Bronze Star Recipient
Bart Cole |
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SSgt
Bart
Cole
enlisted
in the
Marine
Corps
after
graduation
from
high
school
in 1998
and
served
overseas
several
times
prior to
his two
deployments
in
support
of
Operation
Iraqi
Freedom.
On March
24,
2004,
while
serving
as
assistant
convoy
commander,
his
convoy
approached
a U.S.
Army
convoy
near
Mushahidah,
Iraq.
As the
lead
vehicle
in his
convoy
came
along
side of
a
stopped
U.S.
Army
vehicle,
three
Iraqi
males
began
firing
on the
stopped
vehicle,
wounding
the U.S
Army
soldiers.
Cole and
his
turret
gunner
returned
fire.
“All I
could
think of
at the
time was
I hope
my
Marines
and I
get to
our Army
fellows
before
they get
overrun,”
recalled
Cole.
Exposing
himself
to enemy
fire,
Cole
exited
the
vehicle
and
engaged
the
enemy.
He ran
to the
Army
vehicle,
manned
the
machine
gun, and
engaged
another
insurgent
who was
charging
at the
wounded
soldiers
near
him.
Simultaneously,
the
Marines
began
taking
fire
from a
house
parallel
to the
ambush
site.
When
Cole
began
receiving
small
arms
fire and
machine
gun
fire, he
crawled
up
through
the Army
Humvee. |
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“I
noticed
that the
.50 cal
was
unloaded,
so I
loaded
it with
an
ammunition
can that
I found
in the
truck
and
began to
engage
the
enemy
positions
while my
Marines
could
rally on
my
position,”
explained
Cole.
“When
the .50
cal ran
out of
ammunition,
I
crawled
out of
the
vehicle,
took a
M249
automatic
weapon
from a
wounded
soldier,
and then
crawled
back up
through
the
Humvee
as
rounds
were
slapping
the
truck.”
Cole
leveled
the M249
on top
of the
empty
.50 cal
and
began to
place
bursts
into the
left
over
enemy
machine
gun
emplacement.
He also
directed
another
Marine
to
suppress
the
enemy
with
grenade
fire.
Once the
enemy
machine
gun was
eliminated,
he
immediately
rendered
first
aid to
the two
wounded
soldiers
until
relieved.
Unfortunately,
Cole has
no idea
how the
soldiers
are
doing.
His
Marine
unit was
not
assigned
with the
Army.
“I hope
they are
well and
healed,”
said
Cole.
Due to
his
immediate
actions
he was
not only
able to
defuse
the
situation
but also
coordinated
the
secure
landing
zone for
a
helicopter
to
perform
a
medical
evacuation
for the
U.S.
casualties.
For his
bravery
and
sound
leadership,
he was
awarded
the
Bronze
Star
with
Valor. |
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Photo and information courtesy of US
Marines /
Dept. of Defense |
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Bronze Star Recipients |
Other Heroes | |
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