Sgt. -then Cpl.- Dakota Meyer while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Ganjgal Village, Kunar province, Afghanistan. Meyer will be receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, from President Barack Obama in Washington, Sept. 15, making him the first living Marine recipient since the Vietnam War. Meyer was assigned to Embedded Training Team 2-8 advising the Afghan National Army in the eastern provinces bordering Pakistan. He will be awarded for heroic actions in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2009.

Removed from an ambushed platoon of Marines and soldiers in a remote Afghan village on Sept. 8, 2009, his reality viciously shaken by an onslaught of enemy fighters, Cpl. Dakota Meyer simply reacted as he knew best — tackling what he called “extraordinary circumstances” by “doing the right thing … whatever it takes.”

Nearly two years later, the White House announced Aug. 12, 2011, the 23-year-old Marine scout sniper from Columbia, Ky., who has since left the Marine Corps, will become the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in 38 years. Retired Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg, Jr. received the medal in 1973 for gallantry in Vietnam three years earlier.

Meyer is the second Marine to receive the medal for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Cpl. Jason Dunham was awarded the medal posthumously for covering a grenade with his body to save two Marines in Iraq in 2004. President Barack Obama will present the award to Meyer at the White House, Sept. 15.

“The award honors the men who gave their lives that day, and the men who were in that fight,” Meyer said. “I didn’t do anything more than any other Marine would. I was put in an extraordinary circumstance, and I just did my job.”

Though bleeding from shrapnel wounds in his right arm, Meyer, aided by fellow Marines and Army advisors from Embedded Training Team 2-8, braved a vicious hail of enemy machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire in the village of Ganjgal to help rescue and evacuate more than 15 wounded Afghan soldiers, and recover the bodies of four fallen fighters — 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, Gunnery Sgts. Aaron Kenefick and Edwin Johnson Jr., and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class James Layton.

ETT advisor Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., Oct. 7, 2009, from wounds sustained in the firefight.

Meyer charged through the battle zone five times to recover the dead Marines and injured Afghan soldiers, risking his life even when a medical evacuation helicopter wouldn’t land because of the blazing gunfire.

“There’s not a day — not a second that goes by where I don’t think about what happened that day,” Meyer said. “I didn’t just lose four Marines that day; I lost four brothers.”

Sgt. Dakota Meyer with a DShK machine gun.

Author Bing West, a retired Marine infantry officer and combat veteran of Vietnam, detailed Meyer’s actions in the battle in “The Wrong War,” and praised Meyer for taking command of the battle as a corporal — the most junior advisor in this firefight.

West said Meyer should have been killed, but he dominated the battlefield by fearlessly exposing himself to danger and pumping rifle and machine gun rounds into the enemy fighters.

“When you leave the perimeter, you don’t know what’s going to happen, regardless of what war you’re fighting in,” Kellogg, who lives in Kailua, Hawaii, said. “Once you get to a point where you make the decision — ‘I’m probably going to die, so let the party begin’ — once you say in your mind you aren’t getting out of there, you fight harder and harder.”

Beginning his career with the same regiment from which Kellogg retired in 1990, Meyer deployed with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007, and earned a meritorious promotion to corporal in late 2008 after returning from the deployment.

Before leaving for Iraq, Meyer completed the Marine Corps’ 10-week Scout Sniper Basic Course, and committed himself to preparing himself and his snipers for combat. They attended lifesaving classes taught by Navy corpsmen and honed their skills with myriad weapons systems, such as light machine guns. Meyer also spent time in his battalion’s communications section learning how to call for mortar and artillery fire.

“I devoted my whole life to making the best snipers in the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “They’re a direct reflection of your leadership. If you fail them in training, it could get them killed on the battlefield.”

In February 2009, Meyer volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan’s dangerous Kunar province and mentor Afghan soldiers as part of an embedded training team, the type of role usually filled by U.S. Special Forces.

“A Marine who seeks the challenge of joining his unit’s scout sniper platoon has to have a lot of drive and determination,” said Col. Nathan Nastase, commanding officer of 3rd Marine Regiment and formerly Meyer’s battalion commander at 3/3. “Being assigned to the ETT was a huge vote of confidence in his abilities.”

Meyer deployed to Afghanistan on the ETT in July 2009.

“Our mission was to help prepare the Afghans to take over their own country and provide security for themselves,” Meyer said. “ETTs make a huge impact on the outcome of the war.”

In Kunar province, Meyer and another ETT advisor would lead squads of 15 Afghan soldiers on patrols. Since he could speak Pashto, the local language, so well, Meyer often separated from the element with his Afghan trainees.

When his patrol fought to rescue another from an ambush Sept. 8, 2009, Meyer’s focus on advising gave way to surviving, and on what he had to do to keep himself and his men alive.

“I lost a lot of Afghans that day,” Meyer said. “And I’ll tell you right now — they were just as close to me as those Marines were. At the end of the day, I don’t care if they’re Afghans, Iraqis, Marines or Army; it didn’t matter. They’re in the same shit you are, and they want to go home and see their family just as bad as you do.”

