The Cool Blue Blog

MAJ Robert Nesbit Jr.,

In the military you adapt to the mission and the hours. For Army MAJ Robert Nesbit Jr., that meant performing about 99% of his missions at night. He was deployed to Iraq from June 2006 to September 2007, as a troop commander.

"Over the course of the tour there were more than a few tough nights,” said Nesbit. "But there was one single night that stands out.” That incident led to him being awarded both an Army Commendation Medal with Valor device and a Purple Heart. It also was part of the reason he received the Bronze Star.

In October 2006, Nesbit was stationed in Baghdad with the 1-14th Cavalry. His squadron was in a neighborhood known as Abu-Dichir, and his mission was to "create a ‘safe neighborhood’ in the squadron’s battle space.”

"At the time there was a lot of violence directed by the insurgents against the local population and we were trying to protect them,” explained Nesbit.

One of the things Nesbit and his team of about 80 soldiers did was place concrete barricades across streets to prevent vehicle access.

"Emplacing concrete barriers always attracted a lot of attention which was part of why we normally operated at night,” he continued.

"On Oct. 22, 2006, we [the Troop Team Task Force] were en-route to start our mission for the night when the Stryker I was on was blown up in an ambush. There were four of us on board who were wounded, said Nesbit.

"Long story short, I got the other three soldiers medivaced off of the battlefield. Even though I was hurt, I chose to stay in the fight. Not for any sense of heroics, but rather, I felt as the commander as long as I physically could still move the soldiers deserved for me to stay and command,” Nesbit continued.

"A lot went into it, and it was a long night, but we got the ambush defeated,” he said.

All of the unit’s equipment was recovered, and they were able to return to their Forward Operating Base.

"The next night I was back out leading the mission. I was awarded the Purple Heart for being wounded that night, and I was awarded the ARCOM w/V for continuing to fight while wounded,” he stated. "There were other nights and other fights, but that one certainly stands out for me personally,” Nesbit concluded.

He received the Bronze Star for his service, work ethic and leadership as the troop commander during this deployment.

 

Colonel Thomas Cathey

For Army Colonel Thomas Cathey, April 10, 2007, started out like a typical day. Stationed in Baghdad, he was chief of a Military Transition Team, a group of U.S. soldiers serving as military advisors to an Iraqi Army Division. Together they had been running cordon and search missions in Baghdad, setting up perimeters around small areas of the city and then searching within that area.

“We had been conducting these missions since January. This was in April,” Cathey said. “I thought it was just going to be another typical day in that area.”

But by 7 a.m. everything had changed. The Iraqi Army soldiers running that morning’s mission had encountered enemy fire before the sun was up, Cathey said. And the situation escalated from there.

“We thought it was going to be a normal operation here,” he said. “It was the first time that we’d had this volume of resistance for sure.”

Before long an Iraqi Army squad had radioed for reinforcements, and had taken protective cover in an abandoned building.

“We are down to our last magazines. We are out of ammunition. We’ve got to have help now,” they told Cathey again via radio.

“There was no time. They were out of ammo. There was no one else who could get them. So I made the decision to go get them,” he said. The day’s mission changed from a cordon and search mission to an extraction mission, he said.

Cathey prepared a team of 14 soldiers in four vehicles. While the Iraqi Army soldiers weren’t far, Cathey knew getting to them was going to be difficult. They would have to take narrow alleyways to cross city blocks held by the enemy.

“We did know that as soon as we left …and started down this alley that we would be surrounded 360 degrees, and we would be significantly out-numbered.  But we also knew that we couldn’t sit and do nothing and take a chance on these soldiers being overrun by Al-Qaeda,” Cathey said.

“I knew it was going to be tough. But we’d been in the country. We were seasoned guys. We had a lot of confidence in each other,” Cathey said. “I don’t think we ever thought we couldn’t do what we needed to do to get those soldiers out.”

