Photo By Cpl. Krista James | Major Gen. Brian D. Beaudreault, commanding general of 2nd Marine Division, speaks to...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marines and sailors with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, held a ceremony at the base theatre aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 6, 2015.
The ceremony was held to award Cpl. Zachary Graybill, an automotive organizational mechanic with the battalion, and Lance Cpl. Maxwell Navarra, a squad leader with the unit, Purple Heart Medals for wounds sustained in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat distinguishing device to Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Hippey, a corpsman with the unit, for heroic actions in support of OEF.
“I think it’s important because you can read an award off to anybody and it’s pretty after-the-fact, but when you put three people, especially two of them who received wounds, and now Purple Hearts, in front of an entire battalion of Marines, that’s a visual representation of what Marines go through, potentially, in combat, and Marines need to realize they might face one day,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Ford, executive officer for Alpha Company, 1st Bn., 2nd Marines. “Now that the fight in Afghanistan is over, they need to realize the potential to be wounded in combat never goes away, no matter what the fight.”
Navarra, who was on a patrol on July 23, 2014 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, said that he enjoyed his time in Afghanistan while serving alongside his brothers, and expressed his appreciation for receiving the award.
“It means a lot. It’s definitely a really big honor,” said Navarra. “It’s not something you really ask for, it’s just something that’s kind of given to you and I’m really grateful that I received it.”
Navarra also said that he thinks having the award will help him get through obstacles better than he would have before and that he thinks he can train his Marines and lead them better in combat.
Ford expressed his gratitude for the Marines and sailor who had to make tough decisions while in combat and, ultimately, answered the nation’s call for a strong fighting force during OEF.
“First and foremost, I’d thank them for their service. One of the Marines was a machinegunner for me in my platoon; he was wounded on different occasions by extremely powerful pressure plate improvised explosive devices,” said Ford. “It’s not every day that you get the fathers and mothers of America to send away their children. I think the Marines who are enlisting today are very important, because they’re answering that call. [These three individuals] answered that call, they came in and they were very young in rank, and very shortly after getting to the fleet [Marine force] they were in the fight.”
Marines and sailors with the battalion, who left Afghanistan in October of 2014, were the last unit in combat in support of OEF.
| Date Taken: | 05.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 05.07.2015 22:23 |
| Story ID: | 162644 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, 1st Bn., 2nd Marines honor brothers with Purple Heart ceremony, by Cpl Krista James, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
