Photo By Kristen Wong | Left, Col. James Bierman, commanding officer, 3rd Marine Regiment, presents Staff Sgt....... read more read more
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Two Marines from Wounded Warrior Battalion West - Detachment Hawaii were honored during a formation March 11.
Cpl. Michael Grimmius, a patient at the detachment, was presented a Purple Heart for injuries received on deployment last year.
Staff Sgt. Jason Rodden, also a patient at the detachment, received a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V.
Lt. Col. Gregory Martin, commanding officer of Wounded Warrior Battalion West, out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, attended the ceremony. Martin remarked that these wounded warriors were “truly an exceptional bunch of Marines” who “go above and beyond” what is expected of them.
“One of our mottos is ‘Marines helping Marines,’ and that’s what
Wounded Warrior Battalion West is all about,” Martin said. “These guys are certainly contributing to that with their unselfishness.”
Col. James Bierman, commanding officer of 3rd Marine Regiment, attended the ceremony, and presented the medals.
“Cpl. Grimmius is a motivated young Marine who is recovering
well from his wounds,” said Lt. Col. Gregory Price, officer in charge,
Wounded Warrior Battalion West – Detachment Hawaii. “I expect big
things from him in the future so it’s great to honor him today and
we really appreciate Col. Bierman for coming over and doing the
honors for us.”
Grimmius, of Chandler, Minn., enlisted in July 2007 and joined 3rd
Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
The 22-year-old deployed to Afghanistan in May 2010. Though
not everyone knows each other at the beginning of a deployment,
Grimmius said by the end the whole unit is “like a family.”
On Oct. 13, 2010, Grimmius, with his fellow Marines, two Navy
corpsmen, two Afghan National Police, and an interpreter were on
patrol when they received a radio transmission to support another
unit whose vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.
After protecting their fellow service members and recovering
the unit’s vehicle, Grimmius’ squad headed back for the command
outpost. As the team walked through a village, Grimmius said
a boy around 10 years old ran out from a side street and threw an IED
at them.
Grimmius recalls a “white light,” the smell of fertilizer and ammonia, and a noise louder than any heard before. It was only as Grimmius knelt down to get his bearings that he felt “wet and cold,” and noticed the blood on his arm.
His legs and throat received shrapnel wounds in addition to his left arm. He and the interpreter needed to be medically evacuated.
Cpl. Conner Adamson, team leader, and Seaman Chris Mesnard, hospital corpsman, Kilo Company, 3/3, cut through Grimmius’ sleeve and stitched together his wound.
“They were trained very well,” Grimmius said. “They were outstanding.”
Adamson, of Clarkston, Wash., said Grimmius was more focused
on his men, and setting up a cordon than his wounds. He tried to encourage Grimmius to sit still and calm down.
“He’s like ‘I can’t sit down. If I sit down I’m going to start thinking
about how bad this hurts,’” Adamson said.
Adamson said they wrapped 9 to 10 inches of gauze around his
arm wound. When the corpsman told him to put pressure on the
wound, Adamson said “two fingers went completely into his arm.”
“It was a very stressful time,” said Grimmius’s wife, after hearing
about his injury. “We didn’t hear from him for three days.”
Grimmius’s wife said she was “proud that he would be recognized for all that he’s done.”
Today, Grimmius puts up with the occasional pain and arm fatigue, but hopes for a full recovery, and regularly attends physical therapy. He plans to leave the Marine Corps in July and attend school, possibly majoring in environmental science.
He is also studying to be a personal trainer, and plans to be a personal trainer while in school. He said the regiment has been very helpful in assisting wounded warriors in their transition either back to their units or the civilian sector.
Rodden, of Bentonville, Ark., enlisted in June 2002. He said he felt like serving in the Marine Corps was something he was meant to do.
“I used to wake up at six o’ clock in the morning when I was 5 years
old [to] watch ‘G.I. Joe’ on TV,” Rodden said.
Rodden was a squad leader with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, during his deployment to Afghanistan from May to September of 2009.
“He’s going to ensure that things are done the right way and he’s not going to accept anything below that,” said 1st Sgt. Coleman Kinzer, who was Rodden’s company first sergeant during the 2009 deployment.
Rodden was recognized for several occasions, including an IED blast on July 4, and a security mission in the Dehanna area on Aug. 13.
On Aug. 24, 2009, Rodden and his fellow Marines were assigned
to retrieve a 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. According to his
award information, Rodden and his team climbed 70 meters up a
cliff to get to the gun, which Kinzer estimated to be 100 pounds. Kinzer said he thought the task was impossible.
Kinzer, of Lewiston, Idaho, said Rodden would expect nothing less no matter what the conditions were during the day, even in 120-degree heat.
He describes Rodden as having a “strong work ethic,” and being “physically tough.” Kinzer said the medal is well deserved, and a small token for an outstanding staff noncommissioned officer.
“He’s got a lot of old school values, hard work and tradition—which this institution strives for but doesn’t always attain,” Kinzer said.
Rodden also joined the unit sniper platoon, and became an assistant team leader.
“He is everything you could want from a Marine,” said Staff Sgt.
Ronald Bustamante, commander, Sniper Platoon, 2/3. “He is the most
humble and realistic individual I have ever met. He never quits at
anything he does.”
But in February of 2010, Rodden was involved in a humvee accident
on the H-3 highway, resulting in dislocated shoulders, multiple
fractures including a broken pelvic bone, a nearly-severed leg, three
fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. For the time being, he is waiting for his left hip to recover, and for more bone growth in his leg.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Rodden said. “Hopefully in a couple of months I’ll be able to start a light jog.”
Rodden was appointed by Price as a section leader at the detachment, even though patients are not usually made staff members. He made an exception for Rodden, 27, whom he calls “an outstanding Marine” and a “good leader.”
“[Rodden has] done so well in our program,” Price said. “We’re
thrilled to have him as part of our unit while he’s recovering.”
In the future, Rodden is considering starting his own nonprofit organization to provide assistance to disabled military veterans who enjoy hunting.
Rodden said he has a passion for hunting and fishing, and would
enjoy being able to see disabled veterans rediscover the activity.
Rodden remains a humble Marine, even with his recent decoration.
“The junior Marines deserve the recognition more than I do,” Rodden said. “I just give out orders and supervise. They carried out the mission.”
| Date Taken: | 03.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2011 15:19 |
| Story ID: | 67312 |
| Location: | KANEOHE BAY, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 975 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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