Posted on 01/23/2005 10:32:42 AM PST by CarrotAndStick
WASHINGTON: It wasn't just in the summer of '99 on Kargil heights that an Indian soldier went back for more battlefield action.
Lt. Neil Prakash did that in the summer of 2004. In Baqubah, Iraq. Only, he was fighting for the United States, his adopted country.
For courage under fire, the India-born Prakash, a tank platoon leader from the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment of the US Army, was awarded with the Silver Star Medal, one of the US military's highest honours, last week.
The Silver Star is awarded "For Gallantry in Action Against an Opposing Armed Force," and its prominent recipients include Senators John Kerry and John McCain, both in Vietnam.
According to a US Army website that first reported the event, Prakash's show of bravery began on the morning of June 24 when his unit was deployed near Baqubah. His company, with Prakash's 1st Platoon in the lead, was tasked with seizing and securing a set of twin bridges and to prevent the enemy from reinforcing.
Here's how the website described some of the action: Because enemy dismounts were attempting to throw hand grenades into the tank's open hatches, Prakash ordered the tanks to open protected mode -- bringing the hatches down, leaving them open only a crack. As the lead vehicle, Prakash's tank took the brunt of the attack, sustaining blasts from multiple IEDs and at least seven standard and armour piercing RPGs. One round blew the navigation system completely off, while another well-aimed blast disabled his turret.
Although unable to rotate the turret, Prakash continued in the lead, navigating with a map and manoeuvring his tank in order to continue engaging the enemy with the main weapon system and his .50 calibre machine-gun. He watched as men on rooftops sprayed down at his tank with machine-guns and small arms.
"I just remember thinking, 'I hope these bullets don't go in this one inch of space,'" said Prakash.
"Looking out the hatch, I'm spraying guys and they're just falling. They would just drop - no blood, no nothing. We just kept rolling, getting shot at from everywhere."
The platoon was finally ordered to turn around and head back north in order to maintain contact with the enemy and to establish a defensive perimeter, allowing a recovery team to retrieve a downed vehicle.
But Prakash, who is only 24, wasn't done yet. After returning to base for repairs and medical evacuations, he and his crew immediately moved back into position and requested to resume the lead in a 'Dil Maange More'(Heart Asks For More!) moment evocative of the Kargil battles. They went back and re-engaged the insurgents.
By battle's end, the platoon was responsible for 25 confirmed destroyed enemy and an estimated 50 to 60 additional destroyed enemy personnel, the US Army said. Prakash was personally credited with the destruction of eight enemy strong-points, one enemy re-supply vehicle, and multiple enemy dismounts.
"An incredible officer, his accomplishments on 24 June are clearly heroic," the First Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. John R S Batiste said of Prakash after pinning the medal on him on January 16 at a forward base. "He sets a very high standard for every one of us. I guarantee veterans of the past are standing very tall right now."
Prakash, who comes from a family of doctors (his mother, father and older brother are all physicians) was set to follow in their footsteps at Johns Hopkins when he attended an orientation course for reserves. He was awed by a stylish colonel in a Stetson and spurs and resolved to join the forces. Although born in India and maintaining strong ties to the Indian community, he was raised in Syracuse, New York, in what he says is a very patriotic American household.
Prakash, who maintains a web log under the name Armor Geddon, remained quiet about the Silver Star, till the news spread this week. "Well, a soldier in my battalion came up to me and said, 'Congratulations Sir. I didn't even find out through Battalion. I had to find out on the Ist ID website'" Prakash wrote on his blog on Friday. "So I felt like a jerk."
Someone didn't tell him. They don't give Silver Stars to jerks.
If some major publishing house doesn't give this guy a big fat book deal when he comes back to The World, they're all crazy. He is a fantastic writer and I'd seriously pay to see Lt. Prakash make a book out of his experiences with TF 2-2.
}:-)4
I don't know why not many have commented on this thread, but it was an excellent read!
I lurk on his blog alot, but after you say "Thank You!" and "Daayyyaammmnn!" about a hundred times, awestruck silence seem somehow more appropriate.
That blog is amazing. Thanks!!!!
Excerpt:WARNING! FILTHY LANGUAGE ALERT:
We pulled up to the intersection where they turned off. There were two piles of dirt about 15 feet high. The piles were staggered and on either side of the road on our right so it created sort of a serpentine that you had to swerve through if you drove it. I looked west past the berms and saw Avenger organized on our right. They were a few hundred meters due west of us.
“Look at the FUCKING ROCKET!” Someone said over the net. SGT P traversed to the right and sure enough, there was what looked like a huge artillery shell resting at the top of the berm pointed at me. It was so ridiculous. It was poised with the peak of the berm right in its center, so obviously it was placed there.
“BACK UP, MEWBORN!” “Legion 7, Red 6. Can you get on the other side of that thing and hit with 25mm?” I wanted to destroy it but I didn’t want to use main gun. And because of the location and the terrain, the Bradley would be more agile than a tank weaving through there. Plus we couldn’t shoot at it from the way we were oriented because Avenger was on the other side.
SFC Lanpher looked at me and laughed. ”Uh…roger.” He wasn’t too thrilled about having to pass in front of it in order to get behind it to shoot it. But as with everything, it would be funny in retrospect when we made it out alive. We all backed up as Legion 7 pulled in front of us. I looked back and saw all of the scout humvees behind us like little ducklings. 1LT Boggiano wasn’t there though. His platoon was off in the distance to our east. He was screen lining with his platoon in the open desert, observing west into the city we were about to enter.
POCK- POCK- POCK- POCK- POCK- POCK SFC Lanpher had gotten onto the west side of the berm and started shooting at it from west to east from about one hundred meters away. He had a building behind him and he was down in his turret as his Bradley barked away at the rocket. The dirt all around the rocket kicked up as the 25mm HE was exploding around the rocket. POCK- POCK- POCK- POCK-ZZZZfffffffeeeeew! A blazing hot pink bright fire shot out of the rear of the rocket and it launched at the speed of a bullet into the sky. It shot up at a 60-degree angle and disappeared.
“HOLY SHIT!” “NO WAY THAT JUST HAPPENED!” ”Oh shit, Red 6. Did you just fucking see that?” Legion 7 hollered and laughed over the troop net. I was in shock. It was one of the funniest, most random things to happen. We all had expected the rocket to explode.
Thanks. I had forgotten to use a '/b' .
Another young, unsung (by MSM) hero for the USA.
bttt
Not just the article; his blog is amazing. I'd buy that book! Thank you for posting it.
This great officer and the great Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta represent the type of immigrants that we need to encourage to come here. Now if we can just figure out a way to get libs and Democrats to LEAVE.
Wow. Great article.
The blog looks great.
Thanks for posting.
Bump, ping and wow.
I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read it.
I especially enjoyed the analogy to the repulsion of a Pakistani incursion into Indian-controlled Kashmir, back in 1999.
A lot of courageous soldiers-much like the brave Mr. Prakesh-laid down their lives in defense of their homeland, during that chaotic period.
bump! bump! bump!
What a great story. I'll ping Calpernia so she can ping the military story fans
Thanks for the ping!
Lt. Neil Prakash did that in the summer of 2004. In Baqubah, Iraq. Only, he was fighting for the United States, his adopted country.
For courage under fire, the India-born Prakash, a tank platoon leader from the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment of the US Army, was awarded with the Silver Star Medal, one of the US military's highest honours, last week.
The Silver Star is awarded "For Gallantry in Action Against an Opposing Armed Force," and its prominent recipients include Senators John Kerry and John McCain, both in Vietnam.
I saw this yesterday through another blog..Hero bump!
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