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thedrifter
09-15-09, 07:18 AM
A Sergeant First At The Front
Brad Kelly
Mon Sep 14, 6:12 pm ET

Romania was in the throes of a bloody revolution in 1989 while breaking free of communism's grip.

America responded by making sure its embassy in Bucharest had Marine protection, with Donnie Brazeal at the forefront.

The sergeant stood ready as Romanians stormed the streets against the tyrant Nicolae Ceausescu. As the capital became a war zone, Brazeal and his fellow Marines evacuated personnel from the embassy.

That revolution of 20 years ago led to hundreds dying, but Brazeal and his comrades kept every American alive.

For his heroism under fire, he received the Navy Achievement Medal -- the first of several commendations that would go to him.

"He's the model Marine," said Col. Brent Dunahoe, a professor of naval science at the Citadel and Brazeal's mentor. "Don epitomizes all the virtues and professionalism this country expects from its Marines."

Into Iraq

Brazeal especially needed that professionalism while defending a village along the nasty Iraq-Syria border 16 years after the Romanian Revolution.

On the morning of April 11, 2005, terrorists ambushed a U.S. combat outpost in Husaybah, Iraq, setting off a four-day gunfight.

Amid a hailstorm of bullets, grenades, rockets and mortar shells, Marines were pinned down.

Brazeal jumped on the outer wall of the base, drawing fire to him and freeing his trapped men. Still on the bulwark, the first sergeant fired an anti-tank missile and, in his words, "vanquished the enemy."

For his actions, Brazeal received the Bronze Star with Valor. His citation noted that in the heat of battle he threw his body over his commander, Capt. Frank Diorio, to protect him from enemy mortar fire.

"First Sgt. Brazeal is a Marine's Marine," Diorio, now a major, said at the award ceremony in Annapolis, Md., in 2007. "He fears his God, but that's about it."

The youngest of six, Brazeal was born in 1965 to Veronica, an employee at Mutual of Omaha, and Gene, a union ironworker and veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Donnie grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, graduated from high school and enlisted in 1983.

Brazeal knew the Marines were for him. They offered a shot at worldwide travel. He could use his leadership skills in life-and-death situations. And he really liked what the Corps didn't present. "There was no catch phrase with the Marines promising me this or that," he told IBD. "The Corps asked me, 'What can you do for us?' And that's all I needed to hear. I was hooked."

Romania was the first overseas post for Brazeal. The following decade he served in some of the most volatile spots, including the Philippines, Haiti, Liberia and Bosnia, barely spending time in the U.S. between deployments. "We were pretty busy Marines in the 1990s," he said. "It is a proud moment to see these nations' transition to Democratic states. That's why we serve."

After so many years in hot zones, some military people would seek desk work. Not Brazeal.

In 2002 he received a call from Lt. Col. Dan Canfield, a friend getting ready to pick up a command at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina for the invasion of Iraq.

"When one of your brothers calls, you drop your tools and go to their aid," Brazeal said.

Under Dunahoe's leadership in the spring 2003 invasion, Brazeal was part of Task Force Tarawa, one of the squadrons in the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Its mission: secure the bridges over the Euphrates River in places such as Nasiriyah.

Battles with Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen cost many lives in the opening days of the war. But the leathernecks secured the path north to Baghdad. Brazeal's courage under fire during the first phase of the invasion earned him the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.

Brazeal left Iraq in July 2003 and was promoted to first sergeant.

He was not home long.

In 2004 he was deployed twice to the Republic of Djibouti in eastern Africa, a launching pad for U.S. forces. Brazeal was part of an anti-terrorism/force protection mission, providing security for American assets.

The Marines called on Brazeal for Iraq duty one more time in April 2005. This would be his final tour of a 23-year career.

The mission was to protect and liberate Husaybah, a village crawling with al-Qaida and other terrorists.

The Marines of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Regiment, called Camp Gannon home for seven months. During that stretch, the 270 Marines, sailors and soldiers protecting the two-acre, bunker-enforced base faced 279 armed engagements, Brazeal says.

But nothing came close to the ambush in the morning of April 11 that triggered the four-day battle with the terrorists.

Brazeal was rocked out of bed by a rocket-propelled grenade that hit the combat operations center, blowing the doors off. Despite a concussion -- later diagnosed as a traumatic brain injury -- he picked up his gun to join the escalating fight.

A suicide driver steered a truck filled with explosives straight at the base, but the Marines blew it up 40 yards from camp. Two more trucks followed; those too failed.

In The Thick Of Battle

The injured Brazeal kept giving orders and directing the fight. He even swapped out weapons and carried ammunition to the men as they ran low. Then there was his brave maneuver on top of the barricade.

He never left his men's side, not even to check on his injuries -- a testament to his character, says Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jesse Bedia. "When rounds were coming at us, he was there with us in the dirt and mud," Bedia said. "He was always leading from the front. A great mentor and one to emulate."

During Brazeal's seven months with India Company, it didn't suffer a single death. The Marines were victorious in uprooting the criminal gangs and terrorists that once controlled the violent border town.

Brazeal, 44, is now retired, living in Severna Park, Md., and working for the technology and consulting firm SRA International (NYSE:SRX - News). He can't disclose what he does, only that he's still working with Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"His encouragement and commitment speak volumes," Bedia said, choking up. "He's my biggest mentor and hugely missed in the unit. He definitely left a legacy for us to follow and some big shoes to fill."

Ellie