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thedrifter
04-27-07, 09:37 AM
A Hero's Unusual Decision and Extraordinary Actions
(21st in a Series)
By Matthew Dodd

"In a rare gesture, Marine [Corporal] Dominic Esquibel declined the Navy Cross he earned on Nov. 25, 2004, as a scout sniper."

That sentence, taken from a USA Today article on Nov. 10, 2006, the United States Marine Corps' 231st birthday, has intrigued me ever since I first read it. The article went on to say that he declined the medal for "personal reasons," and that a Marine Corps spokesman declined to elaborate on it. I respect Esquibel's very personal decision not to accept the Nation's second-highest medal for battlefield valor, so I refuse to judge or speculate on his decision.

However, I truly admire what he did to earn the medal, so let me share with you the battlefield exploits of our newest Navy Cross hero as presented in his citation….

"For extraordinary heroism while serving as Scout Sniper, Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 25 November 2004."

Back on Mar. 1, 2005, I wrote about another scout sniper Navy Cross hero, and took a few moments to describe what a Marine scout sniper means to me as a retired Marine officer:

"A sniper team consists of four men, each of whom carries a sniper rifle, an M-16 and a pistol, as well as extra ammo and a host of other equipment. They set up sniper nests from which they track suspected enemy fighters with special long-range scopes, thermal imaging devices and computerized equipment. If the team agrees a person has 'hostile intent' - such as carrying a weapon or rocket-propelled grenade - a designated sharpshooter cuts him down with a special bolt-action rifle, killing him with a single shot up to 1,000 yards away …. "

"I have deep respect for Marine Corps snipers. They are a special breed of warrior, and a tremendous force-multiplier on any battlefield."

"Scout-snipers are often hand-picked by their leaders for their bearing, character, tactical abilities, marksmanship skills and leadership potential to compete for the very limited and very prestigious openings in their infantry battalion's scout-sniper platoon. Once selected, these Marines receive intensive training to learn how to stealthfully stalk their targets, select their positions, and engage their targets in accordance to their (un)official motto: 'One shot, one kill.'"

Esquibel's actions on Nov. 25, 2004, far surpassed even my lofty expectations of Marine scout snipers on any battlefield:

"After an enemy ambush on 3d Platoon nearby, Lance Corporal Esquibel quickly moved to an overwatch position and spotted five wounded Marines in a building courtyard. He courageously low-crawled close to the enemy stronghold to gain intelligence and then ran through the rooftops under intense enemy fire to relay the intelligence to the 3d Platoon Commander. With total disregard for his own safety, he re-occupied his position and threw a grenade, destroying several enemy insurgents and silencing one of the enemy's machine guns. After eliminating part of the threat, he low-crawled to another area and dropped a grenade through a hole in the roof, eliminating several more enemy personnel and silencing another enemy machine gun."

With fellow Marines in sudden peril from an enemy ambush, Esquibel's scout sniper training immediately proved its worth as he took up a vantage point and assessed the situation. Trained to notice details and track the enemy's every move, Esquibel instinctively personified probably the best advice I ever got as a member of the greatest combat team in the history of the world -- Ask myself, and take appropriate action on the following questions: What do I know? Who else needs to know what I know? Have I told them?

After relaying his critical battlefield intelligence to the commander of the imperiled Marines, Esquibel took decisive action against the enemy. Heroes like Esquibel remind me of the images of our 9-11 heroes in New York City who unhesitatingly ran towards danger, an act that runs counter to the instincts of most human beings to avoid such danger. At this point, Esquibel's actions would have probably earned him a lesser combat valor award, but he was not done….

"As a tank breached the courtyard wall, 3d Platoon began suppressing the target building. He seized this opportunity and quickly moved to the courtyard while under enemy machine gun fire, dragging out a wounded Marine. He re-entered the courtyard to retrieve a second wounded Marine. Still under enemy fire, he moved through the open area a third time, extinguished a fire that had mortally wounded the third casualty, and swiftly carried out his body. Due to his heroic efforts, two Marines survived the devastating enemy ambush."

I am purely guessing, but I believe Esquibel's timely passing of battlefield intelligence to the imperiled Marines' platoon commander helped lead to the tank's breaching of the courtyard wall and the besieged platoon's counter-attack against the enemy ambushers. Amidst the chaos and mayhem of a modern urban battlefield, the simplistic beauty of teamwork in action shone through ever so brightly.

Trained to take enemy lives, it was first instilled in Esquibel from his earliest moments in boot camp that Marines never leave fellow Marines behind - NEVER! Three times into an exposed courtyard, under intense enemy fire, with the last time being to retrieve the burning body of a fellow warrior, Esquibel truly led by example under the most dangerous of circumstances.

His citation concluded:

"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Lance Corporal Esquibel reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."

Decisive leadership, unlimited courage, and devotion to duty is one heck of a recipe for life and battlefield success. Add intense and realistic training, and the intangibles of personal character and a personal bias for action, and you have a tremendous force-multiplier in any situation, be it peacetime or wartime.

I learned a long time ago that you can never give anyone that which he or she does not want to receive. Then-Lance Corporal Dominic Esquibel may have refused to receive his medal, but he will forever have my utmost respect for giving me the honor of being inspired by his story as the latest in our growing list of Navy Cross heroes.

Ellie

drumcorpssnare
04-27-07, 10:36 AM
Granted, I wasn't there...but based on what I just read, I would have recommended this Marine for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

drumcorpssnare:usmc:

zx6rdr
04-27-07, 11:44 AM
Granted, I wasn't there...but based on what I just read, I would have recommended this Marine for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

drumcorpssnare:usmc:

He probably was recommended for the CMH but it got dummied down by politics...... I would have recommended hin for the CMH also...

silentsoul
04-27-07, 12:14 PM
Im old,busted up ,I cant remember things
too well ,seen too much,hard to impress,
ribbons are reminders,might be the corporal
dont wanna be reminded.But I never forget
THE MARINES!
Thankyou Son,
SemperFi,
SS