The convoy set out, their vehicles moving cautiously forward down a narrow alleyway. At each intersection they crossed they encountered adversaries. A grenade exploded just feet from the left from tire of Cathey’s vehicle, taking out the power steering. At a subsequent intersection, “as soon as our bumper touched the opening of the alleyway, it turned red with tracers,” Cathey said, describing the dust trails some bullets leave behind  to help the gunmen know where to aim. Seeing so many tracers was a signal to Cathey that there were even  more bullets on their way.

“I thought we couldn’t stop the mission, we couldn’t turn around. We knew that what behind us was worse,” he said. “We kept pushing forward to find these Iraqi soldiers.” 

But as the convoy moved down the alleyway towards safety, Cathey saw another Iraqi soldier waving to him from inside another building. It was a second Iraqi Army squad that had also been forced to take cover.

There was no way to fit the other squad into their vehicles, Cathey said, so they used the vehicles to shield the building from attack while they radioed for help, and then waited for a second convoy to reach them. 

But by that time the enemy had figured out their plan, Cathey said. The Iraqi Army Brigade deputy commander made one attempt to send vehicles to pick up the second squad, but they were forced back by the insurgents. Over the radio, Cathey convinced him to try again. But they were forced back again.   

Cathey finally had to make a decision. He chose to move the first squad to safety, but promised the second squad that he would come back for them. With his vehicle compromised, he led his convoy all the way through the insurgent-held area and on to safety.

The Iraqi deputy brigade commander was so inspired by what they had done, that he made a third attempt to get the men out, Cathey said. That third attempt was successful. 

“They all made it out safely, too,” Cathey said.
 
“For me personally it was just a very humbling, sobering day,” Cathey said. It was only later on when he’d had a chance to be by himself and clear his head that he realized that they “had been able to pull off a very dangerous mission with no injuries, no casualties at all,” he said.

“Several of my guys were awarded Army Commendation medals for that day,” he said.

The biggest thank you, however, was the next morning when Cathey met with Iraqi Army leadership in the Iraqi General’s office.
 
“Iraqi Colonel Munam stood there with tears in his eyes hugging and thanking me for getting his guys out,” Cathey said. “I didn’t need any thank-yous, but to me that was the greatest thank you I ever got.”

“It was just doing the right thing to do for those Iraqi soldiers,” Cathey said. “If someone hadn’t helped them, they couldn’t have got out.”
 
Cathey received a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions that day.

SSGT Bart Cole

SSgt Bart Cole enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduation from high school in 1998 and served overseas several times prior to his two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On March 24, 2004, while serving as assistant convoy commander, his convoy approached a U.S. Army convoy near Mushahidah, Iraq.

As the lead vehicle in his convoy came along side of a stopped U.S. Army vehicle, three Iraqi males began firing on the stopped vehicle, wounding the U.S Army soldiers. 

Cole and his turret gunner returned fire.

“All I could think of at the time was I hope my Marines and I get to our Army fellows before they get overrun,” recalled Cole. 

Exposing himself to enemy fire, Cole exited the vehicle and engaged the enemy.

He ran to the Army vehicle, manned the machine gun, and engaged another insurgent who was charging at the wounded soldiers near him.  Simultaneously, the Marines began taking fire from a house parallel to the ambush site.

When Cole began receiving small arms fire and machine gun fire, he crawled up through the Army Humvee.

“I noticed that the .50 cal was unloaded, so I loaded it with an ammunition can that I found in the truck and began to engage the enemy positions while my Marines could rally on my position,” explained Cole.  “When the .50 cal ran out of ammunition, I crawled out of the vehicle, took a M249 automatic weapon from a wounded soldier, and then crawled back up through the Humvee as rounds were slapping the truck.”

Cole leveled the M249 on top of the empty .50 cal and began to place bursts into the left over enemy machine gun emplacement.  He also directed another Marine to suppress the enemy with grenade fire.  Once the enemy machine gun was eliminated, he immediately rendered first aid to the two wounded soldiers until relieved. 

