Posted on Feb 3, 2016
Navy Corpsman to Get Silver Star for Heroism in Afghan Insider Attack
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A Navy hospital corpsman serving with the Marines' elite special operations command will be recognized this week for heroism shown when he braved enemy fire to rush to the side of wounded troops in Afghanistan's Herat province in 2014 when they were attacked by a rogue Afghan commando.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Salabarria, 28, will receive the Silver Star, the military's third-highest combat honor, at a ceremony Friday at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Salabarria, a member of 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, earned the award Sept. 15, 2014, while deployed to Afghanistan as a team medic with Marine Special Operations Team 8214. The Marine Corps would formally pull out of the country the following month.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Salabarria, 28, will receive the Silver Star, the military's third-highest combat honor, at a ceremony Friday at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Salabarria, a member of 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, earned the award Sept. 15, 2014, while deployed to Afghanistan as a team medic with Marine Special Operations Team 8214. The Marine Corps would formally pull out of the country the following month.
Navy Corpsman to Get Silver Star for Heroism in Afghan Insider Attack
Posted from military.com
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Posted 8 y ago
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"There's a Corpsman by my side" is part of a Marine Corps Marching Ditty (or Jodie as they are sometimes called). Marines have the highest respect for their US Navy corpsmen, as evidenced by this "Docs" gallant and courageous response to Marines in need.
It was not an accident that one of the six flag raisers, in maybe the most famous photo to come out of WWII The Marines Raising Old Glory atop of Mount Suribachi, at Iwo Jima, taken by Photographer Joel Rosenthal, was HM2 John Bradley, of whom his son James Bradley wrote the best seller and later Famous Movie by Clint Eastwood, "Flags of our Father." Of the six original flag raisers, only three survived the battle - Cpl. Rene Gagnon, HM2 John Bradley, and The Native American Pima Indian Marine Cpl. Ira Hayes, (Hayes was never comfortable with his fame, and after his service in the Marine Corps, who descended into alcoholism after the war, probably racked by PTSD). PTSD was only officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Ira died of exposure to cold and alcohol poisoning after a night of drinking on January 23–24, 1955. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on February 2, 1955. Ira Hayes was immortalized by Johnny Cash in the song, the the Ballad of Ira Hayes.
It was not an accident that one of the six flag raisers, in maybe the most famous photo to come out of WWII The Marines Raising Old Glory atop of Mount Suribachi, at Iwo Jima, taken by Photographer Joel Rosenthal, was HM2 John Bradley, of whom his son James Bradley wrote the best seller and later Famous Movie by Clint Eastwood, "Flags of our Father." Of the six original flag raisers, only three survived the battle - Cpl. Rene Gagnon, HM2 John Bradley, and The Native American Pima Indian Marine Cpl. Ira Hayes, (Hayes was never comfortable with his fame, and after his service in the Marine Corps, who descended into alcoholism after the war, probably racked by PTSD). PTSD was only officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Ira died of exposure to cold and alcohol poisoning after a night of drinking on January 23–24, 1955. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on February 2, 1955. Ira Hayes was immortalized by Johnny Cash in the song, the the Ballad of Ira Hayes.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
Capt Lance Gallardo Thanks for sharing this photo and the information - very humbling!
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Capt Lance Gallardo
COL Mikel J. Burroughs - The movie and the book "Flags of our Fathers" are and were very moving for me. The sad way that Ira Hayes died of alcoholism, a broken heart, of survivor's guilt, of PTSD, of not being willing to seek help at the VA (if it was even accessible for him living on a Pima Band of Indian Reservation in Arizona), with his demons (much like my own alcoholic and PTSD, grandfather who came back from fighting the Japs on three navy warships, the USS Gridley (Tin Can Destroyer), San Diego (lt Cruiser), and Guam (Hvy Cruiser), as a 5"/38 Gun Captain in the Pacific ("Among naval historians, the 5"/38 gun is considered the best intermediate-caliber, dual purpose naval gun of World War I"), and he saw the flash of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima with his own eyes while steaming off the coast of Japan in August of 45 on the USS Guam).
When I see the Marine Memorial and the photo of the flag raising, I see the three men who were later killed in the battle, one of whom, Harlon Block was from Welasco, Texas, a small town close to Donna, Texas (both in the same TX County - Hidalgo Co.) in the Rio Grande Valley where one of my law school and military buddies is from, a now retired Lt.Col. Jaime Sampayo, JAG Corps, USAF. I see Ira Hayes face down in the mud in January 24, 1955, dead, and I see Rene Gagnon and John Bradley, who were really the only two flag raisers who survived the war. Only John Bradley, the Navy Corpsman went on to have a happy and successful life, as his town's mortician and funeral home director. Very ironic.
