PDA

View Full Version : Marine stayed in fight despite hand wound, low fuel in tank



thedrifter
03-15-06, 07:33 AM
Marine stayed in fight despite hand wound, low fuel in tank
March 15,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF

Some drivers enjoy flirting with the “E” on the gasoline gauges of their cars. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Jeffrey Lee took it to extremes.

Lee, the platoon commander with 2nd Tank Battalion in Iraq during the 2004 battle of Fallujah, ignored the dangerously low fuel level on his tank — and a severe wound to his arm — and continued fighting and destroying insurgents.

That bold act was enough to earn him the Silver Star on Tuesday at Camp Lejeune.

Lee, a 35-year-old from Pacolet Mills, S.C., had the medal pinned to his chest Tuesday during a ceremony before his entire unit, the 2nd Tank Battalion. He was cited for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action,” an honor he sheds and lays at the feet of the men who followed him to battle.

“I may be the one wearing the medal, by my Marines deserve the recognition,” he said. “They made me feel safe enough and confident enough that I could do what I did. I promise you I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn’t for those guys.”

The commander of 2nd Tank’s 3rd Platoon, things started badly for then-2nd Lt. Lee when two tanks in his platoon were decommissioned — one broke down, the other taken out by a mine — as they began their initial push into Fallujah on Nov. 8, 2004.

But it was still Lee’s job to protect the grunts, who were plunging south into the city. So he kept on driving, shooting and fighting for more than 12 hours without refueling.

“My fuel level was extremely low,” he said. “I didn’t even have a fuel reading anymore. But I had to stay.”

After helping the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines achieve their objective, Lee’s tank returned to base and resupplied — only to head right back out and help 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, who were about to make an offensive push.

It was during that engagement — when his tanks and the 1/8 Marines were surrounded — that Lee was shot in the arm as he went on top of the tank to retrieve more .50-caliber ammo.

“Within the first 45 minutes (of the attack), I became pretty critical on ammo,” he said. “So I went up to get more. I felt the shot immediately. I told my crew I was shot. They said, ‘At least you brought the ammo back.’ ”

Ignoring his wound, which a lance corporal wrapped with duct tape, Lee and his men kept on fighting. At one point, they were “critically exposed” in a courtyard, enemies all around, defending 1/8 as they tried to secure defensible positions in nearby buildings.

It wasn’t until eight days later that he finally received medical attention for his wound, Lee said. And he only went because his captain gave him a direct order and had him escorted to the medical area.

“There was more important stuff going on but me,” he said. “I’m just one person. We were trying to free a city. I was just one man in the fight.”

Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, the 2nd Marine Division commander who presented the medal, said it’s a great honor to pin the Silver Star on a Marine.

“Having just spent a year in Iraq, I understand the dedication and courage that goes into this stuff,” he said. “The Silver Star is a major award; we don’t hand it out frivolously.”

Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.

Ellie