Unfortunately, Cole has no idea how the soldiers are doing.  His Marine unit was not assigned with the Army.

“I hope they are well and healed,” said Cole.

Due to his immediate actions he was not only able to defuse the situation but also coordinated the secure landing zone for a helicopter to perform a medical evacuation for the U.S. casualties.  For his bravery and sound leadership, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.

Spc Aaron Davis

When Army Specialist Aaron Davis found out he was receiving the Silver Star for his outstanding bravery on the battlefield, he tried to turn it down.

"I felt like I didn't want all the attention because I didn't do anything for attention," said Davis.

Davis, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173 Airborne Brigade Combat Team, was serving as an infantryman during his deployment in Afghanistan.

On July 13, 2008, Davis and his unit were attacked by 200 or more Taliban fighters while they were patrolling an area. During the ensuing firefight, Davis was hit with shrapnel to his right leg from a rock-propelled grenade.

Although injured, Davis remained focused on the battlefield and provided critical assistance to three severely injured soldiers until the arrival of a medical evacuation team.

"I wanted to help those who had more severe injuries than I did," said Davis.

When he returned from the evacuation helicopter, Davis was hit again. This time, the shrapnel impacted his body, arms and face.

"Blood was everywhere, I couldn't see, I was hurting everywhere. I didn't want to leave the premises or leave my comrades, but this time I had no choice," Davis continued.

After his second injury, Davis was evacuated from the battlefield for treatment and was soon transferred to a hospital in Germany. Davis went on to receive more treatment in Washington, D.C., followed by further rehabilitation in San Antonio, Texas.

"Although it is hard to think about what happened in the battlefield, I am glad I was there to help my comrades," said Davis.

For his heroic actions, commitment to his fellow soldiers and unflinching bravery under fire, Davis was recently awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart by Brig. Gen. James Gilman, Commander, Great Plains Regional Medical Command and Brooke Army Medical Center.

Davlyn Davis, mother of Davis, emphasized the ceremony was not only about her son but also for the ones that didn't make it.

"They are the true heroes; I'm proud to be a mom of a Soldier. Everyone involved in this journey took extraordinary measures to ensure my son and my family was in good hands," added Mrs. Davis.

Davis has continued to receive treatment, but has lost about 50 percent of his vision in his right eye. He hopes that when he makes full recovery he can return to be a squad leader with the Warrior Transition Unit.

Undeterred by his injuries, Davis has also been studying for a promotion to sergeant and will soon go before a promotion board.

Excerpts from article by Maria Gallegos, April

Maj John Detro

Focused on a high value target from a major terrorist group, the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment was on a direct assault mission in Northern Iraq in 2005.

Enemy assault soon ensued and then-Cpt. John Detro, an Army Physician Assistant, went to work treating the wounded while constantly threatened by incoming rounds.

"Prior to the mission, we had intelligence that the enemy was heavily armed and large in number," recalls Detro.

He explained that as his unit moved in hitting targets about a mile out, they could hear their air assets relaying information about the enemy movements. They were relocating to roof tops.

Although armed with the intel, the unit still was not fully prepared for what lay ahead.

"We assaulted the building with a force of approximately 50 personnel," Detro said. "As soon as we breached the door, the first two men were shot. We all moved into the building and received fire from above in the court yard, from adjacent stairwells, and from fighters within spider holes."

He explained that spider holes were hiding places in camouflaged walls.

Within minutes of the engagement, the 3rd Ranger Battalion had five urgent patients and 22 wounded. The infantrymen were in hand to hand combat in the hallway while Detro and two medics treated the wounded.

"At times we had to cover them [wounded] as incoming grenades landed around us," said Detro.

Detro and the other two medical personnel were wounded – though nothing major to slow them down. They received shrapnel fragments from exploding grenades. Nevertheless, they were able to move those they were treating to a nearby medical vehicle.