What many Americans don't know, is that the 7th War Bond Drive (May 14 to June 30, 1945) was largely based upon those Marine's Sacrifices as embodied by that very famous photo on that crummy ash volcanic rock of an island. Wartime Morale was flagging by April 1945, and people were tired of the wartime rationing and shortages, and of course the many death notifications (like the one my maternal grandmother got in the previous month, March, when my mother's father John V. Gallardo (http://www.americanbattlegraves.com/index.php?page=directory&rec=46199), was KIA March 14th, 1945, 103rd INF, 43 ID "Winged Victory" at Antipolo, in the hills north of Manila, Republic of the Philippines), and the 7th War Bond Drive was a way to remind the American People, that nothing short of unconditional surrender and defeat of both the Japs and the Nazis was worthy of the sacrifices of the men actually fighting and sacrificing (and their loved ones), in the skies over Europe, on the ground in Germany, and fighting the Pacific War in the air, land, and sea. Many Americans felt ashamed of their grumbling and "War Weariness" when reminded of the horrible sacrifices of the Marines at Iwo Jima:
6,821 killed
2 captured but recovered
19,217 wounded
1 escort carrier sunk
1 fleet carrier severely damaged
1 escort carrier lightly damaged
The "Mighty" Seventh War Bond Drive, headlined by the three Iwo Jima Flag Raisers, and the Sacrifices of the Marines at Iwo Jima, turned out to be the most successful war bond drive of the war: "the 7th War Loan surpassed all expectations, as over $156 billion was raised." https://www.wdl.org/en/item/19/
But for a fascinating look at the dog and pony show that the 7th War Bond Drive became for the three Survivors of the flag raising, and as depicted in the movie "Flags of our Fathers" see the PDF outake of Chapter 6th, of this book "Iwo Jima" https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj0ofCku-PKAhVE8mMKHZ9cCUAQFggiMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fberlinarchaeology.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F09%2Fchapter-6-the-mighty-seventh.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEa2FGEV7dkMJkOPdDlJZXgCYZODw&sig2=3KcXPsyOgfLuFCRLBU6D0w&bvm=bv.113370389,d.cGc
When I see the Marine Memorial and the photo of the flag raising, I see the three men who were later killed in the battle, one of whom, Harlon Block was from Welasco, Texas, a small town close to Donna, Texas (both in the same TX County - Hidalgo Co.) in the Rio Grande Valley where one of my law school and military buddies is from, a now retired Lt.Col. Jaime Sampayo, JAG Corps, USAF. I see Ira Hayes face down in the mud in January 24, 1955, dead, and I see Rene Gagnon and John Bradley, who were really the only two flag raisers who survived the war. Only John Bradley, the Navy Corpsman went on to have a happy and successful life, as his town's mortician and funeral home director. Very ironic.
What many Americans don't know, is that the 7th War Bond Drive (May 14 to June 30, 1945) was largely based upon those Marine's Sacrifices as embodied by that very famous photo on that crummy ash volcanic rock of an island. Wartime Morale was flagging by April 1945, and people were tired of the wartime rationing and shortages, and of course the many death notifications (like the one my maternal grandmother got in the previous month, March, when my mother's father John V. Gallardo (http://www.americanbattlegraves.com/index.php?page=directory&rec=46199), was KIA March 14th, 1945, 103rd INF, 43 ID "Winged Victory" at Antipolo, in the hills north of Manila, Republic of the Philippines), and the 7th War Bond Drive was a way to remind the American People, that nothing short of unconditional surrender and defeat of both the Japs and the Nazis was worthy of the sacrifices of the men actually fighting and sacrificing (and their loved ones), in the skies over Europe, on the ground in Germany, and fighting the Pacific War in the air, land, and sea. Many Americans felt ashamed of their grumbling and "War Weariness" when reminded of the horrible sacrifices of the Marines at Iwo Jima:
6,821 killed
2 captured but recovered
19,217 wounded
1 escort carrier sunk
1 fleet carrier severely damaged
1 escort carrier lightly damaged
The "Mighty" Seventh War Bond Drive, headlined by the three Iwo Jima Flag Raisers, and the Sacrifices of the Marines at Iwo Jima, turned out to be the most successful war bond drive of the war: "the 7th War Loan surpassed all expectations, as over $156 billion was raised." https://www.wdl.org/en/item/19/
But for a fascinating look at the dog and pony show that the 7th War Bond Drive became for the three Survivors of the flag raising, and as depicted in the movie "Flags of our Fathers" see the PDF outake of Chapter 6th, of this book "Iwo Jima" https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj0ofCku-PKAhVE8mMKHZ9cCUAQFggiMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fberlinarchaeology.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F09%2Fchapter-6-the-mighty-seventh.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEa2FGEV7dkMJkOPdDlJZXgCYZODw&sig2=3KcXPsyOgfLuFCRLBU6D0w&bvm=bv.113370389,d.cGc
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
Capt Lance Gallardo It saddens me to think of the number of young men and women we have lost because of war and the the ones we've lost in the aftermath once they return home. Thanks for sharing all of this information with me this morning. I find all of this military history to be very interesting. I didn't get enough of it in school or the Army War College. There is so much more to be absorbed and learned. I want to make sure some of my connections see your information - it's definitely worth sharing.
