thedrifter
06-08-07, 11:25 AM
06-08-2007
A Heroic Drive
By Matthew Dodd
I am frequently asked two seemingly simple questions about this heroes article series by different people that I cannot answer. The first is, “Of all the heroes you have researched and written about, who is your favorite?” The second question is, “Which of your heroes’ exploits are most worthy of a Medal of Honor?”
I cannot choose a favorite. As a retired Marine officer, I can honestly say that I love and deeply respect all these heroes. At different times I will recall different parts of different citations, usually in response to something else I read or heard. Each citation has touched me in a very personal way. As far as whose actions go beyond what is expected of a Navy/Air Force/Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medals for battlefield valor, and gets into the realm of being worthy of a Medal of Honor, I do not have a clue. I have never been in a position to make that determination, and I have faith in the system and in those who are involved in the largely secretive nomination and approval process.
However, my newest Navy Cross hero is someone who consistently comes to mind whenever I contemplate those two unanswered questions….
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to Lance Corporal Todd R. Corbin, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for service as set forth in the following citation: For extraordinary heroism as Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement Driver, Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 25th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, 2d Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 04-06 in Hadithah, Iraq on 7 May 2005. Lance Corporal Corbin was the driver for a medium tactical vehicle when enemy forces ambushed his platoon, using a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades, and machineguns.”
What should immediately be noticed is that Corbin was not a “trigger-puller,” an infantryman or a special operator, or a corpsman, like all the other heroes I have written about. Corbin drove trucks. Some, maybe many, but definitively too many, would label him as a “REMF,” a “rear-echelon mother-f---r” for not belonging to the brotherhood of combat arms. Those same people would also probably describe him as “being in the rear, with the gear and the beer.” But, as we have seen in the war in Iraq, and in the citation excerpt above, there is often a very blurry distinction between the front lines and the rear areas. Unknown to Lance Corporal Corbin, he was about to go from REMF to hero in mere moments, as described in his citation….
“Lance Corporal Corbin immediately repositioned his truck directly between the enemy and many of the wounded.”
What can a truck driver do in a vehicle ambush? What does he have to contribute to the immediate reaction to the attack? The most obvious answer was to use his vehicle as a protective shield for the wounded Marines and as possible cover for the fighting Marines. I love a vehicle driver with a proactive approach to his supported unit’s and Marines’ security, and not vice versa. His citation continued:
“He radioed the situation to the battalion and leapt into the enemy fire, directing Marines to engage and marking targets.”
Corbin’s his combat decision-making and proactive maneuver made an immediate and positive difference for his entire unit. As far as we know, Corbin’s radio transmission may have been the only report his battalion received. The only way for Corbin to know if his battalion knew was to call them himself. With his vehicle in place, and with his battalion informed, Corbin’s next best weapons were his situational awareness and personal leadership. Effectively directing Marines in an ambush is the end result of combining immediate situational awareness and dynamic battlefield leadership. According to the citation, Corbin was still just warming up:
“He ran to his fallen patrol leader, threw him onto his shoulder and carried him to safety while firing at the enemy with his off-hand.”
If I did not know any better, I would think that I just read a sentence from a Hollywood script. If there is one image for me that embodies the best of what I expect from our warriors, simultaneously rescuing wounded warriors and engaging the enemy is it. Corbin’s heroics continued:
“Lance Corporal Corbin re-crossed the kill zone, made his way to his fallen corpsman, bound his wounds and began carrying him. As he began to move, the enemy engaged at close range and Lance Corporal Corbin threw himself on a wounded Marine, shielding him as friendly machinegun fire suppressed the enemy. Organizing Marines to suppress and repel the ambush, he then, on five occasions, ran through enemy fire, recovered dead or wounded personnel, and [brought] them to his truck.”
All actions in a kill zone are inherently dangerous. To willingly enter and re-enter a kill zone requires a special kind of honor, courage, and commitment. Once again, Corbin’s situational awareness and personal leadership continued to make a positive difference for his fellow Marines and his entire unit. According to the citation, Corbin had one more decisive action to take:
“When the casualties were loaded on to his heavily damaged vehicle, he activated its emergency systems and drove it out of the kill zone, through the city to a battalion aid station five miles away.”
Once rescued from the immediate dangers of the kill zone, the casualties needed to be evacuated to safety. After demonstrating the Marine Corps maxim of “Every Marine a Rifleman,” Corbin finally had a chance to combine his situational awareness and decision-making to exercise some of his truck driving skills.
Actions are important, but what ultimately matters in life are the results of actions. The citation clearly described what Corbin’s actions meant to his fellow Marines and his unit:
“Because of his heroism, no Marine lost his life after the initial attack.”
In thirteen words, we have battlefield proof how one man can make a huge difference. With his actions and the results of his actions completely detailed, the citation concluded with….
“By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Lance Corporal Corbin reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
On July 4, 2006, Lance Corporal Corbin and two other Marines from his battalion who also received combat medals for battlefield valor in Iraq were honored at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio before an Indians-Yankee game with a standing ovation and by throwing out the ceremonial first pitches. I wish I could have been there to experience that special moment.
Lance Corporal Corbin is a very special Navy Cross hero. He not only went above and beyond what was expected of a warrior in combat, but he proved that the warrior spirit is not limited to “trigger-pullers” and combat lifesavers.
Well done, Lance Corporal Corbin.