Bottom line – the mission was successful.

“As we were ready to leave the objective, the platoon sergeant came to the medical vehicle and stated we had a seriously injured member in the courtyard,” recounted Detro.

“The majority of the force had vacated the area so the two of us went back inside and found the ground force commander and my medic providing care to a seriously wounded soldier with a gunshot wound to the left chest which severed his auxiliary artery.”

“The medic and I did not have time to clamp it due to continued enemy presence so we placed a hemostatic dressing into the wound and compressed his arm to the chest wall.”

The two left with the patients and headed for the helicopter landing zone.

“I flew with the casualties to the Combat Support Hospital where I assisted my former boss (Colonel James Ficke, deputy commander) and his staff in performing surgeries into the next evening.”

Conducting a total of nine surgeries throughout the night, Detro and the medical team were able to save all of the seriously injured and the majority are still serving today. For his sound judgment and exceptional performance, Detro was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor Device and Purple Heart.

Staff Sgt. Zachary J. Rhyner

An Air Force combat controller received the Air Force's second highest award for valor on March 10 for saving his 10-man team from being overrun twice in a 6.5-hour battle in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Zachary J. Rhyner received the Air Force Cross for his actions on April 6, 2008, in the Shok Valley. Although shot in the left leg, he called in airstrikes, fired his M-4 rifle at the enemy and helped move other wounded people down a cliff. At the time of the incident, Rhyner was a senior airman who had completed training less than a year earlier.

Rhyner was part of a 130-man combined assault force whose mission was to enter Shok Valley and capture a high-value target who was funding the insurgency. Shok Valley is located below 60-foot cliffs. The mission objective was at the top of the mountains surrounding the valley.

"This was the first time U.S. special operations forces entered the territory," said Capt. Stewart Parker, the detachment commander at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, at the time.

"Initial infiltration began that day with snow on the ground, jagged rocks, a fast-moving river and a cliff," said Rhyner. "There was a 5-foot wall you had to pull yourself up. The ridgeline trail was out of control."

The U.S. and Afghan troops expected to encounter fire from about 70 insurgents.

"We were caught off guard as 200 enemy fighters approached," said Staff Sgt. Rob Gutierrez, a combat controller with the second team in the fight. "Within 10 minutes, we were ambushed with heavy fire from 50 meters. The teams were split by a river 100 to 200 meters apart, north to south."

"I have never seen a situation this bad," said Parker, who was monitoring the situation back at the base.

Rhyner was shot within the first 15 minutes, according to an account from the Air Force Special Operations Command. The team came under fire from all directions from snipers, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

"I was pulling security when I got shot in the leg," he said. "The rounds hit my left thigh and went through my leg and hit another guy in the foot."

"There was nowhere to go. I grabbed the wounded guys, but we were trapped by the enemy," Rhyner said. "I was calling in airstrikes and firing, while moving the wounded down (the cliff)."

Sergeant Gutierrez said he could see insurgent fire coming from the buildings on the hilltops above them and was trying to get across the river to meet up with Rhyner.

"Zach and I were in constant radio contact," he said. "I could hear the ammunition, sniper fire and rocket-propelled grenades with multiple blasts. We tried to push to the north to collocate with Zach's team, but every time we pushed up river, it put us in an open line of fire."

"My team ran across the freezing river. The water came off the mountains, and we were 100 to 200 feet beneath the enemy, like fish in a barrel," Sergeant Gutierrez said.

As the enemy surrounded them, Rhyner, who was being treated for his injuries, directed multiple rockets and gun runs from AH-64 Apache helicopters against enemy positions. Rhyner had been calling in airstrikes for three hours while he was injured; however, he still felt responsible for the others who had been hurt.

With disregard for his own life, he tried to get the injured to safety, still in the open line of fire. "I left injured personnel in a house and I had to get over there," Rhyner said. "I was frustrated being wounded. I tried to get the bombs there fast and talk to the pilots who didn't see what I saw on the ground."

