thedrifter
01-23-09, 07:02 AM
Farmington veteran honored with Silver Star
— By Steve Lynn — The Daily Times
Posted: 01/23/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
FARMINGTON — More than three years ago, Jesse Hickey treated four badly wounded Marines under machine gun fire and amid grenade explosions in Iraq.
On Jan. 7 in Camp Pendleton, Calif., the U.S. Navy awarded the 26-year-old Farmington resident a Silver Star for his bravery. The honor is the third-highest military decoration a service member from any branch can receive.
Sitting at a table in his parents' Farmington home after work at Guardian Angel Home Health in Farmington, Hickey recalls his two-and-a-half months and the incident Nov. 16, 2005, that filled his body with shrapnel.
Hickey, a U.S. Navy medic at the time, was walking behind a tank with a squad of Marines in New Ubaydi, Iraq, to check homes for insurgents during Operation Steel Curtain.
Insurgents started shooting from a grove of palm trees and some homes, Hickey said. Hickey, armed with a pistol and wearing body armor, and his squad started running.
Hickey arrived at a home and saw several wounded Marines lying outside, he said. He began treating one Marine when an insurgent tossed a grenade next to the men.
The Marine picked up the grenade and it blew off his hand when he threw it.
That Marine also received a Silver Star because Hickey said the grenade would have killed them.
"I remember being scared as hell," Hickey said.
Another grenade exploded and sent shrapnel into Hickey's legs and arms. He continued to treat other Marines and checked pulses of those who had died. He tied a tourniquet on one Marine who lost his leg.
Hickey did not feel the shrapnel until he helped carry the last Marine, whom he and another Marine moved from the home where the insurgents were to the nearby building. The Marine received additional treatment there.
"Hickey exposed himself to automatic gunfire while rushing 75 meters through an enemy kill zone to assist and evacuate wounded Marines," his Silver Star citation says.
Once in the building with the wounded Marines, Hickey directed other people how to treat them as he refused help for his arm. Hickey's wounds were not as bad as those of the others, so he refused to leave on a helicopter until the other Marines were taken, he said.
"Hickey's valiant efforts were instrumental in saving numerous lives," the citation says.
Dennis Rogers, a Marine corporal who lives in Lincoln, Neb., recalls Hickey rushing to help after the men heard someone call for a medic.
"He was the first one," Rogers said.
Hickey didn't flinch when the grenade exploded, Rogers said.
"I think he got what he deserved," Rogers said about Hickey's Silver Star. "He definitely went above and beyond."
Those who lost their limbs in the explosion would have died from blood loss had Hickey not tied tourniquets on them within minutes, Hickey said.
Hickey was taken to a hospital in Germany and treated the next day. He has fully recovered.
He was glad to have helped the Marines because they were like family, he said. He was glad to see them at the ceremony when he received his Silver Star earlier this month.
"These guys are like my brothers," Hickey said.
Ellie
— By Steve Lynn — The Daily Times
Posted: 01/23/2009 12:00:00 AM MST
FARMINGTON — More than three years ago, Jesse Hickey treated four badly wounded Marines under machine gun fire and amid grenade explosions in Iraq.
On Jan. 7 in Camp Pendleton, Calif., the U.S. Navy awarded the 26-year-old Farmington resident a Silver Star for his bravery. The honor is the third-highest military decoration a service member from any branch can receive.
Sitting at a table in his parents' Farmington home after work at Guardian Angel Home Health in Farmington, Hickey recalls his two-and-a-half months and the incident Nov. 16, 2005, that filled his body with shrapnel.
Hickey, a U.S. Navy medic at the time, was walking behind a tank with a squad of Marines in New Ubaydi, Iraq, to check homes for insurgents during Operation Steel Curtain.
Insurgents started shooting from a grove of palm trees and some homes, Hickey said. Hickey, armed with a pistol and wearing body armor, and his squad started running.
Hickey arrived at a home and saw several wounded Marines lying outside, he said. He began treating one Marine when an insurgent tossed a grenade next to the men.
The Marine picked up the grenade and it blew off his hand when he threw it.
That Marine also received a Silver Star because Hickey said the grenade would have killed them.
"I remember being scared as hell," Hickey said.
Another grenade exploded and sent shrapnel into Hickey's legs and arms. He continued to treat other Marines and checked pulses of those who had died. He tied a tourniquet on one Marine who lost his leg.
Hickey did not feel the shrapnel until he helped carry the last Marine, whom he and another Marine moved from the home where the insurgents were to the nearby building. The Marine received additional treatment there.
"Hickey exposed himself to automatic gunfire while rushing 75 meters through an enemy kill zone to assist and evacuate wounded Marines," his Silver Star citation says.
Once in the building with the wounded Marines, Hickey directed other people how to treat them as he refused help for his arm. Hickey's wounds were not as bad as those of the others, so he refused to leave on a helicopter until the other Marines were taken, he said.
"Hickey's valiant efforts were instrumental in saving numerous lives," the citation says.
Dennis Rogers, a Marine corporal who lives in Lincoln, Neb., recalls Hickey rushing to help after the men heard someone call for a medic.
"He was the first one," Rogers said.
Hickey didn't flinch when the grenade exploded, Rogers said.
"I think he got what he deserved," Rogers said about Hickey's Silver Star. "He definitely went above and beyond."
Those who lost their limbs in the explosion would have died from blood loss had Hickey not tied tourniquets on them within minutes, Hickey said.
Hickey was taken to a hospital in Germany and treated the next day. He has fully recovered.
He was glad to have helped the Marines because they were like family, he said. He was glad to see them at the ceremony when he received his Silver Star earlier this month.
"These guys are like my brothers," Hickey said.
Ellie