Thrown into unimaginable circumstances, Meyer said the Afghan soldiers and his sniper training “saved my life” during the battle.

Jacody Downey is a close friend of Meyer’s from Kentucky. He’s seen his friend grow from a fun-loving “jokester” in high school to a driven Marine who deeply respected both elders and subordinates.

“Dakota has always cared more about others than he does himself,” Downey said. “Even if he’s not with his Marines now, he’s still constantly thinking about them, worrying about them and calling to check on them. He still considers them brothers.”

Cpl. David Hawkins grew as a Marine under Meyer’s leadership in 3/3’s Scout Sniper Platoon.

“Meyer was an ideal leader,” Hawkins, from Parker, Colo., said. “He knew everything about the Marines underneath him — how they’d respond to every situation, not only on a Marine Corps level but also on a personal level.”

Hawkins said he was deeply humbled by Meyer’s concern as a friend, especially after being injured in Afghanistan last year. Hawkins was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Sept. 24, 2010. Four days later, he lay static in a stark hospital room, riddled with shrapnel. After groggily emerging from anesthesia into a blurry reality, Hawkins’ phone rang — the first call from a friend. Without fail, Meyer’s jovial drawl broke through the speaker.

“In the Marine Corps, you always hear that if something’s broke, you’ve got to work to fix it, but you never really see the Marine who does it,” Hawkins said. “Meyer is that Marine. If he had something to say, he’d say it, and he wasn’t really afraid of repercussions for what he said. If it needed to be changed, he changed it.”

Hearing his friend would receive the Medal of Honor didn’t surprise Hawkins. In light of the “character” and “country boy” Hawkins knows, Meyer’s actions were simply the manifestation of how he lived and led.

“Meyer was destined for the Medal of Honor,” Hawkins said. “If you got to work with him, you’d see it.”

At the conclusion of his speech to 350 faculty and staff in Green County High School, Greensburg, Ky., Dakota Meyer, 23, watches them as they leave, Aug. 3. Photo by Sgt. James SheaSmall RSS Icon

Meyer completed his tour on active duty last June. He went home to Kentucky, where he’s found purpose working with his hands in a family business.

“Pouring concrete is kind of like the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “When you wake up in the morning, you’ve got a job … like a mission. There’s no set standard on how to do things, but you just have to go out there, make decisions and get it done — and that’s like the challenge of the Marine Corps. Once you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, you stop getting better.”

Meyer is the 86th living Medal of Honor recipient, and he joins a small, elite group of heroes, a reality that will often require him to conjure up haunting reminders of the battles he has fought, the friends he has lost and the painful regret he bears.

“I’m not a hero, by any means — I’m a Marine, that’s what I am,” he said. “The heroes are the men and women still serving, and the guys who gave their lives for their country. At the end of the day, I went in there to do the right thing … and it all boils down to doing the right thing … whatever it takes. All those things we learn stick in your head, and when you live by it, that’s the Marine way.”

Though Meyer will receive the Medal of Honor for what he did in Ganjgal, he insists he will wear the five-pointed medallion and blue silk ribbon to honor his fallen brothers, their families and his fellow Marines.

“Being a Marine is a way of life,” Meyer said. “It isn’t just a word, and it’s not just about the uniform — it’s about brotherhood. Brotherhood means that when you turn around, they’re there, through thick and thin. If you can’t take care of your brothers, what can you do in life?”

DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Reece Lodder

Lance Cpl. Derek Hopkins, a mortarman with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, carries a mortar tube while walking through a flooded field during a patrol, Aug. 3. Marines with Company K carry their mortar systems on patrols for support during firefights. Photo by Cpl. Ned Johnson

When the Marines of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, set out on patrol, Aug. 3, a simple civil affairs mission turned into an on-going firefight.

The task was to provide security during transport of a civil affairs team to talk to the locals about how Marines could help them, said Staff Sgt. Jesus Suarez, a platoon sergeant with Company K, 3rd Bn., 7th Marines.

Just a few minutes after the locals said there village had not seen fighting in a year, insurgents attacked with small arms and machine gun fire.

“We had a main effort push into the village and start conducting key leader engagements,” Suarez said. “That was when we got attacked by enemy forces.”

The Marines immediately found protection for nearby villagers and returned fire.

“The [insurgent] element was probably a squad size element,” said Derek Hopkins, a mortarman with Company K, 3rd Bn., 7th Marines.

After fighting continued for several minutes, Marines used fire superiority and movement to gain advantage over the enemy. Once the firing stopped, the Marines continued on the mission.

Although the mission was complete, the conflict was not over.

“As we were headed back, we continued to take contact,” said Suarez, a 34-year-old native of Corpus Christi, Texas.

This time, the snipers attached to Company K took control of the battle and helped defeat the enemy. The effective fire of the snipers immediately neutralized two of the enemy combatants.

