MSOB Team Leader awarded Silver Star

Teufel

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http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/nov/26/reconnaissance-officer-gets-silver-star-valor-afgh/
Maj. Daniel A. Strelkauskas of Charleston, S.C., today was awarded the Silver Star at a Camp Pendleton ceremony for his heroic actions while conducting combat operations in the Herat Province of Afghanistan.
The Silver Star is the third-highest medal awarded for gallantry in action against enemy forces.

Commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, Maj.Gen. Richard P. Mills, presents the Silver Star award to Maj. Daniel A. Strelkauskas during a ceremony at Camp Pendleton Wednesday.
KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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The Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest medal awarded for gallantry in action against enemy forces, behind the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

The Silver Star was enacted into law in 1942 and is the successor to the Citation Star established in 1918.

In June 2008, Strelkauskas was on dismounted patrol in Afghanistan when his team came under heavy machine gun and sniper fire, according to his medal citation. With fire coming from more than a dozen positions, he "ran deeper into the kill zone to drag a wounded Marine across open terrain to a covered position," the citation reads. He suffered multiple fragmentation wounds to his hands from rounds ricocheting near his position. He ordered critical air support of 2000 pound bombs which provided suppression of the enemy to allow movement of casualties. After the evacuation, the citation reads, Strelkauskas coordinated follow up airstrikes that killed an estimated 40 among the enemy, including several mid-level Taliban leaders.

Strelkauskas was commissioned in May 1998, according to a 1st Marine Division news release.
He is currently the company commander of Force Reconnaissance Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. In 2008, Strelkauskas deployed to Afghanistan with Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-A as a special reconnaissance team leader, the release said.
Strelkauskas' personal decorations include two Purple Hearts, Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Unit Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the NATO Medal, according to the news release.
 
Wow, that's some amazing stuff. I didn't know that the Marine Corps let officer out in the field. I was always told by my friend who was in FR that "the officers were in the rear with the gear." I now take that quote and not always true.
 
Wow, that's some amazing stuff. I didn't know that the Marine Corps let officer out in the field. I was always told by my friend who was in FR that "the officers were in the rear with the gear." I now take that quote and not always true.

Every MSOT has a Captain that goes out with it. 99% of them are shoit hot. It's when they become field grade officers (Maj / LtCol) that they go to the field much less and unfortunately it becomes a crap shoot on the quality.

That specific Marine officer was shoit hot as a Captain and is a damn fine field grade officer too. He lost a good man that day. Unfortunately what you didn't read was what an incredible job three of the Sgt's, a Navy SARQ Corpsman and a SF medic did. It's and incredible story if you ever get to read the classified version. Really a shoitty day.
 
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