1-30th Soldier awarded Bronze Star with Valor

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs
Story by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky

Date: 11.27.2007
Posted: 11.27.2007 13:04
News ID: 14209
1-30th Soldier awarded Bronze Star with Valor

Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, took time, Nov. 22, to thank a fellow Soldier for actions performed in the line of fire.

Sgt. Michael Trump, from Terre Haute, Ind., was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor in a ceremony at Patrol Base Murray.

Trump's heroic acts occurred during what started as a routine combat patrol that morphed into anything but typical.

On July 24, a squad of Company A Bradley fighting vehicles was conducting reconnaissance operations in Maderiyah, hunting for terrorists and insurgent resources. Pfc. John Elliot, the driver for the lead vehicle, pulled his vehicle up to a fork in the road.

"I knew there was an improvised explosive device on the right, so I turned left," Elliot, from Bloomington, Minn., recalled.

Unfortunately, he was in a no-win situation, and his vehicle rolled over an IED driving down the road.

The next thing Elliot remembered was feeling the wind sucked out of him and not being able to feel his right leg below the knee.

While Elliot laid in pain, his fellow teammates, including Trump and Staff Sgt. Mountain Robicheau, took action. Robicheau directed vehicle recovery operations and Trump ran up to the hatch and pulled Elliot from his position.

In addition to keeping his wits and combat skills about him, Trump also managed to keep his sense of humor.

"The first thing he said to me was 'you got yourself 35 promotion points' (for a Purple Heart)," Elliot said.

Trump, who said the only thing he was thinking about was the condition of his fellow Soldiers, pulled Elliot from the driver seat and to a safer location. Placing Elliot in a safer area, he began basic first aid on Elliot's wounds, which included a six-inch laceration on his foot, a broken heel and multiple sprains in his ankle.

While he worked on Elliot, the rest of the Bradley team worked to maneuver a second Bradley to recover the downed vehicle. Leading the efforts was Robicheau, a Whitneyville, Maine, native.

As the second vehicle moved into place, things turned even more chaotic. Like the vehicle it was attempting to recover, the second Bradley set off another IED.

The blast, which injured several Soldiers in the Bradley, threw Robicheau 10 feet in the air, causing him to land hard on the ground.

Although he said he was able to get back on his feet, Robicheau was unable to walk due to injuries which included torn ligaments in his ankle and a broken nose.

Trump was outside the blast area treating Elliot, but immediately set to work rescuing the latest casualties.

He rushed to Robicheau's aid, despite the threat of additional IEDs, Trump grabbed his team leader and carried him to safety.

"If you're in a bad situation, you want someone to come and help you," Robicheau said. "He did that."

After a quick assessment, Trump saw there were more seriously injured Soldiers, left Robicheau and began evacuating Soldiers trapped in the second Bradley, pulling two of the more seriously wounded out to safety.

"I kind of just put myself in their place," Trump said.

Overall, nine Soldiers were injured. Two were evacuated to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., four were ground evacuated to combat support hospitals in Iraq, and the other three were treated by local medics and doctors.

Had it not been for the actions of Trump, the incident could have been much worse, Elliot and Robicheau agreed.

"He definitely went above what he had to do," Elliot said. "He took a medic's position. He's definitely one of a kind."

Trump does not see himself as different than the rest of his team.

"We've been training together since last summer, working together for over a year. We're a pretty tight crew, more like a family," Trump said.

Like family members, Trump said he feels that any of his fellow 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. Soldiers, with whom he serves would be willing to step up and deliver help if needed.

Trump, who has since been moved from a gunner's position to a team leader in 2nd platoon, said he hopes his example inspires his own Soldiers whom he now leads.

"During a time when help is needed, you can stand up," he said. "Even in harsh conditions, you can still perform admirably."