards given to the elite troops for a single engagement since the Vietnam War.

That chilly morning, Walton’s mind was on his team’s mission: to capture or kill several members of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) militant group in their stronghold, a village perched in Nuristan’s Shok Valley that was accessible only by pack mule and so remote that Walton said he believed that no U.S. troops, or Soviet ones before them, had ever been there.

But as the soldiers, each carrying 60 to 80 pounds of gear, scaled the mountain, they could already spot insurgents running to and fro, they said. As the soldiers drew closer, they saw that many of the mud buildings had holes in the foot-thick walls for snipers. The U.S. troops had maintained an element of surprise until their helicopters turned into the valley, but by now the insurgent leaders entrenched above knew they were the targets, and had alerted their fighters to rally.
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Staff Sgt. Luis Morales of Fredericksburg was the first to see an armed insurgent and opened fire, killing him. But at that moment, the insurgents began blasting away at the American and Afghan troops with machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades — shooting down on each of the U.S. positions from virtually all sides.

Washington Post
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer

Please read the entire article. I suspect that higher awards will be made to some of these heroes.

Lt. Col. James Markert, commander of 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, received a Bronze Star Medal for Valor and a Purple Heart

The mountains of Konar Valley in eastern Afghanistan are some of the most treacherous and contested in the world. They are also home to Task Force Raider, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.

The squadron began to train for the challenges of the harsh Afghan environment the instant they were notified of their deployment. This training was put to the test during a mission this fall.

1st Platoon, Charlie Troop, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, a supporting Civil Affairs team, a platoon from the 2nd Kandak, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, of the 201st Corps of the Afghan national army and their supporting U.S. Marine Corps Embedded Training Team were traveling down the only improved road in the Nari District to check on development projects and resupply voter registration sites.

The movement south was uneventful until the patrol reached the Tsunel Valley.

The enemy was crouching among the houses on a hillside, waiting for the convoy. When the convoy came by, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired and impacted approximately five feet in front of the lead International Security Assistance Force truck, blowing a three-foot hole in the surface of a culvert.

“I saw an explosion to my front that opened a hole in the road, and the window cracked in front of me as bullets struck it, so I knew we were in an ambush,” said Spc. Brian Engel from San Antonio. “I drove to avoid the hole in the road and get out of the kill zone, but an RPG hit the engine of my truck.”

It was an all-out firefight and several Soldiers exited the vehicles as gunners from the vehicles fired on the enemy.

Pfc. Leonard Kroll, from Ontario, Calif., was fighting from outside the vehicle and helping Sgt. Daniel Ward, from Steamboat Springs, Colo., when he was struck just above the ankle by a bullet. As Ward continued to return fire he gave the order to Spc. Christopher Christensen from Fort Smith, Ark., and Engel to get Kroll into the truck to treat his injury.

Some vehicles from the convoy, despite damage, were clear from the enemy’s fire, but not all.

They had to get to the high ground; Ward’s truck was still in the kill zone, said Lt. Col. James Markert, 6-4 commander.

Sgt. Jammy Randell, from Smyer, Texas, took the lead, moving his scout team up the hill to establish an attack position on the high ground.

Randall, Markert and Pfc. Kirk Goff, from Swansea, S.C., engaged the enemy from approximately 400 meters away, suppressing the RPG team that was still firing at the ETT, ANA and Ward’s truck. Sgt. 1st Class Scott Huffman, from Copperas Cove, Texas, grabbed the medic and moved back down the hill to provide treatment for Ward.

Markert called for fire, and the first 155 mm shell exploded on the hill above the enemy positions.

Soon after, Alpha Troop arrived as the quick reaction force. They suppressed the enemy as some of the more seriously wounded were medically evacuated for treatment.

“We were lucky that even though there were quite a few wounded Soldiers, very few of the wounds were serious,” said Capt. Amanda Cuda, a doctor from Kailua, Hawaii.

The shooting stopped, but the fight wasn’t over. Artillery from a nearby base continued to explode onto the battle scene.

“We tracked them down and engaged with an appropriate level of force,” said Sgt. Maj. Gregory Turner from San Antonio. “Although well planned, we were expecting an attack so the enemy lost the element of surprise.”

The mission didn’t go as planned, but the battle drills that they had been practiced a hundred times did, leading to a successful battle without the loss of personnel.

“I was proud of the way my Troopers fought that day,” Markert said. “They demonstrated the aggressiveness and quick thinking expected in Cavalry units.”

DVIDS
By 2nd Lt. Zack Moss
6th Squadron, 4th Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division