thedrifter
06-04-04, 06:27 AM
06-03-2004
A Marine’s Marine
First in an Occasional Series
By Matthew Dodd
“The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross to …. ”
Those words, neatly written across the top of parchment paper under the official Secretary of the Navy letterhead, mean that the citation below contains the details of a very special warrior whose heroic actions have earned the nation’s second-highest award for valor, surpassed only by the Medal of Honor.
To date, three Marines have earned the Navy Cross for their battlefield exploits during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From reading and studying the three Navy Cross citations, I am convinced that they say so much about what is not being said about our troops serving with honor in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tragically, too many public “leaders” and too many news media reports choose to focus on the “few bad apples” who fail to follow orders and accomplish their missions in Iraq.
In my next few articles, I will share excerpts from these Navy Cross citations and reflect on what they teach me about leadership in action.
“First Lieutenant Brian R. Chontosh, United States Marine Corps … for service as set forth in the following … for extraordinary heroism … on 25 March 2003. While leading his [mechanized combined anti-armor] platoon … [the platoon] moved into a coordinated ambush of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire. With coalition tanks blocking the road ahead, he realized his platoon was caught in a kill zone.”
As a young officer, I remember coming across a well-used copy of a tactical decision-making primer called, “What now, Lieutenant?” It was a collection of historical combat vignettes designed to test your tactical decision-making against the decisions of the actual combat leaders. I always enjoyed reading and sharing them with my Marines.
At this point in the citation, the lieutenant has quickly assessed his platoon’s situation, and things did not look good. The enemy obviously chose and prepared this ambush with skill. So, for just a moment, put yourself in the lieutenant’s boots. “What now, Lieutenant?”
“He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank, where he was immediately taken under fire from an entrenched machine gun. Without hesitation, First Lieutenant Chontosh ordered the driver to advance directly at the enemy position enabling his .50 caliber machine gunner to silence the enemy.”
Great combat instincts are the result of effective peacetime training. You can freeze in an ambush’s kill zone and get cut to pieces, or you can move to safety. He instantly coordinated the movement of his vehicle-team out of the kill zone, and came under fire again. Sometimes, safe spots are dangerous spots waiting to happen. And sometimes, the best maneuver is the only maneuver left – assault right through the ambusher. He took decisive action and eliminated the immediate threat to himself and his Marines. But, they were not done.
“He then directed his driver into the enemy trench, where he exited his vehicle and began to clear the trench with an M16A2 service rifle and 9 millimeter pistol.”
This is another example of great instincts from effective training. The lieutenant possessed individual weapons proficiency confidence to the point that he left the protection of his armored vehicle to pursue the enemy on foot protected only by the weapons he carried, the body-armor he wore, and the courage he possessed. Trench-clearing is not for the timid, and usually not intended for an individual without a lot of direct supporting fires and efforts.
“His ammunition depleted, First Lieutenant Chontosh, with complete disregard for his safety, twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When a Marine following him found an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher, First Lieutenant Chontosh used it to destroy yet another group of enemy soldiers.”
No ammo? No problem, especially when you still have a bias for action and are focused on your mission and the task at hand. Seeing opportunities (functional weapons) where others only saw the obvious (discarded enemy weapons) and being resourceful paid huge dividends. This is another great example of why it is important to be skilled in the tools of your trade, and not just the tools of your specific job, but also in the tools of your peers, competitors and even your adversaries.
“When his audacious attack ended, he had cleared over 200 meters of the enemy trench, killing more than 20 enemy soldiers and wounding several others.”
Who says one man with courage and a plan cannot make a difference and cannot do great things?
“By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the ace of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
Surprisingly, I found a lot of references to Lieutenant Chontosh’s non-publicized award while researching on the internet. I was most impressed by two quotes attributed to him in interviews following his receipt of the Navy Cross:
“I was just doing my job, I did the same thing every other Marine would have done, it was just a passion and love for my Marines.”
And, Chontosh added:
“[I was] just reacting to the good training that we have, true compassion and love for the Marines and the battalion. The job needed to get done. Just went and did it.”
Leadership. Courage. Devotion to duty. Humility. In my book, now-Capt Chontosh is a complete package, a Marine’s Marine. A real American hero.
Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=511&rnd=812.4818910407757
Ellie
A Marine’s Marine
First in an Occasional Series
By Matthew Dodd
“The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross to …. ”
Those words, neatly written across the top of parchment paper under the official Secretary of the Navy letterhead, mean that the citation below contains the details of a very special warrior whose heroic actions have earned the nation’s second-highest award for valor, surpassed only by the Medal of Honor.
To date, three Marines have earned the Navy Cross for their battlefield exploits during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
From reading and studying the three Navy Cross citations, I am convinced that they say so much about what is not being said about our troops serving with honor in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tragically, too many public “leaders” and too many news media reports choose to focus on the “few bad apples” who fail to follow orders and accomplish their missions in Iraq.
In my next few articles, I will share excerpts from these Navy Cross citations and reflect on what they teach me about leadership in action.
“First Lieutenant Brian R. Chontosh, United States Marine Corps … for service as set forth in the following … for extraordinary heroism … on 25 March 2003. While leading his [mechanized combined anti-armor] platoon … [the platoon] moved into a coordinated ambush of mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire. With coalition tanks blocking the road ahead, he realized his platoon was caught in a kill zone.”
As a young officer, I remember coming across a well-used copy of a tactical decision-making primer called, “What now, Lieutenant?” It was a collection of historical combat vignettes designed to test your tactical decision-making against the decisions of the actual combat leaders. I always enjoyed reading and sharing them with my Marines.
At this point in the citation, the lieutenant has quickly assessed his platoon’s situation, and things did not look good. The enemy obviously chose and prepared this ambush with skill. So, for just a moment, put yourself in the lieutenant’s boots. “What now, Lieutenant?”
“He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank, where he was immediately taken under fire from an entrenched machine gun. Without hesitation, First Lieutenant Chontosh ordered the driver to advance directly at the enemy position enabling his .50 caliber machine gunner to silence the enemy.”
Great combat instincts are the result of effective peacetime training. You can freeze in an ambush’s kill zone and get cut to pieces, or you can move to safety. He instantly coordinated the movement of his vehicle-team out of the kill zone, and came under fire again. Sometimes, safe spots are dangerous spots waiting to happen. And sometimes, the best maneuver is the only maneuver left – assault right through the ambusher. He took decisive action and eliminated the immediate threat to himself and his Marines. But, they were not done.
“He then directed his driver into the enemy trench, where he exited his vehicle and began to clear the trench with an M16A2 service rifle and 9 millimeter pistol.”
This is another example of great instincts from effective training. The lieutenant possessed individual weapons proficiency confidence to the point that he left the protection of his armored vehicle to pursue the enemy on foot protected only by the weapons he carried, the body-armor he wore, and the courage he possessed. Trench-clearing is not for the timid, and usually not intended for an individual without a lot of direct supporting fires and efforts.
“His ammunition depleted, First Lieutenant Chontosh, with complete disregard for his safety, twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When a Marine following him found an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher, First Lieutenant Chontosh used it to destroy yet another group of enemy soldiers.”
No ammo? No problem, especially when you still have a bias for action and are focused on your mission and the task at hand. Seeing opportunities (functional weapons) where others only saw the obvious (discarded enemy weapons) and being resourceful paid huge dividends. This is another great example of why it is important to be skilled in the tools of your trade, and not just the tools of your specific job, but also in the tools of your peers, competitors and even your adversaries.
“When his audacious attack ended, he had cleared over 200 meters of the enemy trench, killing more than 20 enemy soldiers and wounding several others.”
Who says one man with courage and a plan cannot make a difference and cannot do great things?
“By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the ace of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
Surprisingly, I found a lot of references to Lieutenant Chontosh’s non-publicized award while researching on the internet. I was most impressed by two quotes attributed to him in interviews following his receipt of the Navy Cross:
“I was just doing my job, I did the same thing every other Marine would have done, it was just a passion and love for my Marines.”
And, Chontosh added:
“[I was] just reacting to the good training that we have, true compassion and love for the Marines and the battalion. The job needed to get done. Just went and did it.”
Leadership. Courage. Devotion to duty. Humility. In my book, now-Capt Chontosh is a complete package, a Marine’s Marine. A real American hero.
Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=511&rnd=812.4818910407757
Ellie