thedrifter
08-02-07, 08:42 AM
Published - August, 1, 2007
Marine receives the Purple Heart
Troy Moon
tmoon@pnj.com
Marine Corps Cpl. Jason Bingham, a Pensacola Catholic High School graduate, was awarded the Purple Heart last week in Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he is recovering from combat injuries.
Bingham, 22, suffered numerous injuries on Jan. 2 when a roadside bomb in Karma, Iraq, blew up his Humvee, flipping the vehicle. Four other Marines were in the vehicle with him, but Bingham's injuries were the most severe. He fractured a left tibial plateau and had a knee ligament torn. He also took shrapnel to the face and suffered a concussion.
He was awarded the Purple Heart on Thursday, surrounded by friends and fellow warriors from the Mobile Assault Platoon 3, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, the unit Bingham was fighting with when he was injured.
The Purple Heart is awarded to military members wounded or killed in combat.
"It was definitely pretty good (to have fellow Marines there)," Bingham said. "I've been with them for four years straight."
Bingham has been recuperating at Camp Lejeune's Wounded Warrior Barracks since spring. Nearby, his fellow Marines are training for a return trip to Iraq in October.
"I go out there and see them every day," said Bingham, the son of John and Elaine Bingham of Pensacola. "I owe my life to all the Marines (in his unit)."
Bingham, a 2003 graduate of Pensacola Catholic High School, had been sent to Afghanistan once and Iraq twice in the four years since high school. He was scheduled to leave the Marine Corps in May but has been placed on medical hold.
"I've got stiffness everywhere," he said. "But I'm getting my range of motion back. I've been doing a little running."
John Bingham said his son is ready to move on to a new chapter in his young life.
"When he gets out, he's going to do nothing for a few weeks," John Bingham said. "Then go into something in computers or start going to school."
His platoon commander in Iraq said Bingham was a major asset.
"He is an outstanding Marine," said Capt. Joshua Rosales. "He was originally a turret gunner for my vehicle. We eventually made him a section leader and gave him his own vehicle because of his great amount of leadership. ... Having a Marine like him enhances our combat effectiveness."
Ellie
Marine receives the Purple Heart
Troy Moon
tmoon@pnj.com
Marine Corps Cpl. Jason Bingham, a Pensacola Catholic High School graduate, was awarded the Purple Heart last week in Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he is recovering from combat injuries.
Bingham, 22, suffered numerous injuries on Jan. 2 when a roadside bomb in Karma, Iraq, blew up his Humvee, flipping the vehicle. Four other Marines were in the vehicle with him, but Bingham's injuries were the most severe. He fractured a left tibial plateau and had a knee ligament torn. He also took shrapnel to the face and suffered a concussion.
He was awarded the Purple Heart on Thursday, surrounded by friends and fellow warriors from the Mobile Assault Platoon 3, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, the unit Bingham was fighting with when he was injured.
The Purple Heart is awarded to military members wounded or killed in combat.
"It was definitely pretty good (to have fellow Marines there)," Bingham said. "I've been with them for four years straight."
Bingham has been recuperating at Camp Lejeune's Wounded Warrior Barracks since spring. Nearby, his fellow Marines are training for a return trip to Iraq in October.
"I go out there and see them every day," said Bingham, the son of John and Elaine Bingham of Pensacola. "I owe my life to all the Marines (in his unit)."
Bingham, a 2003 graduate of Pensacola Catholic High School, had been sent to Afghanistan once and Iraq twice in the four years since high school. He was scheduled to leave the Marine Corps in May but has been placed on medical hold.
"I've got stiffness everywhere," he said. "But I'm getting my range of motion back. I've been doing a little running."
John Bingham said his son is ready to move on to a new chapter in his young life.
"When he gets out, he's going to do nothing for a few weeks," John Bingham said. "Then go into something in computers or start going to school."
His platoon commander in Iraq said Bingham was a major asset.
"He is an outstanding Marine," said Capt. Joshua Rosales. "He was originally a turret gunner for my vehicle. We eventually made him a section leader and gave him his own vehicle because of his great amount of leadership. ... Having a Marine like him enhances our combat effectiveness."
Ellie