Hero: Lt. Col. Michael A. Manning

Lt. Col. Michael A. Manning’s actions in connection with combat operations involving conflict with an opposing force while serving as the operations officer, Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Jan. 1, 2007, to Jan. 22, 2008, have been marked by an exemplary record of accomplishments. This is directly attributable to his courageous leadership, sound judgment, meticulous planning and consistently superior personal example.
Lt. Col. Manning’s peerless ability to lead and plan is widely recognized throughout Multi-National Force – West. Several samples of his efforts include the planning and executing:
Operation EIN NESSIR, which rid the city of Hit of insurgents and terrorists, killing an operational enemy 82mm mortar crew and uncovering over 100 weapons caches. The overall success of the operation was evident in the fact that there was not a single hostile incident in the Hit for 54 days after the operation.
Operation HARRIS BA'SIL (March to May), designed to hunt al-Qaida in Iraq and insurgents, deny them their caches and safe havens and seize enemy held areas. The operation netted enough explosives and bomb making materials to make over 1,700 improvised explosive devices. Additionally, over 200 known insurgents were detained during this operation.
Operation MAWTINI I-III (July to November), which involved numerous clearing and disruption operations across all of the area of operation Denver. The results of MAWTINI included 29 insurgents killed, over 1,200 suspected insurgents detained and 476 caches discovered. Five high-value individuals were captured or killed. This operation kept the enemy on his heels and unable to muster the annual Ramadan offensive.
FAJR JADEED (December to January), which focused on continuing security in the vast desert areas of Anbar province, Iraq, and returning the urban population centers to normalcy.
One unique aspect of Lt. Col. Manning’s operational design was his ability to control and secure 500,000 Iraqi citizens. This was accomplished through extensive use of Biometric Automated Tool Sets in every village and city in the area of operation.
Throughout his entire 13-month combat deployment, Lt. Col. Manning, 40, demonstrated exceptional poise under pressure. His combat leadership, professionalism, steady devotion and war-fighting spirit were the foundation for the success and high operational tempo of Regimental Combat Team 2 in the area of operation Denver. These heroic efforts leave a lasting legacy for Iraqis and Americans alike in the fight against global terrorism.