'Extraordinary heroism'

[thedrifter]

'Extraordinary heroism'

Slain Marine awarded Silver Star for valor during battle
By Alex Roth
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

February 7, 2008

CAMP PENDLETON – Marine Cpl. Sean Stokes was almost pathologically reluctant to accept praise, even though his courage on the battlefield saved fellow Marines' lives and was chronicled in a book.

He might have been embarrassed, then, by a ceremony at Camp Pendleton yesterday awarding him the third-highest honor for combat valor.

But Stokes wasn't there to receive his Silver Star, given for his actions during the second battle of Fallujah in 2004. The Northern California native was killed last summer during his third tour of duty in Iraq, two weeks after learning he would receive the medal.

Stokes, who would have turned 24 yesterday, appears to be the lowest-ranking Marine since the Vietnam War to receive such a military honor, according to Camp Pendleton officials. He was a private when he helped save the lives of several Marines during the battle in November 2004.

His Silver Star citation credits him with “extraordinary heroism in the face of extreme danger.”

He dodged automatic gunfire to kill several insurgents and rushed to the aid of several platoon mates, even though he'd been severely wounded by a hand grenade, according to the citation.

During yesterday's ceremony, his family and fellow Marines described Stokes as a modest guy who was uncomfortable in the spotlight.

“He was never a man who easily accepted public recognition,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Watson, the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.

Virginia-based military historian Patrick O'Donnell was embedded with Stokes' unit during the battle of Fallujah and wrote a book, “We Were One,” that chronicled the exploits of Stokes and other members of his platoon.

“The more that I dug into the story, the more that I knew that Sean needed to be recognized for what he did,” O'Donnell told the crowd.

O'Donnell said he was “absolutely devastated” when he learned Stokes had been killed July 30 after stepping on a roadside bomb.

“It was like an ice pick through the heart,” O'Donnell said.

Stokes, whose fiancee, Nicole Besier, is a Marine staff sergeant, was supposed to leave the Marines after his second tour but extended his com mitment so he could deploy with his battalion a third time.

Stokes' father, Gary, a real estate developer who lives near Sacramento, said his son “felt a calling” to remain in the military. To make sure his parents didn't worry about him, he lied and told them he was going overseas but wasn't headed to the war zone.

“The first time we knew he was in Iraq was when the Marines knocked on Gary's door and told him Sean was gone,” said his aunt, Laura Leupp of Spring Valley.

Stokes joined the Marines in 2002 after graduating from Bear River High School near Sacramento, where he played football and baseball.

Stokes' family said he never really worried about dying, even though he'd had so many close calls.

“He'd been through so much,” said his stepmother, Sue Stokes. “He figured he could handle himself.”

Alex Roth: (619) 542-4558; alex.roth@uniontrib.com

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Remembering A "Star" Marine
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Feb. 6, 2008
(CBS) It may have been one of the proudest moments of Gary Stokes's life, but it's also one he would trade for anything in the world.

This past summer, his son Sean, a Marine who had served in Iraq, told his family he was now floating on an aircraft carrier far away from danger.

"When did you know something was wrong?" CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy asked Sean's father.

"I didn't even know he was in Iraq until the Marines knocked on my door," Gary Stokes said. The Marine at his door said: "We regret to inform you that your son has been killed in Iraq."

Sean had been in Iraq for 45 days. It was the third tour for the former athlete, who chose the Marines over college after 9/11.

Was his family upset about it? Did they say, "I don't want you to do this?"

Yes, they told Tracy.

In Fallujah, Sean moved house to house hunting down Iraqi insurgents.

What he did was so dangerous it was documented by journalists.

The History Channel showed him saying: "Every house I walk up saying a prayer, like 'get me out of this one, Lord, please.'"

He was only a private, but Sean stood out, often volunteering to go in first, directly in the line of fire.

Wounded several times, he made it home - twice.

"We said, 'Sean, please, you've done your part. No more, please'" his father said.

But Sean wouldn't let down his fellow Marines. He returned to Iraq for a third time. On patrol, Sean stepped on a roadside bomb.

This week, on what would have been his 25th birthday, Sean was awarded the coveted Silver Star for courage in battle.

"The young men and women who have answered that call ... we can't just forget them," a guest said at the awards ceremony.

That goes especially for a Marine who proved at such an early age that being a hero has nothing to do with rank.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Silver Star Ceremony for Marine HeroReported by: Jeff Powers
Last Update: 12:00 am

Sean Stokes was a genuine hero. We've heard that before about the actions of soldiers and marines on the battlefield but when you really understand what this young man did for his country in Iraq, it's the only phrase that truly fits.

"Him and I we're best friends. We did everything together," said Marine Brad Adams. He was with Stokes in Fallujah, and by his side three years later when Stokes was killed by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. "You could count on him, you know. He would be there -- no matter what the situation -- was how far away -- he'd be there to help you out."

Sean's father, Gary Stokes, accepted the Silver Star on his son's behalf.

"I know that Sean would have wanted to acknowledge the rest of the guys and the rest of the marines instead of himself," explained Gary.

It was a ceremony befitting a hero and took many of the marines back to a place they will likely never forget. It was November 2004. War historians call the battle for Fallujah one of the most difficult campaigns in U.S. history.

Leading the charge was Marine Private Sean Stokes. He was the point man with the Third Battalion First Marine Regiment. His job was like russian roulette. Kick down doors and hope Iraqi insurgents didn't have AK-47's trained on him. He led his 50 man unit from battle to battle. Never flinching never backing down.

Author and historian Patrick O'Connell was there. "Sean was always the point man -- always the first to knock in the door. He had been wounded multiple times and hid his wounds just to stay in battle with his marine brothers."

In his book We Were One, O'Connell calls Stokes "the gutsiest, most selfless Marine I have ever seen in combat."

Those sentiments were echoed by his commanding officer.

"Some men have an impact on their unit and on their brother marines in that unit far beyond that of the men that surround them," stated Lieutenant Colonel B.T. Watson. "Sean Stokes was such a man."

Heaven Was Needing a Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQb6A...4748a&rss=tick

Ellie