MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Four Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, were presented Bronze Stars with the “V” device (authorized for acts or service involving direct participation in combat operations) for their heroic actions during the battle for Fallujah in a ceremony, Nov. 21, aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay.
The Marines — Capt. Jer Garcia, from Honolulu; Staff Sgt. Ralph Scott, from Tallahassee, Fla.; Sgt. Michael Chambers, from Lexington, S.C., and Cpl. Alexis Ayala, from Jamaica, Queens, N.Y., by way of Morganton, N.C. — were presented their medals in front of family, friends, and about 1,000 fellow Lava Dogs by 1/3 commanding officer, Lt. Col. James Bierman, and 1/3 sergeant major, Sgt. Maj. Michael Berg.
“You hear the award citations presented today, and you stand a little taller,” commented Bierman after the ceremony. “It is a true honor to serve with men of this caliber.”
According to the awardees, the true honor came not from the medals themselves or even from their individual actions, but rather from the privilege of serving on the battlefield with their fellow Lava Dogs.
“Some might say it’s a big moment when you receive a Bronze Star, and it is a great honor, but I consider it an honor for my company and for the Marines I served with, not necessarily for myself personally,” said Garcia, who currently serves as 1/3’s assistant operations officer, but who previously was the company commander for Bravo Company, 1/3, in Iraq.
“I feel good for Bravo Company right now. This medal may be on my chest —but the men that fought and bled and died — it’s their award, not mine.”
Scott, Chambers and Ayala all spoke of their medals in a similar vein.
“It felt good to receive the award, because I knew I was accepting it on behalf of all the Marines of Charlie Company, 1st Platoon,” said Scott, who presently serves as 1/3’s assistant operations chief, but who previously served as the platoon commander — an officer’s billet — for Charlie Company, 1st Platoon, in Iraq.
“It was an honor to serve with them in combat, and it was an honor for me to stand next to the three Marines who were awarded today. All I did was my job. I was there when they asked me to be. I did what they asked me to do. I tried to bring everybody home.”
Some would say, (and, in fact, the award itself does say), that Scott did a lot more than what he was merely asked to do. For example, Scott (along with Chambers) ran into an open field, under heavy enemy fire, to save two Marines who were pinned down — one of them severely wounded.
“Staff Sergeant Scott grabbed two M-16s — his own and mine — put one in each shoulder, and covered me while I carried the wounded Marine to safety,” said Chambers, recalling that fateful day in Fallujah where he served as Scott’s platoon sergeant. “He took baby steps, slowly backing up, never even flinching when the rounds were impacting all around him. I mean, the impact from the rounds were right on him, dirt and debris was flying all over his body from the near misses, and he just calmly kept firing both weapons at once, making sure that the wounded Marines were protected. We made it, and both those Marines are alive today because of his actions.”
In fact, all 14 of the Marines on that particular mission survived, though 10 received the Purple Heart for their wounds. Chambers was one of them.
Garcia, Scott and Ayala each also received the Purple Heart during Operation Iraq Freedom II.
Garcia and Ayala’s battlefield bravery was similarly striking.
Garcia’s citation, in part, reads, “With complete disregard for his own safety, he exposed himself to enemy rocket-propelled grenade and machine-gun fire as he directed his unit’s fire against insurgent forces. Despite receiving a shrapnel wound to his eye, he remained on the battlefield, refused evacuation and continued to lead the company in prosecuting the destruction of enemy forces.”
Like Garcia, Ayala was also wounded, and, according to the citation, displayed extreme valor under enemy fire, “Ignoring shrapnel wounds to his hands and face and with complete disregard for his own safety, he ran through the enemy machine-gun fire and pulled the first Marine out of the impact zone. He again plunged head-on into the hail of bullets and assisted in carrying the second wounded Marine out of the line of fire.”
“This award, this ceremony, all of this — it’s not for me,” said Ayala immediately following the presentation. “This is for all my brothers who passed away in Iraq. This is for the men not here who don’t get a chance to grow old. They died so young. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country, for their families. The Marines in Fallujah will never be forgotten,” said Ayala, who is currently serving as a squad leader in 1/3’s Distributed Operations Platoon.
When told of the Marines’ words, Bierman said he wasn’t surprised.
“They are heroes, and they carry themselves in the humble, self-effacing way heroes do,” said the Virginia native. “They are not the type of men who thump their chests. They have made an incredible impression on me, the officers and Staff NCOs of 1/3, and particularly the younger Marines coming out of SOI (school of infantry). It was an extraordinary honor to be a part of this ceremony today.”
Berg said he couldn’t agree more.
“It’s good to be a Lava Dog and to be able to pin these types of awards on the Marines,” remarked Berg, a native of Plymouth, N.H. “It makes me proud to be the battalion sergeant major of 1/3.”
Perhaps proudest of all during the ceremony were the family and loved ones in attendance.
“I’m glad he’s my husband,” said Scott’s wife, Ingrid, a native of Valparaiso, Chile. “He’s my hero.”
“I’m very proud to be his wife,” added Garcia’s wife, Lisa, a native of Sacramento, Calif. “More than anything, I’m just proud to be a part of his life.”
For his part, Maj. Michael Miller, 1/3 executive officer, said it was a privilege to serve with Garcia, Scott, Chambers and Ayala.
“Hero is a term that everybody uses, almost as a panacea, when referring to anybody that’s serving in Iraq or Afghanistan,” said the Boalsburg, Pa., native. “When a Bronze Star is awarded with the combat distinguishing device, it sets them apart for actual heroic achievement. These four Marines are heroes in every sense of the word.”