The Lion of Fallujah: Marine Corps Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec

“If you took 100 Doug Zembiecs to war with you, you could conquer the world.” That is how Maj. Zembiec’s high-school wrestling coach characterized him – though the men who served with him captured his spirit more succinctly: He was reverently called the “Lion of Fallujah.” A magnetic commander, an “unapologetic warrior,” Zembiec believed in leading by deeds rather than words. As a result, his men would tell you that they would follow Zembiec to the gates of hell – or, at the very least, into the treacherous urban battlefield of Fallujah.

In early April of 2004, Zembiec’s company was sent in to help pacify Fallujah and restore order in a city where violence had spiraled out of control. During the month-long battle to claim Fallujah, Zembiec’s Echo Company was often the first one in and the last one out.

On April 6, Zembiec, a captain at the time, found himself deep in insurgent territory in Fallujah’s Jolan district.

A Marine patrol was taking heavy fire, and Zembiec’s unit was called in to lead a retaliatory assault. Right after arriving, Echo Company rushed toward the enemies, who launched a heavy volley of fire toward the new arrivals. Instead of directing from the back, Zembiec himself led the men toward the fire, determined to help the trapped patrol.

His men moved to a roof to counter the insurgents who had been firing down from above. The enemies wasted no time and focused their AK-47- and RPG-fire on the Marines on the roof. The Marines tried to radio an Abrams tank to fire on the enemy, but the tank didn’t respond. As they continued to call for assistance, Zembiec decided to take matters into his own hands.

He raced down the stairs and directly into the line of fire, heading toward the tank. He climbed up to the hatch even as mortar rounds exploded nearby and bullets ricocheted off the metal. Unscathed, he told the tank operators where to fire. The tank made quick work of the enemy, and Zembiec ran back to the roof. Witnesses say the other Marines dropped their jaws in awe of his bravery.

A few weeks later, on April 26, insurgents opened fire on Zembiec’s platoon from three sides, with thousands of rounds. Grenades flew back and forth between the enemy and his men – with only 20 feet between them. Zembiec, wounded by shrapnel, moved to a better position to direct the counterattack. He then moved from house to house, encouraging and motivating his men and repositioning the outnumbered Marines. Even as the battle raged, Zembiec coordinated the evacuation of nine injured Marines.

Later, despite being assigned to a desk job, Zembiec volunteered to return to the frontlines. He completed a tour in Afghanistan and returned to Iraq for a second time. On May 11, 2007, Zembiec was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, while leading a combat operation.

When people think of warriors and heroes, images of legendary Spartans or Trojans often come to mind. The tales of those warriors may have faded into history, but that same timeless courage and heroism lives on in a new breed of heroes – men like Doug Zembiec, the “Lion of Fallujah.”

For his month-long fight in Fallujah, Zembiec received a Bronze Star for Valor on Dec. 9, 2004.

Airmen receive first AF Combat Action Medals

12 Jun 07
by Staff Sgt. Monique Randolph
Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs.

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley awarded six Airmen the Air Force Combat Action Medal during a ceremony June 12 at the Air Force Memorial. These Airmen were the first in the Air Force to receive the new medal.

Recipients of the award were Maj. Steven A. Raspet, Capt. Allison K. Black, Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson, Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen and Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton.

The medal was created to recognize Air Force members who were engaged in air or ground combat off base in a combat zone. This includes members who were under direct and hostile fire, or who personally engaged hostile forces with direct and lethal fire.

"As we thought about the 700,000 (Total Force) Airmen out there today who epitomize the warrior ethos while in combat on the ground or in the air, we began to think through this notion of a combat action ribbon that is part of our culture and our heritage," said General Moseley. "We believe our Airmen know this and understand this, and live it daily through their actions.

"In fact, since that awful day in September 2001, we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of Airmen engaged with or engaging hostile forces during performance of their duties, many of them on the surface, outside the wire, in nontraditional roles for Airmen," the general said. "We wanted an award to serve as an outward and visible reminder that combat is a fundamental part of being an Airman. And we wanted an Air Force-specific award for Airmen to wear proudly on their uniforms."

