Todays Hero

Marine Corps Sergeant Robert J. Mitchell, Jr.
The assault on Fallujah began on November 8, 2004 and quickly turned into a bloody, up-close conflict between Coalition forces and insurgents. Then-Corporal Mitchell and his fellow Marines in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, found themselves in the center of the battle. On November 13, several wounded Marines were trapped inside a house with numerous insurgents waiting to ambush the incoming troops. Mitchell organized his men to assault the building, charged, and quickly took firing positions. Mitchell sped through the kill zone, getting hit as he went. He killed an enemy fighter with his combat knife, and called in support through a small, barred window. With information supplied from Mitchell, the Marines suppressed the insurgents’ attack, and extracted the wounded Marines inside. Mitchell was one of the last to leave, despite being injured. On July 28, 2006, Mitchell was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for battle heroism