MCB HAWAII -- Lance Cpl. Zachary J. Stufflebeam didn’t know he was injured until he showered off diesel fuel, dirt — and blood.
Stufflebeam, a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile gunner, from Petersburg, Ill., said he was the only one who walked away on his own power from the Humvee after he and three other colleagues were struck by an improvised explosive device on Aug. 5, 2009.
“We were just driving along and I see a big flash of light, a big cloud of dirt and smoke,” Stufflebeam said.
“Next thing I know the vehicle’s laying on its side on the ground … I pull myself out and I do whatever I can to help people.”
One colleague was killed in action, and the other two were evacuated within the area. Stufflebeam, who was also medically evacuated, received bruises, scrapes and a blown eardrum. Today, he still hears a ringing.
Stufflebeam, six other Marines and one sailor from 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment received Purple Hearts at Dewey Square June 16.
“The battalion’s very proud of its recipients and is glad to finally award them,” said Sgt. Maj. Chet Houston, battalion sergeant major, 2/3, of Arkansas City, Kansas. “For some, it’s been almost a year to the date to finally get this, so it’s a lot of work on a lot of different people. The awards have been a long time coming, but very well deserved.”
Stufflebeam, Cpl. Joshua A. Brooks, machine gunner; Lance Cpl. Jefferson C. Doane II,
assaultman; Lance Cpl. Kevin E. Eisert, TOW gunner; Sgt. Alexander E. Flowers, TOW gunner; Lance Cpl. Jared C. Garland, infantryman; Staff Sgt. John Murrell, infantryman; and Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam M. Shults, hospital corpsman; were each wounded while deployed in Afghanistan last year.
Murrell, of Laurel Hill, Fla., enlisted in 2001, and has been deployed six times in his career.
While in Afghanistan on Sept. 8, Murrell’s right elbow was injured from an IED that struck his vehicle.
“[I’m] glad I’m the only one [who] took the injury,” Murrell said.
Shults, of Mount Sterling, Ky., is a “green side” corpsman, who deploys with Marines. He joined the Navy in 2004, wanting to be a doctor.
On June 9, 2009, during his deployment, Shults and his fellow service members ventured out to retrieve some vehicles hit by IEDs. The vehicle behind Shults’ hit an IED while they were struggling to drive through a moon dust wadi, or canal of powder-like sand.
Today, Shults is slowly regaining hearing in his right ear. His left eardrum was perforated, but has since healed. Every now and then, he still hears ringing in that ear. But with regard to his decoration, Shults said he was simply “at the right place at the wrong time.”
“[I] don’t want it, never wanted it, especially since my injuries were so small,” Shults said. “I’ve had several friends [who] have paid the ultimate price for that.”
Flowers, of Endicott, N.Y., shares the same feeling. Since he enlisted in September 2005, Flowers has been deployed three times – twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.
On a morning in late August 2009, Flowers and Eisert were traveling in a MaxxPro Dash vehicle with an attached mine roller.
Flowers said he and Eisert noticed one wheel on the mine roller not functioning correctly. The next thing he remembers is a noise. He regained consciousness, with the noise of the radio beside his ear.
“There was dust everywhere,” Flowers said. “It was hard to breathe … my elbow was throbbing really bad.”
Flowers said Eisert regained consciousness around the same time, coughing. He said his gunner, a lance corporal was screaming.
As help arrived, Flowers and Eisert helped their lance corporal and retrieved gear from their damaged vehicle, and spent several more hours that day continuing to work with the platoon.
“I’m just glad that no one was seriously injured or killed,” said Flowers, who ended up with a concussion and a laceration to the elbow.
According to official reports, Brooks, of Petroskey, Mich., Doane, of Port Angeles, Wash., and Garland, of Spruce Pine, N.C., were wounded in June 2009, all from IEDs.
The Purple Heart was first created by Gen. George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Military Merit, according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart’s website.
The Purple Heart was reinstated as a decoration in 1932 after Washington’s decree was rediscovered after many years. Those who have been wounded or killed in combat during wartime receive the Purple Heart.
But the eight Purple Heart recipients were not the only ones honored June 16. Four 2/3 Marines were also meritoriously promoted to corporals; Cpl. Cameron D. McGrew, a TOW gunner; Cpl. Lawrence R. Nall Jr., an assaultman; Cpl. Steven M. Redman, an infantryman; and Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, a machine gunner.