SGT (Join to see) TSgt Hunter Logan COL Charles Williams LTC Stephen C. LTC Stephen F. CW4 (Join to see) CW3 (Join to see) SGM (Join to see) SSG Ryan Rodney CPT (Join to see) SSgt (Join to see) CW3 Kevin Storm CMSgt Mark Schubert PO2 Mark Saffell LTC John Shaw TSgt (Join to see) SFC Mark Merino CH (MAJ) William Beaver WO1 (Join to see)
SGT (Join to see) TSgt Hunter Logan COL Charles Williams LTC Stephen C. LTC Stephen F. CW4 (Join to see) CW3 (Join to see) SGM (Join to see) SSG Ryan Rodney CPT (Join to see) SSgt (Join to see) CW3 Kevin Storm CMSgt Mark Schubert PO2 Mark Saffell LTC John Shaw TSgt (Join to see) SFC Mark Merino CH (MAJ) William Beaver WO1 (Join to see)
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Capt Lance Gallardo
Thank you Sir. WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War I, and now GWOT, are my family's history (both volunteers and draftees), and it is never far from my thoughts. Just like you, there never seemed enough time to read the incredible stories and histories of the men (and now women) who have fought this country's wars, while I was in the reserves or in my short active duty time. My understanding of how we fight and win wars (or lose them) is one of the reasons that I feel so passionately about the Draft, Conscription Service for both peacetime and wartime.
The Nation is incredibly disconnected from the reality of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the rest of GWOT that our brave young men have been fighting on our behalf for the last, almost fifteen years. We have not won a war, without a draft, since the Civil War (speaking of the North and the Union Effort of course), and I see something particularly disconcerting about expecting the AVF Volunteer Military to carry all of the nation's blood sacrifices for these past fourteen years plus. The cracks are showing on both the home front and in the military, so that I think the Acid test of our long involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan can only be measured by whether or not the US Public is willing to have its 18-26 year old population involuntarily called to serve, some in harm's way. We are not even having that conversation, and we are wondering why the US Public is so disconnected from those who serve.
We also see Serving Military with five to ten plus, combat deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan, and now many other places where we are fighting GWOT. I do not think the AVF was intended or designed to sustain a decade plus "long wars" that we now seem to be in. The strain on the spouses and the marriages and the children of US Military is unbelievable. I believe that the positives of having draftees serve outweighs the negatives. We would expect the same level of professionalism and accountability from draftees as we do from volunteers. Those that are DQ for drug use or other misbehavior would get OTH discharges if they are called to serve as draftees and test positive for drugs and/or have criminal convictions that make them unfit to serve. In other words, you might get out of your draft obligations by doing drugs or committing crimes or other misbehavior, but you will have an OTH that follows you around for the rest of your life.
The Nation is incredibly disconnected from the reality of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the rest of GWOT that our brave young men have been fighting on our behalf for the last, almost fifteen years. We have not won a war, without a draft, since the Civil War (speaking of the North and the Union Effort of course), and I see something particularly disconcerting about expecting the AVF Volunteer Military to carry all of the nation's blood sacrifices for these past fourteen years plus. The cracks are showing on both the home front and in the military, so that I think the Acid test of our long involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan can only be measured by whether or not the US Public is willing to have its 18-26 year old population involuntarily called to serve, some in harm's way. We are not even having that conversation, and we are wondering why the US Public is so disconnected from those who serve.
We also see Serving Military with five to ten plus, combat deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan, and now many other places where we are fighting GWOT. I do not think the AVF was intended or designed to sustain a decade plus "long wars" that we now seem to be in. The strain on the spouses and the marriages and the children of US Military is unbelievable. I believe that the positives of having draftees serve outweighs the negatives. We would expect the same level of professionalism and accountability from draftees as we do from volunteers. Those that are DQ for drug use or other misbehavior would get OTH discharges if they are called to serve as draftees and test positive for drugs and/or have criminal convictions that make them unfit to serve. In other words, you might get out of your draft obligations by doing drugs or committing crimes or other misbehavior, but you will have an OTH that follows you around for the rest of your life.
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I am glad to learn that Petty Officer 2nd Class Alejandro Salabarria will be receive the Silver Star for heroism during an Afghan turncoat attacks COL Mikel J. Burroughs. I am thankful he will be awarded while hen is alive and relatively soon after his heroic acts.
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