thedrifter
09-12-06, 07:23 AM
Smyrna man's bravery honored
Silver Star rewards rescue of four wounded Marines under fire in Fallujah
By JESSICA FENDER
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, 09/12/06
It's called the fatal frontal, the uber vulnerable moment in combat when a Marine enters a room where enemy machine guns and other weapons are sure to be trained on him.
Former Sgt. Traver Pennell, 30, braved that scenario again and again when he entered a smoke-filled South Fallujah home under intense fire to rescue four wounded companions in the earlier days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nearly two years later, Pennell, now of Smyrna, accepted the Silver Star, the nation's third most prestigious military honor.
"The true heroes are the ones who didn't make the plane ride home," Pennell said Monday after the ceremony. "I never expected to get an award like this. I thought I was just doing what anyone else would have done."
The United States Marine Corps has awarded only 55 of the stars in connection with the current war in Iraq, according to 1st Lt. Rob Dolan. Among the 163 members of Company I, Third Battalion, First Marines, Pennell was the only Silver Star recipient.
"What they did in Fallujah is the most difficult thing you can do in combat: close quarter battle. In other words, death at five feet," said Maj. David High.
Pennell, a jovial father of three, grew somber talking about the events of Nov. 14, 2004, when he led his squad through the streets of Fallujah, sweeping every room in a densely packed section of the city.
He heard a neighboring squad run into trouble from what would turn out to be nine adversaries.
"I could hear fire. … I didn't know if we had it under control," he said, focusing on a spot on the table in front of him.
Thick smoke from grenades, machine guns and open fires in the tiny home partially blinded Pennell, who said he looked for muzzle blasts to pinpoint assailants as he entered the home.
Cpl. Johnny Crougar, a friend and fellow squad leader, had been shot in the face and warned that there were more wounded inside.
Pennell and "gung-ho Marine" Cpl. Dale Burger opened fire on the gunmen to rescue two others, the former sergeant said. Pennell pulled Burger from the home as well, after the corporal suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Burger in March was honored posthumously with a Silver Star.
One other Marine Pennell retrieved also died. Crougar has recovered, and a fourth is re-learning the use of a severely injured hand.
Pennell went on to spend seven months in Iraq and left the Marine Corps in January after eight years.
He's at a loss to describe the transition back to his normal life, where he has a wife, three daughters and trains National Guard Reservists in Smyrna.
"It's like going 100 miles an hour with no brakes, I guess," he said.
"You'll coast to a stop eventually."
Pennell said the decisions he made that day were automatic, programmed into him from intensive training.
"You just try to make sure you make the right calls," he said. "If it was the right decision at the time, you don't feel as bad." •
Ellie
Silver Star rewards rescue of four wounded Marines under fire in Fallujah
By JESSICA FENDER
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, 09/12/06
It's called the fatal frontal, the uber vulnerable moment in combat when a Marine enters a room where enemy machine guns and other weapons are sure to be trained on him.
Former Sgt. Traver Pennell, 30, braved that scenario again and again when he entered a smoke-filled South Fallujah home under intense fire to rescue four wounded companions in the earlier days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nearly two years later, Pennell, now of Smyrna, accepted the Silver Star, the nation's third most prestigious military honor.
"The true heroes are the ones who didn't make the plane ride home," Pennell said Monday after the ceremony. "I never expected to get an award like this. I thought I was just doing what anyone else would have done."
The United States Marine Corps has awarded only 55 of the stars in connection with the current war in Iraq, according to 1st Lt. Rob Dolan. Among the 163 members of Company I, Third Battalion, First Marines, Pennell was the only Silver Star recipient.
"What they did in Fallujah is the most difficult thing you can do in combat: close quarter battle. In other words, death at five feet," said Maj. David High.
Pennell, a jovial father of three, grew somber talking about the events of Nov. 14, 2004, when he led his squad through the streets of Fallujah, sweeping every room in a densely packed section of the city.
He heard a neighboring squad run into trouble from what would turn out to be nine adversaries.
"I could hear fire. … I didn't know if we had it under control," he said, focusing on a spot on the table in front of him.
Thick smoke from grenades, machine guns and open fires in the tiny home partially blinded Pennell, who said he looked for muzzle blasts to pinpoint assailants as he entered the home.
Cpl. Johnny Crougar, a friend and fellow squad leader, had been shot in the face and warned that there were more wounded inside.
Pennell and "gung-ho Marine" Cpl. Dale Burger opened fire on the gunmen to rescue two others, the former sergeant said. Pennell pulled Burger from the home as well, after the corporal suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Burger in March was honored posthumously with a Silver Star.
One other Marine Pennell retrieved also died. Crougar has recovered, and a fourth is re-learning the use of a severely injured hand.
Pennell went on to spend seven months in Iraq and left the Marine Corps in January after eight years.
He's at a loss to describe the transition back to his normal life, where he has a wife, three daughters and trains National Guard Reservists in Smyrna.
"It's like going 100 miles an hour with no brakes, I guess," he said.
"You'll coast to a stop eventually."
Pennell said the decisions he made that day were automatic, programmed into him from intensive training.
"You just try to make sure you make the right calls," he said. "If it was the right decision at the time, you don't feel as bad." •
Ellie