Ellie
A Heroic Drive
By Matthew Dodd
I am frequently asked two seemingly simple questions about this heroes article series by different people that I cannot answer. The first is, “Of all the heroes you have researched and written about, who is your favorite?” The second question is, “Which of your heroes’ exploits are most worthy of a Medal of Honor?”
I cannot choose a favorite. As a retired Marine officer, I can honestly say that I love and deeply respect all these heroes. At different times I will recall different parts of different citations, usually in response to something else I read or heard. Each citation has touched me in a very personal way. As far as whose actions go beyond what is expected of a Navy/Air Force/Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medals for battlefield valor, and gets into the realm of being worthy of a Medal of Honor, I do not have a clue. I have never been in a position to make that determination, and I have faith in the system and in those who are involved in the largely secretive nomination and approval process.
However, my newest Navy Cross hero is someone who consistently comes to mind whenever I contemplate those two unanswered questions….
“The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to Lance Corporal Todd R. Corbin, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for service as set forth in the following citation: For extraordinary heroism as Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement Driver, Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 25th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 2, 2d Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 04-06 in Hadithah, Iraq on 7 May 2005. Lance Corporal Corbin was the driver for a medium tactical vehicle when enemy forces ambushed his platoon, using a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device, rocket-propelled grenades, and machineguns.”
What should immediately be noticed is that Corbin was not a “trigger-puller,” an infantryman or a special operator, or a corpsman, like all the other heroes I have written about. Corbin drove trucks. Some, maybe many, but definitively too many, would label him as a “REMF,” a “rear-echelon mother-f---r” for not belonging to the brotherhood of combat arms. Those same people would also probably describe him as “being in the rear, with the gear and the beer.” But, as we have seen in the war in Iraq, and in the citation excerpt above, there is often a very blurry distinction between the front lines and the rear areas. Unknown to Lance Corporal Corbin, he was about to go from REMF to hero in mere moments, as described in his citation….
“Lance Corporal Corbin immediately repositioned his truck directly between the enemy and many of the wounded.”
What can a truck driver do in a vehicle ambush? What does he have to contribute to the immediate reaction to the attack? The most obvious answer was to use his vehicle as a protective shield for the wounded Marines and as possible cover for the fighting Marines. I love a vehicle driver with a proactive approach to his supported unit’s and Marines’ security, and not vice versa. His citation continued:
“He radioed the situation to the battalion and leapt into the enemy fire, directing Marines to engage and marking targets.”
Corbin’s his combat decision-making and proactive maneuver made an immediate and positive difference for his entire unit. As far as we know, Corbin’s radio transmission may have been the only report his battalion received. The only way for Corbin to know if his battalion knew was to call them himself. With his vehicle in place, and with his battalion informed, Corbin’s next best weapons were his situational awareness and personal leadership. Effectively directing Marines in an ambush is the end result of combining immediate situational awareness and dynamic battlefield leadership. According to the citation, Corbin was still just warming up:
“He ran to his fallen patrol leader, threw him onto his shoulder and carried him to safety while firing at the enemy with his off-hand.”
If I did not know any better, I would think that I just read a sentence from a Hollywood script. If there is one image for me that embodies the best of what I expect from our warriors, simultaneously rescuing wounded warriors and engaging the enemy is it. Corbin’s heroics continued:
“Lance Corporal Corbin re-crossed the kill zone, made his way to his fallen corpsman, bound his wounds and began carrying him. As he began to move, the enemy engaged at close range and Lance Corporal Corbin threw himself on a wounded Marine, shielding him as friendly machinegun fire suppressed the enemy. Organizing Marines to suppress and repel the ambush, he then, on five occasions, ran through enemy fire, recovered dead or wounded personnel, and [brought] them to his truck.”
All actions in a kill zone are inherently dangerous. To willingly enter and re-enter a kill zone requires a special kind of honor, courage, and commitment. Once again, Corbin’s situational awareness and personal leadership continued to make a positive difference for his fellow Marines and his entire unit. According to the citation, Corbin had one more decisive action to take:
“When the casualties were loaded on to his heavily damaged vehicle, he activated its emergency systems and drove it out of the kill zone, through the city to a battalion aid station five miles away.”
Once rescued from the immediate dangers of the kill zone, the casualties needed to be evacuated to safety. After demonstrating the Marine Corps maxim of “Every Marine a Rifleman,” Corbin finally had a chance to combine his situational awareness and decision-making to exercise some of his truck driving skills.
Actions are important, but what ultimately matters in life are the results of actions. The citation clearly described what Corbin’s actions meant to his fellow Marines and his unit:
“Because of his heroism, no Marine lost his life after the initial attack.”
In thirteen words, we have battlefield proof how one man can make a huge difference. With his actions and the results of his actions completely detailed, the citation concluded with….
“By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Lance Corporal Corbin reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
On July 4, 2006, Lance Corporal Corbin and two other Marines from his battalion who also received combat medals for battlefield valor in Iraq were honored at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio before an Indians-Yankee game with a standing ovation and by throwing out the ceremonial first pitches. I wish I could have been there to experience that special moment.
Lance Corporal Corbin is a very special Navy Cross hero. He not only went above and beyond what was expected of a warrior in combat, but he proved that the warrior spirit is not limited to “trigger-pullers” and combat lifesavers.
Well done, Lance Corporal Corbin.
Ellie