While the mass media continues its dogged obsession with anything dishonorable that Americans have done (or that our enemies can claim we've done) in Iraq, other accounts remind us about American heroism, sacrifice, and loyalty.
One example: Jarob D. Walsh, U.S. Army Specialist, Army Reserve 724th Transportation Company, was riding shotgun in the fuel convoy that led to the much-noted capture of civilian contractor Thomas Hamill. Walsh's harrowing first-hand account is a tribute to raw courage under fire. One brief excerpt (but read the whole thing):
I looked back towards the rear of the truck to see if it was on fire. There was about a six foot hole in the tanker trailer, fuel was spewing out everywhere, and a small fire was building inside the trailer and on the tires.I turned and looked towards the front of the truck, down the bridge. But before I turned my head all the way toward the front, something hit me in the chest. It hit so hard it felt like Sammy Sosa hitting me with a bat. It knocked me off of my feet, back into the truck. As I laid there, I looked down and saw a round (bullet) buried in the vest on my chest smoking. It smelled awful. I pulled it out of my vest and it burnt the hell out of my hand.
I pulled myself back up and got out of the truck. I looked down the bridge in front of my truck and saw two little kids on the bridge, about a hundred to a hundred-fifty meters away. They both had AK-47s; one kid was about ten years old and the other was about seven. The seven-year old was holding his weapon upside down by the magazine, and the ten-year old was firing three rounds at a time at me. His first round hit the driver's side windshield on the truck - right next to my head. I turned around to grab my gun, and when I did, he shot me two more times in the back; the rounds went through me and into the cab of the truck.
It infuriated me as he kept shooting me. I grabbed my weapon, jumped out, and fired two rounds over their heads; I didn’t want to shoot them - they were just l'il kids. After I fired over their heads, they turned around and ran down the bridge. Then I fell down onto my hands and knees; I couldn’t breathe or move. I had been shot four times!
Walsh is back home recovering from his wounds. What does he want to do next?
If I heal fast enough, I will get sent back over to Iraq. I hope I do get to go back. I left a lot of friends behind. And I lost a couple good friends on the day of the attack.Tip via Donald Sensing
The Houston Chronicle alerts us to the fact that U.S. Marine Joseph Perez, a Houston native, was awarded the Navy Cross recently. Here's what how the Marines told the tale:
Marine Pfc. Joseph B. Perez received the Navy Cross Medal from the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, during an awards ceremony Thursday at Marine Corps Air-Ground Training Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.Perez, 23, a Houston, Texas, native, received the naval service's second highest award for extraordinary heroism while serving as a rifleman with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom April 4, 2003. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award.
Three other Marines received medals for valor at the same ceremony.
"They are the reflection of the Marine Corps type who's service to the Marine Corps and country is held above their own safety and lives," said Gen. Hagee, commenting on the four Marines who received medals during the ceremony. "I'm proud to be here awarding the second highest and third highest awards for bravery to these great Marines."
"These four Marines are a reflection of every Marine and sailor in this great battalion," said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Sgt. Maj. John L. Estrada.
1st Platoon came under intense enemy fire while clearing near Route 6 during the advance into Baghdad. Perez, the point man for the lead squad, and therefore the most exposed member of the platoon, came under the majority of these fires.
Without hesitation, he continuously fired his M16A4 rifle to destroy the enemy while calmly directing accurate fires for his squad. He led the charge down a trench destroying the enemy and while closing and under tremendous enemy fire, threw a grenade into a trench that the enemy was occupying.
While under a heavy volume of fire, Perez fired an AT-4 rocket into a machine gun bunker, completely destroying it and killing four enemy personnel. His actions enabled the squad to maneuver safely to the enemy position and seize it.
In an effort to link up with 3rd Platoon on his platoon's left flank, Perez continued to destroy enemy combatants with precision rifle fire. As he worked his way to the left, he was hit by enemy fire, sustaining gunshot wounds to his torso and shoulder.
Despite being seriously injured, Perez directed the squad to take cover and gave the squad accurate fire direction to the enemy that enabled the squad to reorganize and destroy the enemy.
The Chronicle further reports:
Perez, stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, said earning the Navy Cross was "unreal," the Press Enterprise newspaper in Riverside reported after he was awarded the medal in a May 6 ceremony. "When you're out there, you don't think about any of this stuff. I was thinking about keeping the boys alive and keeping out of trouble."Posted by Alan at May 22, 2004 08:45 AMHis mother, Sharon Desimoni of Houston, said she wasn't surprised her son earned the medal. "It's quite typical," Desimoni said Thursday. "He never wanted to be in the back. He always wanted to be a leader."