Rhyner called in a total of 4,570 rounds of cannon fire, nine Hellfire missiles, 162 rockets, 12 500-pound bombs and one 2,000-pound bomb, constantly engaging the enemy with his M-4 rifle to deter their advance.

Toward the end of the fighting, 40 insurgents were killed and 100 wounded.

Sergeant Rhyner was directly credited with the entire team's survival due to his skill and poise under intense fire.

"If it wasn't for Zach, I wouldn't be here," Sergeant Gutierrez said.

Excerpts taken from article by Capt. Laura Ropelis, Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs, Dec. 25, 2008

Staff Sgt. Lincoln V. Dockery

Staff Sgt. Lincoln V. Dockery said he didn't even see the grenade that sent shrapnel into his right forearm while charging insurgent fighters in Afghanistan's Korengal valley, Nov. 16, 2007.

"Someone yelled out,” he said.  “My hand went up and a hot, sharp feeling went through."

Dockery, a combat engineer then assigned to a route clearance patrol with Company A of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's Special Troops Battalion, said he decided the injury wasn't major, and continued his charge up a hill into enemy fire.

"I don't want to think about what would have happened had he not been there," said Capt. William Cromie, Dockery's platoon leader that day in Afghanistan. "It would have been a completely different day."

Dockery said the description of the mission for which the patrol departed from Forward Operating Base Asadabad in Kunar Province that day sounded like the description of their mission for any other day: "Out looking for bombs."

"My only concern was for the guys who worked under me," the 25-year-old stated.

His concern became reality when the lead vehicle on the mission, a Husky mine-detecting vehicle, activated an improvised explosive device. Rocket-propelled grenades immediately started hitting the damaged vehicle and it became clear the convoy was in the middle of an ambush.

With RPGs coming at his men and him from two different directions, he realized that the enemy was not only across a nearby river, but also about 20 meters from their position.  He had to make a quick decision. 

"If we didn't assault the hill they were attacking from, they would have taken us out. They couldn't miss with their weapons they were so close," Dockery recalled.

He checked on the lead vehicle’s driver who was barely conscious but not wounded.  Pfc. Amador Magana managed to give a thumbs-up, Dockery said, and soon stood up, manned his M-249 machine gun and returned fire on the enemy.

Dockery and one of his Soldiers, Spc. Corey Taylor, then stormed the hill as their team members provided support from the convoy.  During the charge Dockery was injured, but he kept going, through hand grenade exchanges and incoming RPGs.

The pair low-crawled the rest of the way up, watching bullets kick up rocks and dirt all around them.  They then pushed the enemy back from their position and found the IED command detonator and wire.

Indirect fire, air strikes and other close air support was called in later to deal with about 30 fleeing fighters, but Dockery's assault kept everyone else from the patrol alive.

Dockery received the Purple Heart for his injury in combat and earned a Silver Star for valor.  Both medals were presented on March 11 in Bamberg, Germany.

"Hopefully anybody would have done the same thing I did that day," Dockery said, downplaying his role in the event.

Excerpts from article by Sgt. Micah E. Clare, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs Office, March 19, 2009.

Sgt Ryan Martinette

Then Spc. Ryan Martinette, a combat medic, reeled from the blast of an improvised explosive device at almost point-blank range. Regaining his senses, he picked up his medic's bag but found it drenched with blood.

His own.

That was a little over two years ago on the trash and debris-strewn streets of Baghdad, Iraq, where he and his unit happened upon a wounded Iraqi civilian and endured some rather anxious moments thereafter. The Medical Department Activity Soldier earned a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the summer of 2006. He was presented with it during a ceremony held Aug. 22, 2008, at Kenner Army Health Clinic, Fort Lee, Va., where he still works.

Maj. Gen. James E. Chambers, Combined Arms Support Command and Fort Lee commanding general, was on hand to present the award. He said combat medics put themselves in great danger to care for fellow Soldiers, and their value is often understated.

