A gunny out of 1st Force just received the John Basilone Award for valor and commitment.
MILITARY: Camp Pendleton gunny named top enlisted Marine
AWARD RECOGNIZES COURAGE OF VETERAN TROOP WOUNDED BY ROADSIDE BOMB
Wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, Gunnery Sgt. Brian M. Blonder still managed to lead his platoon through a series of ambushes, killing 19 enemy fighters and destroying a major explosives manufacturing plant.
That October 2008 demonstration of fortitude under fire is just one reason the Camp Pendleton Marine is this year's recipient of the Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone Award for Courage and Commitment.
Blonder, 30, received the award and an accompanying $1,000 scholarship Tuesday during a ceremony atop a grassy knoll near the base airstrip.
MILITARY: Camp Pendleton gunny named top enlisted Marine
AWARD RECOGNIZES COURAGE OF VETERAN TROOP WOUNDED BY ROADSIDE BOMB
Wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, Gunnery Sgt. Brian M. Blonder still managed to lead his platoon through a series of ambushes, killing 19 enemy fighters and destroying a major explosives manufacturing plant.
That October 2008 demonstration of fortitude under fire is just one reason the Camp Pendleton Marine is this year's recipient of the Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone Award for Courage and Commitment.
Blonder, 30, received the award and an accompanying $1,000 scholarship Tuesday during a ceremony atop a grassy knoll near the base airstrip.