The mission was designed to establish relationships with the villagers. Even though the village swarmed with civilians, insurgents attacked anyway.

“I think they are becoming desperate,” Suarez said. “They see the success we are having and they don’t want it to spread into other areas.”

“They are causing whatever violence they can to keep the local population from working with us,” Suarez continued.

The violence, however, will not prevent the Marines from continuing to help the locals, and Hopkins said they will continue to do security patrols throughout the Northern Green Zone and search for more avenues to help the locals via civil affairs projects.

DVIDS
Story by Cpl. Ned Johnson

Maj. Sean M. Sadlier (left) of the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office explains the solar power element of the Expeditionary Forward Operating Base concept to Col. Anthony Fernandez during the testing phase of this sustainable energy initiative here, May 19. The ExFOB is designed primarily for use by small Marine Corps units at forward operating bases in Afghanistan. Fernandez, a Marine Corps Reservist with a combined 28 years in the Corps, is the African Lion 2010 task force commander here.

Marines here at exercise African Lion are currently testing a new environmentally-friendly energy system which will enable deployed troops to purify water, light their tents and power their equipment through solar energy and leverage technology.

“Basically, you can take water from any source, even waste water, put in it in the SLMCO (water purifier), shoot it through the reverse osmosis process and put it right in your Camelback and drink it,” said Capt. Adorjan Ferenczy, the engineer analyst for the Expeditionary Forward Operating Base program, or ExFOB.

Ferenczy explained that the system can also provide LED lights for a medium-sized general purpose tent and power outlets for small electrical items.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Ferenczy, 31, came into the Marine Corps in 2005 after working for a major vehicle manufacturer in his home town of Detroit for several years.

According to Ferenczy, the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed the Marine Corps Energy Assessment Team to go to Afghanistan in September 2009 to conduct an assessment of the energy used by deployed Marine units and report back with findings.

“The Commandant has said, ‘Let’s not only lighten the load, but let’s reduce risk to Marines downrange by reducing our reliance,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Hedelund, the commanding general of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and vice chief of Naval Research in a March 2010 interview.

If implemented, the ExFOB concept will significantly reduce troops’ reliance on drinking water and generator fuel, which are transported from larger bases in Afghanistan to troops operating at remote sites by truck convoy.

These convoys are frequent targets for insurgents, so the premise is simple: reducing the number of convoys through the use of alternate energy sources for troops’ daily sustenance will directly reduce the number of U.S. casualties in overseas contingency operations.

This need to find sustainable energy solutions has been echoed by leaders throughout the U.S. Department of Defense, and all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces are currently evaluating alternate energy capabilities.

“The Marine Corps has taken the lead on exploring the use of these energy sources for tactical, small-unit use,” said Maj. Sean M. Sadlier, a logistics analyst with the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office.

Sadlier, a logistics officer with 15 years in the Corps, came here with his team in mid-May to test the ExFOB equipment in the harsh climate of southern Morocco.

The ExFOB team here is comprised of Marine Corps officers, staff non-commissioned officers, government service employees and contractors from Marine Corps Systems Command, the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, Marine Corps Installations and Logistics office, Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office and the Marine Corps Power Surety Task Force.

Here in southern Morocco, the ExFOB team of experts is conducting a week-long assessment of their prospective piece of gear.

The test is being done in conjunction with about a thousand troops participating in African Lion 2010, a month-long theater security cooperation exercise led by Marine Forces Africa, with the preponderance of troops coming from Marine Forces Reserve units across the United States.

When the ExFOB team returns to their respective offices in Northern Virginia later this month, they will make their recommendations to the Executive Integrated Processing Team, which consists of high-ranking Marine Corps general officers and senior U.S. government service employees.

“If they determine that the juice is worth the squeeze, they approve the project and the concept becomes a reality,” said Ferenczy.

The ExFOB is currently in the extended user-evaluation phase. At this year’s African Lion, troops from Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, based out of Beaufort, S.C., assisted the ExFOB team in assembling and evaluating their system on a Spartan logistics support area.

It took 16 Marines three hours to assemble the unit, which the ExFOB team is actually using for billeting during their stay here.

“They did a fine job considering they hadn’t seen the ExFOB before they took it out of the box,” said Gunnery Sgt. Michael Polson, the MWSS-273 Utilities Platoon staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge.

The LSA where the Marines erected the ExFOB resembles a large, unpaved parking lot, and is about 800 meters by 400 meters.

The Marines and U.S. civilians living there are covered daily in the ubiquitous dirt and grit which the wind blows up from the surface that the Marines graded, leveled and compacted with heavy equipment shipped over from the States.

The Marines of MWSS-273 and their Navy SEABEE counterparts have lived, worked and sweated together for several weeks now, developing the logistics support area.

In this unique landscape, the Cap Draa Desert runs straight into the Atlantic Ocean. The climate is therefore ideal for testing the ExFOB, as the system is subject to the sand, dust and wide flux of temperatures that are found in the desert, as well as the strong winds that blow in from the Atlantic.

