thedrifter
12-18-05, 09:26 AM
Marine officer wins Silver Star for gallantry in combat in Iraq
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Like any good leader accepting an honor, Maj. John D. Harrill III deflected the credit to his troops.
"My actions were the result of the young Marines beside me and their will, their fighting spirit and their savvy," the 35-year-old Marine Corps officer said.
Harrill, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Recruiting Station, Richmond, yesterday was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the military's third-highest award for gallantry in combat.
The commendation cited his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action" while serving as a battalion operations officer last year in Iraq.
Harrill said the incident for which he was awarded occurred in April 2004 as Marines were fighting to prevent the fall of Ramadi, a city of about 450,000 people.
"We were ambushed by thousands of insurgents," he said. While coordinating his battalion's combat units, Harrill personally wiped out enemy machine-gun and rocket-propelled-grenade posts, the commendation noted.
The fighting raged for seven hours that day and extended for two more days "as we hunted down the insurgents and restored order to the city," Harrill said.
His unit - the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division - suffered 14 dead and 40 to 60 Marines wounded in that fighting. Enemy losses were estimated between 500 and 600.
He said he was particularly proud of young Marines - "18and 19-year-old kids right out of high school" - who performed well not only in combat but in helping Iraqis rebuild their public utilities and "using venture capital to start businesses."
Harrill, the son of a Marine Corps officer, entered the military after graduating from Auburn University in 1993. He and his family live in Midlothian.
Yesterday's ceremony took place at the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in the Arboretum Office Park in Chesterfield County. - Ed Kelleher
Ellie
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Like any good leader accepting an honor, Maj. John D. Harrill III deflected the credit to his troops.
"My actions were the result of the young Marines beside me and their will, their fighting spirit and their savvy," the 35-year-old Marine Corps officer said.
Harrill, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Recruiting Station, Richmond, yesterday was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the military's third-highest award for gallantry in combat.
The commendation cited his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action" while serving as a battalion operations officer last year in Iraq.
Harrill said the incident for which he was awarded occurred in April 2004 as Marines were fighting to prevent the fall of Ramadi, a city of about 450,000 people.
"We were ambushed by thousands of insurgents," he said. While coordinating his battalion's combat units, Harrill personally wiped out enemy machine-gun and rocket-propelled-grenade posts, the commendation noted.
The fighting raged for seven hours that day and extended for two more days "as we hunted down the insurgents and restored order to the city," Harrill said.
His unit - the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division - suffered 14 dead and 40 to 60 Marines wounded in that fighting. Enemy losses were estimated between 500 and 600.
He said he was particularly proud of young Marines - "18and 19-year-old kids right out of high school" - who performed well not only in combat but in helping Iraqis rebuild their public utilities and "using venture capital to start businesses."
Harrill, the son of a Marine Corps officer, entered the military after graduating from Auburn University in 1993. He and his family live in Midlothian.
Yesterday's ceremony took place at the Marine Corps Recruiting Station in the Arboretum Office Park in Chesterfield County. - Ed Kelleher
Ellie