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Who everyday showed great courage in the, face of the enemy, the situation below shows their skill, discipline, and the need to fight for each other so that they would all return home. These soldiers rose to the occasion in the face of a determined and unpredictable enemy. I am proud to have served with them in combat as their leader. The memories spent patrolling a dangerous section of Baghdad daily will live on in the minds of all the Cowboys. On a dark night in May 2004, a scout section on patrol in Eastern Baghdad were attacked by 16 to 17 enemy personnel with light and heavy machine guns and two RPG gunners that scored two rocket hits on a scout HMMWV of 2nd Platoon. Immediately the vehicle caught fire and ammunition started to cook off. The RPGs severely wounded the gunner, SPC Nathan, the driver, PFC Blankenship, and a dismounted scout, SGT Oman.� SPC Nathan?s lost the use of his left arm due to fragmentation from the RPG severely injuring his left elbow.� Despite his wounds and the fact that his vehicle was on fire, he returned fire with his right hand and suppressed insurgents, while the vehicle commander, SGT Gangwer evacuated casualties.� After using all of the machine gun ammunition, SPC Nathan reached down into the burning HMMWV and used a M4 to continue firing at the enemy. SGT Hardy and SGT Fondren who were in observation posts in the immediate area, responded to the contact and maneuvered their vehicles between the burning vehicle and the enemy fire, shielding the wounded from further injuries.� Only after their gunners had picked up suppressive fires,� did SPC Nathan dismount the burning vehicle and allow himself to be loaded onto the supporting HMMWV. SGT Hardy loaded all wounded onto his vehicle and evacuated them to CampCuervo in Southeast Baghdad.� The remainder of the Platoon and later the Troop cleared the area and removed the destroyed vehicle. SPC Nathan received the Bronze Star with "V"device for Valor for his actions that night, while SGT Hardy was awarded an ARCOM with "V" device for Valor. |
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