Incorrect.
Navy Medal of Honor
Army Medal of Honor
Air Force Medal of Honor
Posted on 04/22/2005 6:21:22 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - When his platoon was ambushed in an attack by insurgents in Iraq last year, Marine Sgt. Willie L. Copeland III took charge.
He led five Marines out of the heaviest fire, found cover and killed 10 of the enemy in close combat. When his commanding officer fell wounded, Copeland used his body to shield the officer as he administered first aid.
For his leadership and dedication to duty, the 26-year-old from Utah on Thursday received the Navy Cross, the Navy's second-highest honor. Seven Marines have received the Navy Cross for Operation Iraqi Freedom through Jan. 10, according to the latest figures from the Marine Corps Awards Branch.
The attack killed one Marine and wounded several others.
Copeland said he was embarrassed by the attention and explained that he was doing only what every Marine would do.
''Nothing's natural about running into bullets,'' he said. ''It's more important for me to make sure my men are OK.''
Copeland is a member of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, whose members are seen as some of the Corps' toughest, on par with Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces.
On the afternoon of April 7, 2004, Copeland's platoon was in a 15-vehicle convoy that was ambushed by 40 to 60 insurgents southeast of Fallujah in a volatile region known as the Sunni Triangle. The insurgents, firing from well-fortified and concealed positions along the Euphrates River, crippled the lead Humvee with a rocket-propelled grenade and disabled Copeland's vehicle with mortar rounds and gunfire.
Col. Rory Talkington, who recommended Copeland for the Navy Cross, said the fighting was the worst 1st Recon experienced during its deployment.
''Everybody in that platoon was heavily engaged in close combat,'' Talkington said. ''The fact that Sgt. Copeland was not hit was just miraculous.''
Copeland led five Marines out of the heaviest fire and rushed across an open field toward the enemy, according to the medal citation. The Marines crossed a deep and muddy canal and worked their way up to firing positions near the enemy.
Ten insurgents were killed at close range. Others were forced to flee.
Reinforcements soon arrived at the scene, but not before Copeland's commanding officer, Capt. Brent Morel, was mortally wounded.
Copeland did not want to discuss the battle Thursday, but a Navy Times account of it said Copeland shielded Morel with his own body and dragged the officer to an irrigation ditch.
Copeland stripped off his combat gear, vest and blouse and treated Morel, who was still conscious, by covering the captain's bleeding wounds with his hands and tying a bandage around his chest. For 15 minutes, Copeland stayed with Morel until an armored Humvee arrived. Morel was taken to a combat hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Copeland's father, Larry, who works in a steel mill and raises cows in Smithfield, Utah, was proud but not surprised by his son's actions under fire.
''All the way through school, if he was in trouble it was because he was helping someone else,'' Larry Copeland said following the award ceremony at Camp Pendleton.
Copeland has been in the Marines for seven years and is gearing up for his third deployment to Iraq.
He met his wife, Marine Sgt. Danielle Copeland, a 24-year-old from Pasadena, Texas, at Camp Pendleton in 2001. The two were married 1 1/2 years ago.
''I think every man would be proud to serve with him,'' Danielle Copeland said of her husband. ''He would never leave a man behind.''
Semper Fi!
Hero bump!
Utah is no where near the Ocean? Huh? Of course I usually never read more than the headline
bttt
I think the military is full of them - it's just that some are thrust into a situation where their gallantry becomes distinguished to this degree.
My grandfather was awarded the Navy Cross in WWII, and he was just a Missouri farm boy at heart. He just happened to be damage control officer on the Bunker Hill when it got kamikazed. There were acts of valor beyond counting that day on that ship, but his got particular notice.
Incorrect.
Navy Medal of Honor
Army Medal of Honor
Air Force Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award that any uniformed serviceman can recieve. The Navy Cross is the second highest award that a sailor or Marine can receive. You are right that the Army and Air Force have their own versions of the Navy Cross. Its noteworthy that only 3 in 10 of the recipients of the Navy Cross are alive to receive their awards.
BTTT What an amazing Marine!
Outstanding Marine! Semper Fi' my brother!
This statement brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
Just a normal Recon Marine if there is such a thing!
It doesnt get any better then this.
Bump!
These Men are just something else.
What a great, brave Marine.
SEMPER FI
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