The medal's design is one of a kind, General Moseley said. It is the only American award with a diagonal stripe. The design was inspired by a personal insignia Brig. Gen. William "Billy" Mitchell had painted on the aircraft he flew over the St. Mihiel, (France) in September 1918. He flew the aircraft while developing plans for what would become the first major American offensive in World War I.

"(General Mitchell's) legacy is manifested in today's Air Force in so many ways, not the least of which is this new medal," said General Moseley. "This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of his most important legacy... the creation of the United States Air Force as an independent service."

Members of General Mitchell's family were present for the ceremony. General Moseley presented General Mitchell's grandson, Tom Gilpin, with a shadow box commemorating General Mitchell's service and influence on the medal.

"While much has been said about my grandfather's unique life and limitless dedication to the advancement of air power, today highlights the loyalty he had to his fellow Airmen, his Air Force family," said Mr. Gilpin.

"My grandfather was the original Air Force wingman," he said. "Today, it's an honor to be a part of the profound connection between the heritage bestowed by my grandfather and these amazing Airmen who have continued his boldness and his courage. I know he would be pleased by the Air Force Combat Action Medal as it symbolizes so well what he stood for: facing adversity with conviction and never backing down."

General Moseley also recognized Susan Gamble, a professional artist and master designer for the U.S. Mint -- and the wife of Air Force Col. Mike Gamble -- who completed the design of the medal, in conjunction with the Army Institute of Heraldry.

"(Ms. Gamble) transformed a rough sketch into the Air Force Combat Action Medal ... This magnificent creation serves as an enduring link to our heritage and our culture," said General Moseley. "It will forever remind us of American air power pioneers, and the courage of conviction they had, ultimately forging the Air Force into an independent service 60 years ago.

"(The medal) ties the Airmen of today engaged with enemy hostiles... to the legacy of courage, valor, service and sacrifice that our predecessors left us," he said. "These Airmen, like all Airmen, stand on the shoulders of giants such as Billy Mitchell, (Henry "Hap") Arnold, (Claire) Chennault, (James) Doolittle, (Curtis) LeMay and (Bernard) Schriever," said the general. "Today we recognize these six amazing Airmen for their combat roles as warriors wielding the air power bequeathed to us by these giants."

As the citation for each recipient was read, General Moseley pinned the medal on the Airman.

"There are so many great Airmen who have done so many incredible things, so to be singled out as one of them is an honor," said Major Raspet, the first Airman in the ceremony to receive the medal.

"It's a great honor anytime you're recognized for your efforts, but I don't look at it as heroic," said Captain Black. "I'm proud to represent all the (Airmen) who will receive this award."

Recipients of the award were:

- Maj. Steven A. Raspet is an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with the 354th Fighter Squadron, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. While deployed to Afghanistan on Jan. 8, 2006, Major Raspet was the flight lead of two A-10s tasked to cover a joint Afghan/U.S. Army operation. He responded to a convoy's request for close-air support as they were taking fire from a building adjacent to their route. After confirming the exact location of coalition forces, Major Raspet executed several low roll-ins to place weapons on target. Despite communications problems and the imminent threat of ground fire, he eliminated the threat, continued to provide presence and deterred further attack for nearly an hour as the convoy transited the ambush area.

- Capt. Allison K. Black is an AC-130H gunship navigator with the 1st Special Operations Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla. While providing close-air support on Dec. 4, 2001, to a forward element of friendly forces near the enemy-held city of Kandahar, Afghanistan, she and her crew attacked enemy forces and vehicles advancing on a U.S. Special Forces and alliance strategic position. Under large caliber, enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire, Captain Black continued the assault at below minimum altitude, destroying enemy personnel and equipment, and leading to the eventual capture of Taliban and Al-Qaeda strongholds in Afghanistan.

- Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez is a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force Pararescue/Combat Officer School at Kirtland AFB, N.M. While deployed to Afghanistan on March 11, 2004, Sergeant Colon-Lopez, his advance force operations team and elements of the Afghan national strike unit conducted operations to capture a high-value target and a follow-on sensitive site exploitation to prevent proliferation of chemical weapons in theater. During the helicopter infiltration, the team took sustained small-arms weapons fire inflicting serious damage to the aircraft. With rounds impacting all around him and unsure of the size of the enemy force, he pressed forward, overrunning enemy positions. The raid resulted in two enemy kills, 10 enemy apprehensions and the destruction of rocket-propelled grenades and small caliber weapons.

- Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson is a vehicle operator with the 927th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. During his deployment to Iraq on July 28, 2004, Sergeant Peterson was operating the command vehicle for a 20-vehicle supply convoy near Balad Air Base. Halfway through their transit, Sergeant Peterson's vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device filled with ball bearings. The 18-wheel truck preceding his vehicle also was hit and became engulfed in flames while Sergeant Peterson's vehicle was left inoperable and without communications. Despite taking shrapnel and glass in his head and left arm, Sergeant Peterson left the command vehicle, obtained the medical status of his convoy commander and gunner, who were in the same vehicle, secured the perimeter and used a global positioning system to notify the battle staff of the enemy engagement. The convoy was rerouted to a safe zone where Sergeant Peterson was medically evacuated by helicopter to receive treatment for his wounds.

- Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen is an MH-53 Pave Low helicopter aerial gunner assigned to the 1st Special Operations Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla. While serving as part of a two-ship formation on April 12, 2004, Sergeant Allen was conducting a combat resupply mission inside Iraq. The lead helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents and Sergeant Allen's helicopter was engaged by a barrage of surface-to-air fire. He returned accurate fire, spotted the downed aircraft and talked his pilot through a flawless approach. Sergeant Allen then directed the recovery effort by setting up a perimeter and covering special forces members while they recovered the other crew. As the aircraft limped back into the air, they were again engaged by enemy fire. Only 20 minutes after the shoot down, Sergeant Allen and his crew delivered the recovered airmen to medical assistance.

- Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton is an aero-evacuation technician assigned to the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. On March 28, 2003, Sergeant Paxton was part of a mission to establish a series of tactical medical units along the border of Kuwait and Iraq. His convoy came under enemy fire from mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and small-arms fire. Sergeant Paxton and his team, with no intra-vehicle communications, reacted to the ambush and returned fire, successfully defending their assets as they executed a coordinated withdrawal. Under the cover of darkness and using night vision devices, the convoy headed out and the enemy again opened fire. During the next 18 hours, the convoy came under fire five subsequent times and Sergeant Paxton successfully engaged the enemy with return fire, defending himself and the convoy as they progressed on their mission.

Photo - Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley awards an Air Force Combat Action Medal to Master Sgt. Byron Allen at the Air Force Memorial June 12 in Arlington, Va., June 12. Sergeant Allen was one of six Airmen to receive the medal, awarded to Airmen who have been directly in harm's way, engaging enemy forces. Sergeant Allen was serving as an MH-53 aerial gunner was conducting a combat resupply mission when his aircraft came under enemy fire. Sergeant Allen is from the 1st Special Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla. U.S. Air Force photo by Donna Parry.

Amputee Blazes New Trails On, Off the Battlefield

May 25, 2007
By Terry J. Goodman
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Public Affairs Office.

WASHINGTON - Maj. David Rozelle learned early the importance of leading from the front and setting the example for his fellow Soldiers. But his ability to lead was tested June 21, 2003, when a landmine struck his vehicle a few miles west of Baghdad and he lost his right foot.

For most, this would have been a devastating, life-changing event. For this native Texan, it was only a speed bump. "Growing up, I was taught that I can accomplish anything if I wanted it," he said. "I wanted to continue to lead Soldiers and serve my country."

Maj. Rozelle's chain of command told him he could return to duty with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment if he recovered from his injury. The chance to return to his unit in Iraq was all he needed to prove his physical ability - despite an amputation and the concern of Families and friends.