"Until you go to war, you don't know or appreciate who or what a medic is," Chambers said.

Martinette wanted to be a medic and wanted to go to war. He joined four years ago, knowing full well the country was engaged in a bloody terrorist conflict and the sacrifices he would have to make if he ever found himself on the battlefield.

"When you join in a time of war, you understand the risks of that war," the 23-year-old said.  "I was ready to go because I was ready to make a difference ... That was my goal - to make sure that, when we did go, the men I was responsible for wouldn't die."

But prior to his deployment, Martinette wasn't always willing to give something of himself. The Virginia Beach native subscribed to a "me first" mentality, was self-absorbed and only concerned with endeavors that benefited him.

"I was immature when I came into the military," he said. "I thought that I was always going to get what I wanted. It was all about me."

Martinette was posted to Fort Hood, Texas, in 2003. In December 2005, he deployed to Iraq with Company A, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. His duties were to provide health care to the infantrymen, wherever missions may take them. That essentially meant that he was a foot Soldier with a stethoscope.

"When they march, we march," said Martinette, one of five medics in the company of about 130 Soldiers.  On the morning of Aug. 18, 2006, the unit was patrolling an area of the city when members of a U.S. engineer unit were hit by an IED.

"They needed help," recalled Martinette. "They didn't have enough support to cordon off the area to try to find out who had detonated the IED. We responded to their call for help."

When Martinette's unit, mounted in Bradley Fighting Vehicles, had arrived on the scene, there were a number of concussion injuries. The most serious of the casualties, an Iraqi civilian, lay on his back in the middle of the street, bleeding from his nose and ears, said Martinette.

"They dropped the ramp of the Bradley and said, 'Go and get them,'" he said, "no different than any other time that had occurred."  The infantrymen cleared the site and Martinette approached the man, who looked to be about 50 years old.

"He was very incoherent from the blast, and he reached down into his pants," said Martinette, who was at that point standing over the victim. "We thought that he had a weapon or detonation device."

It was a moment that underscored the various dangers U.S. military personnel face every day in combat zones, oftentimes with deadly results. In this case, the Iraqi's action was harmless; the victim removed from his groin area a bag full of U.S. and Iraqi currency.

"He looked at me, handed the money to me and said something (in Arabic)," said Martinette. "I found out later (through the on-scene interpreter) that he'd rather I have the money than the insurgents ...."

Martinette, still standing over the victim along with several over Soldiers, began a movement to kneel next to the man.  "As soon as I bent down to grab the casualty, the bomb detonated," he said.  Miraculously, nobody died that day, according to Martinette.

Thinking about his life, he said his wife has brought a compassionate side to a Soldier who had to be tough all the time.  That compassion has pushed him to think that the war and the people involved in it are bigger than himself or any selfish want he could ever have.

Martinette reenlisted during his medal presentation ceremony and thinks he will serve 20 years in the Army. He said time spent in Iraq was priceless and serving as a medic is the best way to create a legacy of giving back to his fellow man.

Excerpts from article by T. Anthony Bell, Fort Lee Public Affairs Office, Sept. 5, 2008

Petty Officer 1st Class Lee M. Chandler

What may surprise some who are not fully aware of various military missions is that Sailors are serving in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In fact, thousands are making a difference every day be it from the sea, air or even landlocked in the middle of a desert.

 Hull Technician 1st Class Lee M. Chandler, a reservist from Naval Reserve Center Minneapolis, is one such landlocked Sailor who was part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan’s Kunar province keeping the wheels of coalition forces’ vehicles rolling to accomplish the mission of security, reconstruction and development. 

Kunar province is located in the northeast corner of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan.  It has rugged mountains to sweltering desert valleys with extreme summertime heat.  For a mechanic, this harsh terrain and climate pose a major challenge and can take its toll on vehicles.  Additionally, Kunar is the most militarily active province.

