Posted on 01/08/2011 9:43:52 PM PST by gandalftb
A speeding truck bomb, and a shared act of courage Two Marines in Iraq saved dozens -- but not themselves. They'll be awarded the Navy Cross.
Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, grew up poor in rural Virginia. He had joined the Marine Corps to put structure in his life and to help support his mother and sister. He was within a few days of heading home.
Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, was from a comfortably middle-class suburb on Long Island. As a boy, he had worn military garb, and he had felt the pull of adventure and patriotism. He had just arrived in Iraq.
On April 22, 2008, the two were assigned to guard the main gate to Joint Security Station Nasser in Ramadi.
The sun had barely risen when the two sentries spotted a 20-foot-long truck headed toward the gate, weaving with increasing speed through the concrete barriers. Two Iraqi police officers assigned to the gate ran for their lives.
Yale and Haerter tried to wave off the truck, but it kept coming. They opened fire, Yale with a machine gun, Haerter with an M-16. The truck slowed but kept rolling. A few dozen feet from the gate, the truck exploded.
Both were killed.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.latimes.com ...
The details were posted, shortly after the action, on numerous websites long before Kelly repeated them in November.
That is the subject and title and intent of this original post to FR, for the benefit of FR readers.
I don't appreciate your trashing this heroic story with inane, nit-picking, show-off, one-upsmanship.
amen c-five, these two brave young men are heroes, and it saddens me greatly to see such fine young men taken so soon. I pray their families may know God’s peace.
“They leaned into the danger...”
Thanks for the ping and reminder of what extraordinary men we have protecting this country, Lancey.
Ditto.
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