After eight months of rehabilitation at Fort Carson, Colo., Maj. Rozelle was ready to show he was combat-ready. "When the Army puts an officer in charge of troops, it wants to make sure that the individual can get it done - lead them into battle and be successful," said Maj. Rozelle, who is now administrator for the Amputee Care Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

"When I took my Oath of Office, it never mentioned giving up if I was injured. It was my responsibility as a leader to lead from the front and return to duty," he said. In March 2005, almost 20 months after being injured, Maj. Rozelle found himself in familiar territory - in Iraq and serving as commander of a cavalry troop. He was the first troop commander to redeploy to the same battlefield as an amputee in recent military history.

Today the major finds himself at Walter Reed doing the same thing he's always done - leading from the front and setting the example. This time, it's fellow amputees benefiting from Maj. Rozelle's counsel, experiences and motivational techniques. "I've been there," said Maj. Rozelle, who spends the bulk of his duty day establishing programs and systems for the new Military Advanced Training Center, which is scheduled to open this fall. "I want to help them realize there is life after this kind of injury. If they work hard and have the right mind set, anything is possible."

When he's not inspiring Walter Reed patients and helping complete a state-of-the-art facility that will improve Walter Reed's capacity to care for amputee patients, Maj. Rozelle competes in marathons and triathlons, and also snow skis. "I'm 34 years old with a beautiful wife and two great kids," he said. "I have started a whole new life, and only hope to be a good example for my boys."

Maj. Rozelle was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for actions in combat. He is also author of the New York Times Best Seller "Back in Action: An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude."

Photo - Maj. David Rozelle is shown here as a captain in command of Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Maj. Rozelle returned to Iraq after losing his lower right foot during the first phase of Operation Iraq Freedom. He is now administrator for the Amputee Care Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Photo by Pfc. Matthew Clifton.

With Honor

New Medal of Honor Museum honors selfless service to country, comrades.
By Jack Jacobs
Military analyst
MSNBC
Updated: 9:02 p.m. PT May 20, 2007.

This Wednesday, May 23, Brian Williams will host NBC’s "Nightly News" from Charleston, South Carolina, and moored nearby is the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier. Brian is a member of the Board of Directors of the Medal of Honor Foundation, and the occasion is the grand opening of the new Medal of Honor Museum aboard the Yorktown.

The Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, was the brainchild of Abraham Lincoln, who sought to recognize exceptional bravery during the Civil War. At the time, the only battlefield distinction was the Purple Heart, awarded in those days for meritorious service, not as it is today, for wounds received in combat.

Since then, about 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded. In more recent times, since World War I, most have been posthumous, and there has been no living recipient for any conflict since Vietnam. Today, there are only 110 living recipients, and many of them will be on the Yorktown on Wednesday for the grand opening of the Medal of Honor Museum in South Carolina.

Among them are the oldest living recipient, John Finn, who will be 98 this July and was decorated for action on Pearl Harbor Day. He enlisted in the Navy in 1926 and can transfix the most jaded audience with first-person descriptions of life in America before World War I and tales of his participation in American naval operations in China a decade before the Second World War.

The museum is the principal repository for artifacts relating to the Medal of Honor, but the real thrust of the place is not just the display of things but also the perpetuation of the concept of selfless service to country and comrades. There is an emotion generated there that can be duplicated nowhere else, and one reason is the actions of people. Try these:
Jack Lucas
Jack Lucas was a bit bigger than other kids his age and spent some time at a military prep school. So, when World War II began, he successfully lied about his age and enlisted in the Marines Corps when he was 13 years old. He was so good in boot camp that he was made an instructor, at 14. Not content to serve in the States while his buddies were in combat, he got himself aboard a ship bound for the South Pacific. Landing on Iwo Jima, Lucas saved his fellow Marines by throwing himself on two hand grenades. He miraculously survived devastating injuries, and when he received the Medal [of Honor] from President Harry Truman, Lucas was the youngest recipient since the Civil War.