Additionally, the severe overcast weather May 18 to 20 challenged the solar-powered generation system, which is the main power source for the system.

“I think it’s doing really well,” said Sadlier. “Our plan is to start out small and increase the power load to see how it performs. So far, it’s holding up pretty well and producing more energy than is being used.”

The product will go through a second phase of testing this summer at Enhanced Mojave Viper in Twentynine Palms, Calif., with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.

Sadlier said that the entire end-user evaluation, decision-making, and procurement process is expected to take about a year from this point.

If the ExFOB system is procured and fielded in 2011, small units in Afghanistan can mount the SLMCO water purifier unit to their vehicles, drive out to a water source such as a river or stream on a security patrol, purify a hundred gallons of water and bring it back to base.

They can also use the system on their remote positions to have a well-lit, medium-sized, weatherproof tent with electric outlets to power their computers, tactical radios, electric razors, IPODs and other small electronics items.

Sadlier added that the ExFOB will also be more tactically sound than traditional generators, as the solar panels silently transform sunlight to electricity, whereas traditional generators are noisy and can give away the position of a command operations center on an expeditionary base.

So in the end, the ExFOB is intended to not only cut down on consumption of fossil fuels and help protect the environment, it will also make overseas contingency operations safer for Marines; and a little more comfortable.

“This stuff isn’t new; it’s already being used by humanitarian relief agencies in austere environments. It’s just new to the Marine Corps,” said Sadlier. “The Commandant wants to focus on [Marine Corps] companies and platoons using this equipment at combat outposts and forward operating bases. We need to make sure that it works; and that it works in the kind of environment where our Marines are going to operate.”

DVIDS

Cpl. Jason Jones earned the Silver Star Medal for his actions during a firefight in which he went above and beyond the call of duty while attached to Embedded Training Team 5-3 in Afghanistan. Photo by Lance Cpl. Paul Zellner

The day started like any other day in eastern Afghanistan, moderate temperature, sunny; hardly a cloud in the sky.

But for three Marines, a platoon of Afghan national soldiers and a platoon of Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne, July 13 would turn to bloodshed, sacrifice and one Marine’s tale of heroism.

The U.S. – Afghan team was attacked by more than 200 enemy forces firing small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

Many members of the team became disorganized and discouraged facing the overwhelming odds.

Cpl. Jason Jones, one of three Marines embedded with the two platoons of soldiers, seized the initiative and began firing his weapon at the enemy while encouraging and guiding his comrades to organize a counter attack.

Jones’ actions grew bolder as casualties mounted and the firefight intensified.

He sprinted across the terrain under heavy enemy fire to a wounded Afghan soldier and pulled him to safety as rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire exploded around them. But the fight was not over. Members of the U.S. Army platoon were pinned down.

“We got a call on the radio saying ‘we’re dying, we’re dying and I’m the last one left,’” said Jones, the 24 year-old native of San Angelo, Texas. “I figured we needed to do something about it.”

With bullets still flying, Jones again crossed 130 meters of fire-swept ground wielding a M-240B machine gun. Jones, with fire support from other members of the team, suppressed the attackers long enough to allow him to reach the wounded soldiers and provide life-saving aid.

For his valor, heroism and bravery under fire, Jones was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest decoration a U.S. service member can receive.

Jones is a four-year veteran of the Marine Corps. He graduated from Grape Creek High School, class of 2003, in San Angelo. He works in the logistics field with Headquarters and Service Company, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

However, while in Afghanistan, Jones was serving a 10-month auxiliary billet as a mentor to the Afghan National Army while attached to Embedded Training Team 5-3.

According to Jones, he developed a bond with his Afghan and U.S. Army counterparts – a bond that was tested under fire and survived through resolve.

“Whether it’s a Marine, Sailor or Soldier, you can only hear suffering for so long before you have to do something about it,” said Jones.

Cpl. Jason Jones is pictured July 13 in the Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan just hours after a firefight where he earned the Silver Star.

Jones said he took it upon himself to do exactly what Marines are taught – lead from the front.

It is easy to say Jones’ actions saved lives that day, but they may have had another lasting effect.

“His actions built confidence and motivation in the Afghan national army,” said Sgt. Maj. Samuel Schmidt the sergeant major of 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. “He was essentially a catalyst in changing the tide of the battle.”

Though his actions are looked at as heroic by some, Jones was a bit more humble in describing his actions following an awards ceremony on Camp Schwab on April 2 where Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, III Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general, pinned on his Silver Star.

“We were just taking care of business,” Jones said. “A firefight that big opens your eyes to what war is really like. I wouldn’t call myself a hero. The real heroes are the ones that gave their [lives] – and I’m wearing this medal for them.”