Chandler didn’t let the weather, land, or being a Sailor in an Army environment deter him.  He was involved in several vehicle recovery Quick Response Team (QRT) missions during his assignment as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the motor pool for Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar. 

During one vehicle recovery QRT mission in particular, Chandler's team came under rocket attack from insurgent forces.  Under enemy fire, Chandler ensured the safe evacuation of coalition forces and equipment without injury to personnel or damage to equipment.

"Petty Officer First Class Chandler'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," read the citation from U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser.

But, Chandler is quick to downplay his role.  “I was just doing my job,” he said.  “My team earned this.  I just get the privilege of wearing it,” Chandler insisted.  Recognizing others and their courage, he also noted that he was one of 11 Naval recipients of a Bronze Star Medal for PRT Kunar.

The Bronze Star was awarded to Chandler, a member of Maritime Expeditionary Boat Detachment 922, in a ceremony aboard Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., Feb 13.  The medal was presented to Chandler by his stepson, Aviation Boatswain's Mate Airman William Zorich, who was on temporary duty to NAS North Island from the San Antonio-Class amphibious ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18).

"It was such an honor to have the award presented by my son," Chandler said.  "He, too, knows all too well the hard work and sacrifices that are required by Sailors and their families."

Excerpts from article by Mass Communication specialist 2nd Class Ron Kuzlik, Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 3 Public Affairs, Feb. 24, 2009 and special article to American Forces Press Service by Navy Lt Neil Myers, Aug. 4, 2008.

Major John Clagnaz

Major John Clagnaz, the son of European immigrants and a first generation American, is known for leading from the front. His decisive actions and leadership throughout his tour in Iraq resulted in his receipt of a Bronze Star.

On June 18, 2006, “he led a Combat Camera team on a patrol with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Mosul that resulted in the seizure of a substantial enemy weapons cache,” according to the narrative that accompanied his Bronze Star Medal.

He recalls a mission with Bravo Company, 2-6 Infantry in the suburbs of Ramadi on August 16, 2006, when the patrol came under intense sniper fire while dismounted and performing random vehicle searches.

“One U.S. Soldier was hit by enemy sniper fire in his back while returning to his vehicle,” said Clagnaz. A few feet away one of his videographers documented the scene with members of the patrol dragging the injured soldier out of the line of fire and treating him.  Once the Soldier was stabilized, he was moved to a Bradley Fighting Vehicle for medical evacuation. “Suddenly, the patrol came under heavy fire from the enemy position across an open field approximately 100-150 meters away,” Clagnaz described. “Members of the patrol returned fire.”

Now two men short – one soldier wounded and another administering first aid –his combat camera team stepped up to fill the vacancies as the convoy raced across the field to capture the enemy combatants firing at the patrol.

Not new to combat, Clagnaz led a total of 74 Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen at 17 Forward Operating Bases across Iraq, accomplishing documentation of 923 coalition missions.

Clagnaz joined the U.S. Army right after high school.  He had his first combat tour during the invasion of Panama.  During his second combat tour in August 1990, immediately after Iraq invaded Kuwait, he deployed as an Apache helicopter turbine engine mechanic.

“My unit fired the ‘first shots’ of the Allied Offensive, destroying two Iraqi early warning/ ground control intercept radar sites,” explained Clagnaz. “This opened a radar-black corridor to Baghdad and marked the beginning of Operation Desert Storm.” He later returned to the States, received an Air Force ROTC scholarship and earned his commission in 1998.

Fast forwarding to his most recent deployment, Clagnaz downplayed his acts of heroism and noted that it was really his team who deserves the recognition. In the midst of fighting, they documented imagery of key events including the aftermath following the termination of Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the search and recovery of two kidnapped U.S. Soldiers, and the Regime Crimes Liaison Office’s Iraqi High Tribunal investigative hearings. This documentation and the installation of two satellite terminals improved imagery transmission by 75 percent and created a robust network architecture that expanded the military’s situational awareness in the region.