|
 U.S.
Army Major Brent Clemmer, a
soldier who served with the
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry
Division (Stryker Brigade
Combat Team) during its 15
months in Iraq, received the
Silver Star, the
third-highest military award
for combat valor.
“I’m very humbled,” Clemmer
said. “Most soldiers don’t
think what we do is in any
way special. We’re doing our
jobs.”
Clemmer added that the award
is a reflection of the
performance of the nearly
170 soldiers in his company.
Clemmer received the award
for his actions on Jan. 28,
2007 when he commanded
Charger Company of 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Infantry
Regiment.
Clemmer was notified that a
helicopter had been shot
down near Najaf, south of
Baghdad, and coalition
forces responding were
receiving significant gun
and mortar fire, according
to the award’s citation.
After moving his company
about 60 miles, he linked up
with a Special Forces team
that had suffered casualties
and established a perimeter
between the wreckage and
insurgents.
He then directed the
recovery of the wreckage and
the bodies of the two pilots
who died in the crash.
“I’m really proud we didn’t
let anything happen to those
guys,” Clemmer said.
According to the award’s
citation:
“During the night,
Clemmer directed his unit to
repel several enemy
counterattacks as the
fighters were based in a
nearby fortified town
surrounded by a deep trench.
Air Force gunships and Army
attack helicopters assaulted
the town.
At daybreak, Clemmer again
moved his company to support
a sister company’s ground
assault of the town. Wounded
women and children emerging
from the town signaled the
insurgents’ surrender.”
The imminent assault
transformed into a
humanitarian mission,
Clemmer said.
He accepted the surrender of
several hundred people,
insurgents and civilians. He
established a landing zone
for medical evaluation and
the delivery of medical
supplies, water and other
supplies.
The actions of Clemmer and
his soldiers resulted in
about 250 insurgents being
killed, 81 being wounded and
more than 400 being
captured. They recovered
stockpiles of enemy
ammunition, medical
supplies, food and hundreds
of weapons.
Clemmer was promoted to
major in February 2007 and
transferred to a job in
brigade headquarters. He has
deployed to Afghanistan and
twice served in Iraq. |