DVIDS
Story by Lance Cpl. Paul Zellner

For additional information about the actions of these extraordinary Marines:
Marines Stop Enemy Attack – Heroic Last Stand

Marines Duty Valor

Marines render honors while the national anthem is played during a Navy Cross ceremony in honor of two fallen Camp Lejeune Marines, Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va. Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presented the awards at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Haerter and Yale posthumously received the Navy Cross for actions in April 2008. They are credited with saving the lives of many Marines and Iraqi police.

Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presents Joann Lyles, mother of Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, the Navy Cross, at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va., both were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for their heroic actions in Iraq in April 2008.

Marines stand at parade rest during a Navy Cross ceremony in honor of two fallen Camp Lejeune Marines, Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, from Sag Harbor, N.Y., and Cpl. Jonathan Yale, from Burkeville, Va., Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, presented the awards at a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin O’Brien

Navy Cross – posthumous (2)

Those three words belong together. In the two hundred plus years that the United States Marines have served their country, the young men who served have lived up to every challenge and met every foe.

Jordan Haerter and Jon Yale went out for guard duty in the morning of April 22, 2008. Before nightfall, their actions would become the stuff of Marine legend. A hundred years from now, drill sergeants will use their names to inspire future generations of Marines.

Manning a small guard post as they had dozens of times in the past, the two Marines saw a truck speeding towards them through the string of barriers on the road. It was obvious that something was wrong, that the truck was probably a suicide bomber driving a load of explosives.

Both Marines held their ground and began shooting. The truck detonated, well short of its goal, killing the two and leveling the guard post.

But 50 Marines and Iraqi policemen in the targeted building survived.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Two of the Marines, Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, earned the Navy Cross, the service’s second-highest award for valor. On guard together at the front gate of a base in Ramadi, the two men stood their ground and opened fire as a truck loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives weaved around concrete barricades toward them.

Their gunfire slowed the truck, which exploded close to where they stood. Yale and Haerter died, and three Marines were wounded along with eight Iraqi policemen and more than 20 civilians. But their actions are credited with saving the lives of at least 50 U.S. and Iraqi troops on the base.

“I will never forget blessing Lance Cpl. Haerter’s body,” said Lt. Cmdr. William Muhm, a chaplain who spoke at the service. “I will always be grateful that I was there to do it.”

Jonathan T. Yale

Marine Cpl Jonathan T Yale, Navy Cross for valor in Iraq

Jonathan Yale was close to his mother, a single parent who gave birth to him when she was only 17. And he was the kind of guy who liked to make people happy, she said.

“He was the class clown, even when he wasn’t at school,” his mother, Rebecca Yale, said yesterday. “But he also didn’t mind sitting home with his momma to watch a chick flick with a box of Kleenex between us. He was the best boy you could ask for.” [snip]

Yale grew up in rural Meherrin, one of those “teeny tiny little Virginia towns where if you sneeze, you miss it,” Rebecca Yale said.

When he was little, Yale loved to hang out with his granddad “in the bush and the thicket,” his grandfather, William Sydnor Sr., said. “I used to call him ‘Wild Man.’ No matter how much he would get scratched up in the woods, he always wanted to go again next time . . . and he was only 5 or 6 then.”

Sydnor said his son, Yale’s father, lived with the boy off and on while he was growing up.

Yale became an “awesome skateboarder” and “one of the top paintball players” in the area, according to his mother. She said he was setting up a Web site for a paintball team he had founded.

Jordan Haerter

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, Navy Cross for valor in Iraq

Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, was from a comfortably middle-class suburb on Long Island. As a boy, he had worn military garb, and he had felt the pull of adventure and patriotism. He had just arrived in Iraq.

On April 22, the two were assigned to guard the main gate to Joint Security Station Nasser in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, once an insurgent stronghold and still a dangerous region. Dozens of Marines and Iraqi police lived at the compound, and some were still sleeping after all-night patrols when Yale and Haerter reported for duty that warm, sultry morning.

Yale, respected for his quiet, efficient manner, was assigned to show Haerter how to take over his duties.

Haerter had volunteered to watch the main gate, even though it was considered the most hazardous of the compound’s three guard stations because it could be approached from a busy thoroughfare.

The sun had barely risen when the two sentries spotted a 20-foot-long truck headed toward the gate, weaving with increasing speed through the concrete barriers. Two Iraqi police officers assigned to the gate ran for their lives. So did several Iraqi police on the adjacent street.

Yale and Haerter tried to wave off the truck, but it kept coming. They opened fire, Yale with a machine gun, Haerter with an M-16. Their bullets peppered the radiator and windshield. The truck slowed but kept rolling.

A few dozen feet from the gate, the truck exploded. Investigators found that it was loaded with 2,000 pounds of explosives and that its driver, his hand on a “dead-man switch,” was determined to commit suicide and slaughter Marines and Iraqi police.

The thunderous explosion rocked much of Ramadi, interrupting the morning call to prayers from the many mosques. A nearby mosque and a home were flattened. The blast ripped a crater 5 feet deep and 20 feet across into the street.

Shards of concrete scattered everywhere, and choking dust filled the air.

Haerter was dead; Yale was dying.

