Posted on 05/10/2006 6:09:11 PM PDT by SandRat
GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division Rear Adm. Robert L. Phillips presented five Seabees, currently serving with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, with the Purple Heart medal here May 8.
Steelworker 2nd Class Jody Allen, Construction Electrician 2nd Class Sean Sullivan, Steelworker 3rd Class Christopher Moran, Constructionman Cody Cannon and Constructionman Richard Fisher received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while operating in and around Al Asad, Iraq, as part NMCB 133’s recent deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In addition to elected officials, family members and Seabees, guests at the ceremony included more than 30 members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart organization. These veterans attended as proud representatives of those wounded in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War.
Prior to presenting the medals, Phillips spoke to the Seabees, their families and special guests in attendance, saying, “Giving out Purple Hearts is not my favorite thing to do, because it means one or more of my troops was killed or wounded in action.”
Fortunately, these five Seabees only suffered the latter and were able to return home safely, Phillips added.
All recipients except Fisher were injured as a result of an improvised explosive device (IED) attack that struck their convoy security team (CST) vehicle approximately 15 km from Al Asad.
The route they traveled was designated as a “black route,” which meant the likelihood of hostile action was high. As their lead vehicle approached and began crossing a bridge on the route, the weight of the Humvee caused an IED to detonate.
The Humvee was thrust up and backwards toward the other convoy vehicles, ejecting Cannon, an Elko, Nev., native, from the vehicle. Cannon, who sustained lacerations to his head and arms, got up and returned to the vehicle to aid his more seriously injured teammates.
“Growing up on a ranch, I had been hurt as much being bucked by saddle broncs,” said Cannon about his ejection from the vehicle.
Allen, a Marion, Ill., native, sustained a broken jaw, chipped teeth, a broken wrist and a facial laceration. Sullivan, who hails from Lindenhurt, N.Y., suffered a broken forearm, a dislocated elbow and a broken nose. Moran, a native of Bronx, N.Y., sustained lacerations to his head and contusions to his body.
Fisher, who was working on construction projects at Camp Corregidor in Iraq, was injured during an enemy mortar attack. He was returning to a project site after taking a lunch break and was forced to take cover in a hardened structure during the attack. The structure did not hold, and Fisher, a native of Albany, N.Y., was injured by the implosion force of the incoming enemy rounds.
“I was very grateful that my teammates were there to help pull me out from under the rubble,” recounted Fisher of the mortar attack in February.
The men and women of NMCB 133 have shouldered a difficult load over the last nine months, beginning with the landfall of Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 29. As the ready battalion, they responded immediately following the storm to assist the local community in getting back on track, all the while preparing for a deployment to Iraq.
“Many of these Seabees suffered personal loss at the hands of the storm and, despite those losses, they proceeded forward to Iraq, serving in hostile territory under some of the most grueling conditions,” related NMCB 133 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Allan M. Stratman.
Members of NMCB 133 have made a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people, according to Phillips.
“You can’t put a price on what it’s like for people to have freedom of choice, to live in a free country, to prosper economically and not live in fear,” he said. “Absolutely, you have made a difference. I am humbled to be associated with you.”
Additional information about the Naval Construction Force and Navy Seabees can be found at www.seabee.navy.mil.
Gulfport, Miss. (May 8, 2006) - Five U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One Three Three (NMCB-133) are presented with the Purple Heart for wounds received while serving in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Purple Heart is presented to any member of the Armed Services who is either injured or killed while serving in combat action.Fighting Seabees!!!!
BTTT
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