George Sakato
In danger of being sent to an internment camp like other Japanese-American families, George Sakato moved to Arizona and tried to enlist after Pearl Harbor, but he was rejected as an undesirable alien. In 1943, the government wised up and allowed Sakato and thousands of other patriotic Americans of Japanese descent to fight, and he became a member of the legendary 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In eastern France, in difficult, mountainous terrain, he singlehandedly attacked a German strong point and then, only a 22-year-old private, led his squad through ferocious enemy fire to capture dozens of German soldiers.

Jim Stockdale
After being shot down and injured over North Vietnam, Jim Stockdale was a prisoner for eight long years, and for three of those years he was in solitary confinement. By any standard, the treatment he received was criminal and inhumane: beaten, tortured, strangled until he was nearly asphyxiated. He was brought to the brink of death and resuscitated, time and time again, year after year.

But he never gave any more than his name, rank and service number.

He had told his fellow prisoners that they were honor-bound to resist, and he led by example. Rather than let himself be used by the North Vietnamese in a propaganda film, Stockdale beat his own face to a bloody pulp and cut himself with a dull razor so that he could not be presented on film.

They threw him in solitary again, and he feared that he would ultimately break under the torture and cooperate. So he shattered the window of his cell and slit his wrists with the glass. He was found before he bled to death, but the torture stopped because the guards realized that Stockdale would rather die with honor than serve their purposes.

Clarence Sasser
In 1967, Clarence Sasser was a medic in the Mekong River delta of Vietnam. Under continuous and intense enemy fire, and without regard to his own safety, he crawled from soldier to soldier to aid the injured. He ignored his own many painful shrapnel and bullet wounds to save others and did not cease his assistance until loss of blood made him incapable of continuing.

The behavior of these gallant people was extraordinary, but the basic underpinnings of it are not. American service members are imbued with a code that transcends background, race and every other demographic distinction: don’t surrender if you can fight, never cooperate with your captors, accomplish the mission at all cost, love your comrades.

And so it’s not surprising that every recipient of the Medal of Honor will tell you that he wears it not for himself but for those who can’t: all the men and women who sacrificed so that we can live in freedom. It’s something worth remembering each time we have a chance to help our neighbors and instead turn the other way.

This Week in Guard History

April 21, 1969: Fire Support Base "Dottie," Vietnam - Capt. Roland Labonte, commander of Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 197th Artillery (N.H.) is killed and two of his men are wounded during an enemy mortar attack on the base. He was visiting "Dottie" as a liaison officer between the battalion and men of its "Jungle Battery." The Battery is an experiment combining three 105mm howitzers from a regular Army artillery unit along with three 155mm howitzers from the 197th.

The entire unit is moved by helicopter making it deployable to hilltop positions inaccessible to trucks. Often the men and their guns found themselves surrounded by deep, thick foliage, hence the name Jungle Battery.

Captain Labonte, the first of six New Hampshire Guardsmen to be killed in action in Vietnam, is also the highest ranking Army Guard officer to die in combat in that war. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and New Hampshire Commendation medals.

Marine Receives Distinguished Flying Cross at Buckingham Palace

From DefenseLink.

By Gunnery Sgt. Donald E. Preston, USMC
Special to American Forces Press Service.

LONDON, March 23, 2007 – A U.S. Marine appeared before Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace March 21 to receive the United Kingdom's Distinguished Flying Cross for saving lives and in recognition for his bravery during combat operations in Iraq.

Marine Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr., is the first U.S. servicemember to be so honored since World War II.

Assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, England, the U.S. Marine flew the RAF’s Lynx Mk7 helicopter -- the aircraft he used to dodge insurgent's bullets and rocket-propelled grenades.

Through flight school training at Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas, he mastered the Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter -- a two-seater armed with Hellfire, Sidewinder and Sidearm missiles.

When he joined the RAF squadron in 2005, he traded in the Super Cobra for the Lynx.