Three Marines about 300 feet away were injured. So were eight Iraqi police and two dozen civilians.

But several dozen other nearby Marines and Iraqi police, while shaken, were unhurt. A Black Hawk helicopter was summoned in a futile attempt to get Yale to a field hospital in time. A sheet was placed over Haerter.

When I interview heroes, or read their stories, two things stand out. They all say that they were not heroes, that they were just doing their duty. And they all say that they acted to save their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines. I do not know what Jordan and Jon would answer to the question “Why?” but I am willing to wager that they would tell us that they did it because they were Marines and it was their duty.

Photos at Newsday

Jordan Haerter Memorial Site

The modified Husky tactical support vehicle is an important tool in defeating improvised explosive devices used by insurgents against alliance forces in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Marines are employing a unique piece of equipment that’s helping lower the threat of improvised explosive devices in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Operation Gateway III, which involved the clearing of southern Afghanistan’s IED-laden Route 515, marked the first time the Route Clearance Platoon of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (Reinforced), used the Husky tactical support vehicle in combat operations.

The Husky, equipped with an Interim Vehicle Mounted Mine Detector to detect hidden metallic explosives, is similar in construction to the mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle, also known as the MRAP, with a V-shaped undercarriage to direct the blast away from the vehicle and protect its driver. Its single-operator cockpit is fitted with armored steel, ballistic windows and an on-board automatic fire extinguisher. The vehicle detects IEDs with its IVMMD, which employs both metal detection and ground penetrating radar sensors to find the deadly IEDs.

“This is a very safe vehicle,” said Andrew Jorgensen, the lead field service representative of the Husky. “There have been a lot of safety upgrades to ensure the operator is well protected. I have known operators to have had an explosive detonate underneath this vehicle, and then 15 minutes later they are outside taking pictures with the vehicle.”

1st Lt. Samuel Murray, the Route Clearance Plt. commander, said his Marines feel very secure in the Husky.

“This is an overall better vehicle than previous models,” Murray said. “If a mine were to detonate underneath the vehicle, I am sure the operator would come out of it just fine.”

The Husky tactical support vehicle is an important tool in defeating improvised explosive devices used by insurgents against alliance forces in Afghanistan

During Operation Gateway III, the upgraded Huskies proved to be effective after encountering pressure-plate IEDs that detonated beneath the vehicles. Reports confirmed that the vehicles sustained mostly minimal damage that did not require outside assistance to repair and no injuries were reported. In most cases, the vehicles were back on the road in less than two hours.

Once the Husky’s IVMMD detects an IED, it sounds an alarm to the operator in the cabin.

“The sensors on the IVMMD pin-point exactly where the explosives are hidden,” Murray said. “Once we figure out where it is, we mark it using water-based paint.”

The finding is then exploited by explosive ordnance disposal teams.

The Husky has also been used in Iraq since 2003 to battle the threat of IEDs, and now the vehicles are a vital asset for saving lives and completing the overall mission in Afghanistan.

“The Husky keeps us from having to put Marines on the ground to sweep for mines,” Murray explained. “Although this isn’t the sexiest job in the Marine Corps, it is a job that has to be done and we are well prepared to handle it.”

DVIDS
By Lance Cpl. Monty Burton
Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan

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.

Reprinted from November 4, 2005

DefendAmerica

It was June 23, 2005, when 20 Marines boarded a seven-ton truck and began their treacherous journey back to Camp Fallujah, Iraq. What happened a short distance down the road is something that has, and will, continue to change their lives forever.

Sitting in the second to last seat in the back, on the right side of the truck, was Lance Cpl. Erin Liberty of Niceville, Fla., an ammunition technician with Ammunition Company, 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group. She remembers talking with the female Seabee next to her, when a series of combined explosions violently lifted the truck from both sides.

“When it blew up, we all flew back and then forward again in our seats,” said Liberty. “I looked at the girl next to me and saw her bounce up and down in the flames. I just closed my eyes and waited for it to end. I felt myself being thrown in the air, but my eyes remained shut. When I impacted the ground, I realized nothing hurt. I felt everything that was happening, but it was like there was a bubble around me, because when I hit the ground and woke up, I felt no pain. I looked at my hands and saw the skin hanging off my left pinky finger, but it still didn’t hurt. Not then. ”

On the ground and covered in dust, she knew it was an improvised explosive device. Later, Liberty said she learned it was constructed of five, 155-millimeter incendiary rounds and a few propane tanks. They had gone off about six feet from each side of the truck.

Trying to recover from the concussion and the ringing in her ears, she looked over and saw the Seabee she had spoken too just seconds before the blast.

“She was lying next to me, unconscious,” Liberty added. “I tried to pull her away from ground zero, but there was a firefight happening at the same time, so a few guys pulled me off and threw me against the wall. I wanted to go back for her, but the way the truck was positioned, it rolled over on top of her before I could.”

After the firefight died down and the injured Marines and sailors were recovered, they loaded onto another vehicle and headed straight for the Battalion Aid Station at Camp Fallujah, said Liberty.

