@vettv_official: Have you heard of Sgt. David Gerardi? It was June 6, 2011, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Gerardi, a corporal at the time, and team mates were providing security near Balozai village when they came under fire. They were pinned down in a canal, receiving fire from several enemy positions a little more than 100 yards distant. Gerardi identified a firing position at a mud wall forward of the team that would give him a clear line of sight to the enemy position presenting the greatest danger to his team. Without hesitation, he crossed an open field to get to a wall less than 45 yards from the enemy. He was greeted with a volley of rocket-propelled and 30mm grenades, as well as medium machine-gun fire that prevented him from returning fire. Despite the intense fire, he maneuvered to a more vulnerable position along another wall that afforded a better angle for him to fire on the enemy. Despite rounds striking within inches if his body, Gerardi provided suppressive fire, which allowed his Marines to extract a wounded Afghan soldier. "The training kicked in," Gerardi said."Going to that position just made sense. That way, I wasn't conflicting with the other guys' line of fire." Gerardi continued to coordinate with other Marines on the ground to provide suppressive fire despite the chaos of enemy fire continually impacting around his position. Throughout the five-hour engagement, Gerardi showed "stalwart determination and vigilance" while providing precision fire, thereby allowing his team to extract after nightfall, according to his Silver Star citation. We talk about heroes on our page like this each week. Who do you think we should shout out next?

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Wednesday 20 March 2024 19:29:41 GMT