"It's a very agile aircraft," said Chesareck, whose call sign is “Punchy.” "Its maneuverability is significantly enhanced, compared to a Cobra. It's like comparing a Mustang to a Porsche. They're both great, but different."

Flying the evening of June 10, 2006, Chesarek was providing radio communication relay for British ground troops conducting a company-sized search operation near Amarah, Iraq. Listening to radio transmissions, he overheard that a vehicle involved in the operation had became disabled and a crowd of insurgents was firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the company.

According to his award citation, "Chesarek elected to fly low over the area in an attempt to distract the crowd and if possible, to engage the insurgents." Because the crowd was so close to the ground troops, instead of engaging his machine gun, he "opted instead to provide bold, harassing, very low level flight over the area in an attempt to disperse the crowd."

However, radio traffic from the ground told Chesarek he was now the target and was drawing small-arms fire, and that a rocket-propelled grenade had just passed the rear of his aircraft.

This was not his first time in combat. He and his wife, Christine, a U.S. Navy nurse, had served simultaneously in Operation Iraqi Freedom during the initial stages. But now in a different aircraft, with a different purpose, things were different. Last month, Chesarek's RAF commander and his crew had been shot down flying in the same type of aircraft.

"I had been in a couple of situations with troops in contact before," the 32-year-old Chesarek said. "I had a good idea of the kind of potential danger involved, but now I was listening to the individual commander on the ground. Someone was injured; what can we do?"

Using his view from above, Chesarek applied his training as an airborne forward air controller to coordinate, designate and control fixed-wing assets in conducting close air support, resulting in the dispersing the insurgents.

Chesarek made the unconventional move – what’s considered an “implied mission” in military parlance -- to conduct a medical evacuation with the Lynx to help a British soldier with a life-threatening head injury. As the only aircraft available to assist, he landed the Lynx near the company in distress as his door gunner and another crew member jumped out.

"My door gunner jumped out and picked up the injured soldier and put him in the helicopter," Chesarek said. "My other crew member had to stay, or we would have been overweight to fly."

Now, nine months later, Chesarek's name echoed throughout the ballroom of Buckingham Palace as he was called before the queen to be recognized and credited for "having a pivotal role in ensuring the rapid evacuation of (a) badly injured soldier and the safe extraction of the Company."

Wearing his ceremonial uniform, Chesarek stood before the queen and hundreds in attendance, including his parents, his wife and their 2-year-old son, William. After Chesarek bowed, the custom when in front of the queen, the British monarch placed her kingdom's level-three award for gallantry in the air while on active operation against the enemy on his chest.

Chesarek reflected on his lost comrades and brothers in arms.

"I am greatly honored and would like to accept this prestigious award for 847 NAS in memory of Lt. Cmdr. Darren Chapman (Royal Navy), Capt. David Dobson (Army Air Corps), and Marine Paul Collins (Royal Marines), who were killed in action over Basrah in May 2006," Chesarek said. "The awarded actions were only possible due to the combined effort of my combat crew; Lt. David Williams (Royal Navy) and Lance Cpl. Max Carter (Royal Marines). My greatest sense of achievement that day is in knowing the ground troops all made it home."

Air Force Maj. Matthew R. Glover

While transporting men and equipment from Baghdad to Fallujah by helicopter on Nov. 13, 2004, Major Glover and his wingman came under heavy fire from the ground.

His crew immediately returned fire--but suddenly insurgents started shooting at them from the opposite direction as well. Glover and his co-pilot dodged enemy fire as his men tried to protect the other helicopter. After escaping the immediate kill zone, Glover realized that his wingman’s helicopter had been damaged. He escorted the other helicopter to Baghdad.

The evening wasn’t quite over though; after arriving in Baghdad, Glover immediately directed his crew to reload their weapons to support a second mission planned for that night. That mission, an assault on an enemy safe house, led to the capture of three high-value targets and the detention of 10 suspected insurgents. For his leadership and actions, Glover received the Distinguished Flying Cross on June 10, 2005.