“We then just jumped on another seven-ton and drove away,” Liberty said. “We all just sat there in silence, except for the sounds of discomfort and pain. I can still see the people with their skin hanging off of them. I remember seeing this girl with blood all over her flak jacket and the skin on her fingers falling off. Then, suddenly the silence broke, when a girl in the back of the truck started singing, Amazing Grace. I remember praying to God, and thanking Him that I was alive.”

When they returned to the camp, they were rushed into the surgical unit, but all the serious and critical injuries were rushed in first. Liberty said she walked in after everyone else.

They fixed both of her badly burned hands before she went back to her room. When she got there, she saw she had received packages from home that day.

“One was from my mom. She got me the most gorgeous rosary,” said Liberty. “That night, I just remember lying in bed, praying to let me forget about it. I tried to sleep that night, but obviously I couldn’t sleep much. All I wanted was to just wake up in the morning and feel like it didn’t just happen. The whole thing just kept playing in my mind.”

The next morning, she remembers waking up and thanking God. But with the morning sun came a new pain. Her neck began to hurt, so she went back to the aid station.

The doctors told Liberty she had broken a cervical vertebrae in her neck and she was going to have to return to the United States.

She returned to Camp Lejeune shortly after the incident and has been on convalescent leave since July 3. Not long after she went on leave, she received her Purple Heart Medal.

“It was extremely hard to accept, knowing all the people that had died,” said Liberty. “It’s nothing you can train or practice for, and you always receive it under the worst circumstances.”

Now, she wears a neck brace to assist in stabilizing the break and help with the pain. She is currently recuperating from first-, second- and third-degree burns on her hands and two black eyes in addition to her neck injury.

Liberty will undergo surgery in Florida next month, where they will put a metal plate between her C4 and C5 vertebraes in an attempt to stabilize the break.

In light of the life-altering events she’s been through, she’s still moving forward in her life. Liberty married on Sept. 19, after getting engaged right before she left for Iraq in February.

“It’s been a rough engagement,” Liberty said, with a light, but respectful chuckle.

Liberty said, that even though it has been almost four months since the incident, she still has thoughts of that day.

“I wonder what would have happened if those guys wouldn’t have pulled me away from the truck,” she added. “I imagine what would have happened if I had the strength to pull her away. I’m sure that will always stay with me. Honestly, my mind and my heart hurt way more than my body ever will.”

Heavy equipment operators from Combat Logistics Battalion 5 and combat engineers from Regimental Combat Team 1 completed leveling berms here on Oct. 19, 2008.

The Marines spent about a week leveling approximately five miles of protective dirt mounds that extended along the sides of Wolverine Way, a road stretching from Camp Baharia to the edge of the city of Fallujah.

The project serves two purposes: to provide better visibility for Marines who occupy an observation post on the road and to make the area look more normal for the local Iraqis, said Staff Sgt. Bryan Spencer, platoon sergeant, Operations Platoon, Engineer Company, CLB-5.

“We’re going all the way down this road to get rid of all the berms and get it looking nice again,” said Spencer, from Texarkana, Texas.

The Marines worked from dawn to just before dusk along Wolverine Way knocking down the berm and flattening the land as much as possible.

As the heavy equipment operators and combat engineers leveled the dirt, nearby Iraqi civilians watched and saw a newly unobstructed view of their countryside.

Leveling the berms around Fallujah is part of a greater effort by coalition forces to demilitarize coalition camps in Anbar and turn over control of the area to the Iraqi government and security forces.

To prepare for closing the bases, coalition forces remove military barriers such as the large reinforced concrete T-walls, Hesco barriers and concertina wire and withdraw all of the military equipment in order to return the areas to the condition they were in when they were occupied.

In al-Anbar province, the coalition has closed or turned over control of Hit, al-Qa’im and Camp Blue Diamond in ar-Ramadi to the Iraqi government, and are preparing to close more bases, including Camp Fallujah, in January.

Coalition forces are withdrawing from areas close to the cities and showing the Iraqi people that things are indeed getting better, said Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding general, Multi National Force – West, about the demilitarization of Camp Fallujah during a Pentagon press brief on Oct. 23, 2008.

For a few of the CLB-5 Marines, who came from Camp Ramadi to help with taking down the berm, the project has been a bit nostalgic.

Spencer has seen the evolution of the Marine Corps’ presence in Iraq from the beginning. He helped build up the coalition footprint in Anbar, including berms like the one along Wolverine Way. Now he is tearing them down as the country transitions back to Iraqi control.

“I was here in [Operation Iraqi Freedom 1] when we put the berms up,” said Spencer. “It’s good to see it coming down. It’s good to see us getting ready to demilitarize some areas — give some areas back and wind down [operations] a little bit.”

DVIDS
By Cpl. Daniel Angel
I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

Today is the 25th anniversary of Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada.

