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thedrifter
03-07-09, 07:29 AM
Retired Marine awarded Silver Star
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March 6, 2009 - 6:32 PM
JENNIFER HLAD

It was a raid on a farmhouse in Amiriyah, Iraq.

As soon as they went through the front door, a firefight erupted. Sgt. Tom Houser was mortally wounded.

"If something could go wrong, it went wrong that night," retired Master Sgt. Edward McDermott said.

McDermott - the platoon sergeant - and Platoon Commander Capt. Jason Schauble moved into a darkened room in an effort to get the wounded Marine out.

Schauble was wounded, but McDermott kept going, killing "at least four insurgents at a distance of less than ten feet," according to his award citation.

"(McDermott) finished everyone off in that room and kept moving forward," Schauble said, before he was hit in about six places by a fragmented grenade.

"Seriously injured, he was able to come out of the house on his own and gave guidance to the team leaders until it was time for him to be medically evacuated," the citation reads.

Four years after that firefight, McDermott was honored for his bravery with a Silver Star.

"My fight was 15 minutes," McDermott said. "Four years they kept this alive."

McDermott was platoon sergeant for 4th Platoon, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, when the firefight happened, in January 2005.

"That night was definitely a learning experience," he told the group of Marines gathered Friday to see him receive his award. "We lost a great guy that night."

Schauble, also retired, also received a Silver Star for his actions that night. He said McDermott never hesitated.

During that time in Iraq, the unit was involved in many, many firefights, Schauble said.

Sometimes, he said, "people start to lose resolve." But McDermott stayed aggressive.

"When things stalled ... in the hundreds of houses that we went in, he was the one who pushed the momentum forward," Schauble said.

"I knew I could count on him (then.) I know I can count on him today," he said.

McDermott said he appreciated the hard work that went in to getting him the award four years later, though he said there are many others who would rate the award and simply did not have the people to keep pushing for it.

Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, commander of II Marine Expeditionary Force, presented the medal to McDermott, also mentioning his actions during the second Battle of Fallujah, in November 2004.

"I told him I'm humbled and honored to be able to do this," Hejlik said. "He truly is a hero."



Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467

Ellie