Posted on 12/13/2004 5:06:02 PM PST by Mike Fieschko
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Dec. 9, 2004) -- He had nothing but a 9 mm pistol in one hand and a wounded Marine in the other as he struggled his way to the evacuation vehicle against assault weapon fire aimed at him.
Ideally, a Navy corpsman or "doc" whisking a casualty out harms way will have plenty of cover fire. But Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason R. Duty - aptly named for such a precarious mission and recently awarded for his exploits with a Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device - had little such support on his last of four such trips out of a battle zone during a mission last spring in Fallujah.
"One of the insurgents must have seen the opportunity and emptied an (AK-47) clip at me," said Duty, whose Bronze Star with combat "V" is the U.S. military's fourth-highest award for combat valor.
"Those 'docs' deserve just as much recognition as we do," said Cpl. Beau B. Burkhead, machine gunner for Co. E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. "They went beyond their call of duty."
They include 86 Navy corpsmen who received Purple Hearts for wounds received in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Some of those "docs" earned battlefield commendations as well, according to Senior Chief Petty Officer David D. Jones, Navy senior enlisted leader of 1st Marine Division. At least two of them -- Duty and Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew R. Slaughter - earned Bronze Star Medals with Combat "V."
Duty, a corpsman attached to Co. E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment during OIF, collected his Bronze Star for what he did in Fallujah.
Duty responded to a casualty evacuation call on the morning of April 21. The company was running platoon-size patrols to clear houses around the city's outskirts. After clearing their designated locations, two platoons came under heavy small-arms fire from nearby homes.
"After clearing the houses, they posted a sniper, gunner and two riflemen on the roof of the house," Duty explained. "The building just north of that was not designated to be cleared, and had some insurgents inside."
Insurgents threw a grenade from their rooftop to the one occupied by the Marines, wounding the rifleman, machine gunner and sniper.
"That's when we got the call to go get them," Duty said.
The casualty assistance vehicle traveled roughly 1,000 yards to the wounded, taking enemy small-arms fire as they approached. When they pulled alongside the house, the firefight was raging, Duty said.
"Six Marines took up security outside as I ran in to see what we needed," Duty said.
He made four additional trips, evacuating wounded Marines one at a time by stretcher or simply supporting the wounded Marine with his shoulder, each time covered by machine gunners and riflemen.
But on the last trip inside, one of the machine gunners was hit; the other was reloading, leaving just two riflemen to cover the final evacuation, Duty said.
That's when the insurgent opened fire on the corpsman and his evacuee.
The rounds impacted all round Duty's head, peppering his arms and shoulders with small pieces of shrapnel. He grabbed the last Marine and threw his arm over his shoulder to help him back to the vehicle. But his path still wasn't clear.
"On the last trip out they still hadn't gotten either of the (machine guns) up," Duty said. "When I got halfway to the truck, an Iraqi wearing a black robe and one of those checkered turbans leveled his (AK-47) at me. I thought I was done. I thought he was going to mow me down."
Duty pulled his M-9 pistol and fired repeatedly at the insurgent while dragging the wounded Marine to safety.
All four Marines survived their injuries; three still serve on active duty.
While Duty's award stemmed from a single act, Slaughter's Bronze Star resulted from a string of extraordinary feats.
Slaughter, attached to "the General's Jump Team" during his deployment, earned his awards for "zealous initiative" and "courageous action" in Iraq, according to his award citation.
Slaughter pulled wounded Marines from flaming vehicles, charged through enemy fields of fire and "saved the lives of numerous Marines and soldiers" in Al Anbar Province, the citation said.
"I wouldn't have been able to do 90 percent of what I did without the faith I had in my Marines to provide security," Slaughter said.
Such exploits in the heat of battle earned 13 Navy Achievement Medals among the battalion's roughly 45 corpsmen, according the unit's adjutant, 1st Lt. James G. Vanzant.
"Their bravery and calm demeanor amazed me," said Sgt. Major Randall Carter, battalion sergeant major. "I'm so proud of them, running alongside me across the open field of battle with their M-9 (pistol) drawn."
"They're remarkable - it's an incredible strain that comes with being 'the doc,'" said Lt. Col. Gregg P. Olson, commanding officer of the battalion, the first unit to raid Fallujah to oust insurgents. "There are men alive today because of their actions."
But that's just what corpsmen do.
"I'd do anything for these guys, I'm their doc," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian J. Russo, one of the battalion's Purple Heart corpsmen, who was wounded during a mortar attack while serving on Fallujah's outskirts.
After enduring the rigors and seeing the horrors of war together, some Marines have new appreciation for their corpsmen.
"I appreciated them before, but there are no words to express my appreciation now," said Lance Cpl. William R. Ziervogel, assault team leader for Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, who said a corpsman saved his life in Iraq. "They're our guardian angels out there."
E-mail Lance Cpl. Robbins at paul.robbins@usmc.mil
I have nothing but the utmost respect for these brave heroes. words aren't enough.
Every Marine I know that has seen combat considers them a brother. They are the only squids that the Marines consider as one of their own.
The Navy DOES TOO do ground combat ping!
placemark
" I'd do anything for these guys. I'm their doc. "
I loved my Marines just as much.
They take their job very seriously and sincerely. My husband is a Corpsman who is scheduled to deploy early Jan for Iraq. I wondered aloud once if maybe they would transfer him to Regiment (I'd heard a rumor that Regiment wasn't deploying to Iraq), and he says, "No way babe...I gotta do my duty, I gotta take care of my guys."
It was pure selfishness that made me voice that. ;o)
Big time Semper Fi ping to the Docs!
"Doc" Ping!
I can't even imagine what it takes to be a Corpsman.
This is a special breed of man.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.