At the time, due to little news coverage, it appeared to have been an easy operation. Since then, thanks to the veterans of the operation and the Internet, we have learned of the sacrifices made by many brave men in that endeavor.

This was one of the small wars we fight to ensure that there are no big wars. It serves as a reminder that brave Americans fought and are fighting in many places in the world that do not capture the media’s attention. We are safe because of those men and women.

Matt at Blackfive has a note from one of the veterans of Operation Urgent Fury. It s worth your time and attention.

Navy Historical Center

Marines with Regimental Combat Team 5 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion killed three insurgents Aug. 14 in southwestern Anbar province.

Near the scene of the engagement, the Marines discovered two suicide vests, two drums of 14.5 mm ammunition, 3,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, one loaded RPG launcher, three AK-47 assault rifles and an assortment of TNT explosives with detonation cord.

No Coalition forces were injured in the incident.

“The security in Iraq is improving, but it’s still dangerous because bad people remain out there. No matter where the bad guys are, we’re going to find them and we’re going to get them,” said Lt. Col. Russ Smith, the battalion commander of 2nd LAR.

MNF-I

Western al-Anbar province was one of the most dangerous areas in Iraq in recent years, and Marine units operating there have encountered threats ranging from improvised explosive devices to small-arms firefights.

Delta Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd LAR Bn., Regimental Combat Team 5, has come across a different threat, however: oil smuggling.

“It’s been passed down from the regiment that there is a threat of insurgents utilizing oil smuggling to transport and fund their operations,” said Capt. Joseph C. Maher, Delta Co. commander. “These towns are like home ground for smuggling, and we’re here to ensure it stops.”

The company visited the towns of Um Al Wazz and Midham to search the area and question the citizens for any suspicious activity or knowledge of smuggling. The Marines cordoned off the whole area, ensuring a thorough search.

“Most people in Iraq want to live their lives in a safe and secure environment, and if the enemy elements are invading the town, the [residents] are in danger,” said Staff Sgt. Justin M. Cuomo, a scout squad leader. “Stopping them prevents them from harming an isolated village.”

During the operation, the Marines detained one suspected smuggler and more than four trucks, putting a damper on their operations and profits. The mission lasted approximately two days and consisted of clearing two towns and gathering knowledge.

“When we put a dent in the oil smuggling and insurgency operations, we thereby lay a dent in al-Qaida of Iraq,” said Lance Cpl. Scott J. A. Baish, a scout with Delta Co. “Denying al-Qaida access to the town will take away the opposition of the city’s government and make it more effective.”

MNF-I
By Cpl. Ryan L. Tomlinson
Regimental Combat Team 5

Great story about a Fox News cameraman named Chris Jackson. His Marine unit was hit by and IED. He was injured but went back into the burning Humvee to help rescue a Marine. Video at the link, too.

A FOX News cameraman helped save the life of an injured Marine in Afghanistan — and was injured himself — when the armored Humvee convoy he was traveling in was struck by a roadside bomb Sunday night in the Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.

Two U.S. Marines were badly injured when the improvised explosive device detonated near their convoy. Though FOX News cameraman Chris Jackson was injured in the blast, he went back to the burning vehicle to rescue one of the Marines.

“The cabin was on fire and I jumped out,” said Jackson in a report filed immediately following the attack. “I went, grabbed the sergeant out of the shotgun seat, pulled him out.”

via Grim at Blackfive

A large percentage of new businesses in the U.S. fail within the first year. Starting a business in Iraq is no different, if not harder, but with the help of Marines with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, four Iraqi businessmen have hopes of beating the odds.

Senior leaders of the company met with the businessmen, a carpenter, a pharmacist, a car painter and a mechanic, July 7, at Gnather Iraqi police station and handed them each a micro-grant to help jump start their businesses. The grants were available as part of the Micro-grant Program, started by RCT-1 in an effort to improve the economy in its area of operations by supporting small business owners.

Approximately $10,000 was distributed among the four businessmen, who were chosen based on an assessment by Marines and IPs while on patrols.

“We had [business owners] fill out questionnaires,” said 1st Lt. Aaron Brusch, Executive Officer, Company F, 2nd Bn., 3rd Marines. “Out of the 50-plus questionnaires we received back, [leaders in] our company prioritized which of them seemed most likely to benefit from the grants.”

The store owners who applied for the grants were prioritized based on the type of service they provided, how much the grant could help each individual improve their business and how their improved business could contribute to the overall economy.

Each recipient was excited to receive the funds. All said they would either hire more workers or buy supplies they previously could not afford.

“I can’t explain how happy and grateful I am to the Marines for helping me and my business,” said Wassan Ahmed Ali. “This will greatly help me, and I appreciate the Marines for everything that they have done to help me and other Iraqis.”

Marines with the company later followed up with the business owners to see how much the grants really helped their businesses.

“All have either hired new workers, bought more supplies or expanded and improved their stores,” said Brusch.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Chadwick deBree and Cpl. Steven McGinnis
Regimental Combat Team 1