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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Distinguished guests and members of 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, gathered at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field, Tuesday to honor four Marines who went above and beyond the call of duty during their last deployment to Afghanistan.
The four Marines, 1st Lt. Kenneth Conover, platoon commander, Staff Sgt. Joshua Brodrick, platoon sergeant and Sgts. Kenneth Ricks and Nicholas Brandau, all with Co. D, “First Team,” received medals for valor for their actions during an operation in Qaleh-ye Gaz, Afghanistan.
“Some of you might know the story of Qaleh-ye Gaz,” said. Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force. “Qaleh-ye Gaz was a bad place and a bad neighborhood. It is a place that will remain in the history of our Corps. For anyone that served in Afghanistan, they know that it’s one of the worst places there.”
Ricks and Conover received the Silver Star Medal and Brandau and Brodrick received the Bronze Star Medal with combat distinguishing device. The four Marines with Company D, 1/7 Marines led a night air-assault on an enemy stronghold in.
The Marines engaged the enemy nearly non-stop for six continuous days. They were under heavy resistance, but pressed on and saved the lives of their endangered comrades.
The Marines receiving the awards were humble upon the presentation. They credit the Marines of Co. D as a whole and pay homage to the ones who didn’t make it back.
“I wear this award for all the Marines in 1/7,” Conover said. “This is not something that I could have done alone. They are the reason I’m receiving this award.”
| Date Taken: | 02.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.19.2014 21:10 |
| Story ID: | 120854 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, ‘First Team’ Marines presented medals, by Cpl D. J. Wu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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