In his Silver Star citation, Marine 2nd Lt. Brian M. Stann is praised for his "zealous initiative, courageous actions and exceptional presence of mind" during seven days of fighting in Iraq.
But Stann, now a captain, is not into fame or self aggrandizement.
"It’s not about awards, especially when you’re out there," said Stann, 27. "It’s about defeating the enemy and getting your boys out alive."
From May 8 to May 14, 2005, Stann was part of Operation Matador with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines.
The action started when Stann’s platoon was given about 35 minutes’ notice that it needed to head to the Ramana Bridge, north of Karbala, he said.
Another unit was supposed to provide a blocking position at the bridge, but when they couldn’t make it on time, Stann’s platoon was sent to fill the gap.
As it turned out, a lot of the enemy had settled in that area. Stann said his platoon was engaged in a "constant gunfight" until it was relieved, and then he and his Marines had to fight their way back to base.
The worst fighting was May 10, when his platoon was sent back to the bridge to stay and got ambushed on the way, he said.
The insurgents hit Stann’s platoon with roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide car bombs, destroying a Humvee and a tank recovery vehicle that was hauling wounded, he said.
"We had a rough night."
Stann’s Silver Star citation briefly summarizes his actions during the ambush.
“Second Lieutenant Stann personally directed two casualty operations, three vehicle recovery operations and multiple close air support missions under enemy small arms, machine gun and mortar fire in his 360-degree fight," the citation reads.
Stann didn’t want to get into specifics about what he did during the fighting.
"Everyone has done some courageous things," he said. "It’s just part of our calling. It’s part of our job."
Instead, Stann preferred to talk about his Marines.
Despite the casualties and carnage, they did not panic, he said. They kept their heads, beat back the enemy and evacuated their wounded.
"Because of that, the casualties that we did take did survive," Stann said. "Guys that lost limbs lived. Guys that took shrapnel and things of that nature to the head lived, and they wouldn’t have lived if we hadn’t have done that."
Throughout their deployment, Stann’s Marines focused on their job, whether it meant sleeping in their Humvees on hot nights or manning a machine gun at 2 a.m., he said.
Stann, who was born at Yokota Air Base in Japan and then moved to Scranton, Pa., said his Silver Star represents what the Marines under his command accomplished.
"They executed flawlessly, and we’re talking 19- to 20-year-old kids, and these are tougher situations than 90 percent of Americans will face," he said.
CSM Mellinger is the Embodiement of the Draft's Value...
CSM Mellinger demonstrates one of the most compelling virtues of the mixed, drafted/volunteer Army personnel model. Here is someone who has made myriad contributions across our Army in the Adjutant General Corps, Infantry and now, the Medical Command.
He entered the Army involuntarily (or grudgingly) as a unit clerk but after being exposed to the service and its array of opportunities, he reenlisted and pursued some of the most challenging duty assignments available in the entire Army. I found this among many Special Forces Senior NCOs I knew on active duty. Although they initially enlisted as Mechanics, Chemical Specialists or MPs, once inside the Army they selected the SF lifestyle. Something is lost when you recruit "off the street" for these positions (like today's 18X program) and you wind up with a self-selcting cohort that may not include the best innate talent to staff a force of "quiet professionals."
There is something about this "serendipitous" nature of the draftee or the ROTC commissionee seeking to avoid the enlisted draft (discussed in Chapter 2 of Colin Powell's "My American Journey"), that our Army is missing. Sometimes you just wind up with a Joint Chiefs Chairman or a Sergeant Major of the Army that you never would have found otherwise. Most often, you wind up with a citizen exposed and attuned to military affairs and the notion of shared responsibility and service.
There are many talented individuals who could contribute greatly to our Army, but given its current Lowest Common Denominator and micro-targeted recruiting efforts (essentially 20% of our zip codes while ignoring the rest), will never be exposed to the Army or receive a compelling and culturally/regionally/educationally appropriate "sales pitch" on what the Army has to offer and they to offer it.
Bottom Line: Today's recruiting posture is a problem. Ditto for the Army's "Point-of-Sale MOS job reservation" system. We allow young people (or increasingly 41 year old losers) to enlist for a career field without a single day of exposure to the Army. In this supposed era of the "strategic corporal", is this how we should be staffing our infantry? I would love to see a study on the attitudinal, educational, regional and political traits of our self-selecting entry cohorts of new Infantrymen between 1999 and 2009.
A self-selecting/culturally isolated Army is bad enough, but an Infantry or SF entering cohort disproportionately filled with GWOT "true believers" is something that needs attention/scrutiny.
Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey J. Mellinger assumed the duties of the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s Command Sergeant Major on Nov. 2, 2007. CSM Mellinger was previously assigned to the U.S. Army Alaska and spent several months speaking to units and groups on his experiences.
CSM Mellinger was drafted on April 18, 1972, at Eugene, Oregon. Following basic and advanced training at Fort Ord, California, he completed airborne training at Fort Benning, Georgia. His first assignment was in the Federal Republic of Germany as a unit clerk. Upon his return from Germany, CSM Mellinger was assigned to the 2d Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry, Fort Lewis, Washington. For the next five years, CSM Mellinger served as unit clerk, battalion personnel staff NCO, machinegun squad leader, rifle squad leader, rifle platoon sergeant and weapons platoon leader. He then performed drill sergeant duty at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and returned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, serving again as a platoon sergeant.
Additional assignments include: Special Forces Military Freefall Instructor, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; senior team leader, 75th Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment, Fort Benning, Georgia; assistant professor of Military Science, University of Alaska-Fairbanks; First Sergeant, Company C (Airborne), 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry (Manchu), Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Senior Enlisted Advisor, 41st Separate Infantry Brigade, Oregon Army National Guard; Command Sergeant Major, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Command Sergeant Major, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia; Commandant, U.S. Army Alaska Noncommissioned Officer’s Academy, Fort Richardson, Alaska; Command Sergeant Major of United States Army Japan and 9th Theater Support Command, Camp Zama, Japan; Command Sergeant Major, First U.S. Army, Fort Gillem, Georgia; and Command Sergeant Major, Multi-National Force–Iraq from August 2004-May 2007.
CSM Mellinger’s military education includes: Commandant’s List, NCO Basic Course; Ranger School; Jumpmaster School; Jungle Expert School; FBI Crisis Reaction Course; Military Freefall Course; Drill Sergeant’s Course; Commandant’s List and Honor Graduate, NCO Advanced Course; Instructor Training Course; Military Freefall Jumpmaster Course; Commandant’s List, Sergeants Major Course Class 37; and the Command Sergeants Major Course.
CSM Mellinger’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral eight, Iraqi Campaign Medal with 2 campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service and Expeditionary Medals, Expert Infantryman Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Military Freefall Jumpmaster Badge, Ranger Tab, Drill Sergeant Badge, Combat Action Badge, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (2), Army Superior Unit Award, Canadian Commando Parachute Badge, Royal Thai Parachute Badge, and Malaysian Parachute Badge. CSM Mellinger is a Distinguished Member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, and has been presented the Order of Saint Maurice (Primicerius), the Order of the Combat Spur and the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara. He has more than 33 hours of accumulated freefall in more than 3,700 jumps, and is a FAA Master Parachute Rigger.