Ok all. I am serious about this. I would really like to see this Marine get the CMOH. He deserves it. Take a couple of minutes and write a short letter asking them to investigate his action, so he can get a CMOH. I have supplied a couple of  contact addresses below. Anyone know his congress people? They need to be contacted too.

Norfolk Marine tells story of rooftop fight in Iraq Marine Cpl. Lonnie Young waged the battle of his life in Iraq on April 4: Trapped on a rooftop with a handful of other men, he helped to face down hundreds of Iraqi insurgents attacking from all directions. BILL TIERNAN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT By KATE WILTROUT, The Virginian-Pilot © September 18, 2004 NORFOLK — Outnumbered, low on ammo, perched on a rooftop for hours in a battle against Iraqi insurgents, Lonnie Young figured his number was up. It was April 4, 2004, and the war had entered its deadliest month for Americans. Days earlier, four contractors passing through Fallujah had been ambushed, killed, and strung from a bridge. At least half a dozen other men from their firm – Blackwater USA , based in Moyock – handled security at the Coalition Provisional Authority’s base in Najaf, where Young, a 25-year-old Norfolk-based Marine Corps corporal, was working that day. After installing an antenna on the roof to upgrade communications, Young stretched out in the back of a truck for a pre-lunch catnap. Gunfire – and the more atypical sound of guards returning fire – woke him. The battle that followed became front-page news, an early indication of the growing insurgency across Iraq. Within days, a picture of Young and the Blackwater commandos atop the roof appeared in newspapers across the country. But until Young sat down recently to share his story, his role in the outcome of the battle has gone untold. According to one senior Marine officer on the ground in Najaf that day, Young’s actions helped turn the tide of the battle against a well-coordinated militia attacking from various directions. “All of the Blackwater guys told me that if it hadn’t been for him, they may indeed have been overrun,” said the officer, who asked that his name not be used. Moments after the attack began, Young donned his body armor, grabbed his M249 light machine gun, and raced upstairs with a handful of Blackwater commandos. The gun battle against hundreds of members of the al-Mahdi militia, loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, grew so intense that Young had to stop shooting every 15 minutes to let the barrel of his gun cool. He’d tear through 700 to 800 rounds, then spend five minutes filling magazines with bullets until the metal was cool enough to use. The first break in action for the Kentucky native came when an Army captain near him was shot in the arm and back. Young dug into his medical kit and bandaged the man up, then eased him down four stories to nurses below. Next, Young dashed across the camp to Blackwater’s ammunition supply room, strapped about 150 pounds of bullets to his body, and sprinted back to the roof. The noontime battle stretched into the afternoon. Young figured he’d die. " thought, 'This is my last day. I’m going out with a bang.’ If I had to die it would be defending my country,” Young said Friday. “I just felt like we were losing ground, and I thought, 'If I’m going to die, I’m not going down without a fight.’ I knew we were seriously outnumbered. They were coming at us with pretty much everything they had. We were seriously struggling to keep our ground.” The insurgents had machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and a sniper shooting out the window of a local hospital. Young saw a red flash, then blood spurting 5 or 6 feet out of the jaw and neck of a contractor. He reached into the quarter-sized bullet hole in the man’s jaw and pinched his carotid artery closed, then dragged the man across the roof to where his medical kit lay sprawled open. Midway across the roof, Young heard a loud smack. Pain danced across his face, chased by adrenaline, and he forgot about it. After a medic packed the man’s wounds with a substance that clots blood, Young strapped the man to his back and carried him downstairs. In all, the Marine left the roof five times: twice to transport wounded comrades, three times for ammunition. When a group of U.S. Army military police officers joined the fight, Young used his experience as a weapons instructor to talk them through it. Conserve your ammo. Slow and steady before you squeeze. Adjust your sites for range and distance. Take breaks so your gun barrel doesn’t melt. At some point, Young felt dizzy. He realized he couldn’t see out of his left eye. The doctor found a gunshot wound high on his left shoulder. Young didn’t want to leave the fight, but an Army captain told him otherwise. “Basically, I refused to get down off the rooftop at first,” said Young, the father of a 7-year-old son back in Dry Ridge, Ky. Soon afterward, a Blackwater helicopter flew Young to a combat support hospital in Baghdad. Chris Taylor, a director at Blackwater USA, praised Young after hearing how the Marine replenished the contractors’ ammunition to keep the bullets flying. “When there are rounds firing, coming at you from down range, everybody pulls together to do what needs to be done,” said Taylor, a former Marine. “He should be proud of the way he acted.” After surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder – it lodged an inch from his spine – and shrapnel from his eye, Young recuperated for two weeks in Baghdad, then spent a month at home in Kentucky. Young said he dreams about combat every night, and his wounds remind him of what happened – especially on long runs or while doing pull-ups. The pain makes him wonder whether he should stay in the Marines when his hitch ends in December. If he does leave, Young has a Purple Heart and a chunk of bullet cut out of his back for souvenirs. He has also been nominated for another award based on his actions that day, according to a Marine Corps spokesman. Even if he gets out, and puts his degree in design engineering from Eastern Kentucky University to use, Young will never forget how he got to be a sniper, medic, ammunition supplier, weapons coach, and communications specialist – all on the same day. Said Young: “I’d always wanted to be a Marine.” Reach Kate Wiltrout at 446-2629 or [email protected]

Department of Defense contact: www.dod.gov/faq/comment.html

Marine Corp:www.usmc.mil/ ? Can't find the contact info!

President/White house: www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Senators, Representatives?

Didn't he earn a Silver Star for his actions?

Quoted: Didn't he earn a Silver Star for his actions?

Yes, but this warrants more than a Silver Star. Seriously, if you look at all of the actions that gave Service members the CMOH, he fits right in there. This is not Silver star action, this is CMOH action.

You have got to be kidding me. Isn't there anyone else that supports this?

Don't know about a MoH. Maybe a Navy Cross.

This is definately CMOH material.

Navy Cross.

Navy Cross at least.

Quoted: Navy Cross.

From what I have read, I agree with Cincinnatus.  There are Officers who were eyewitnesses to the actions of SNM on the day in question.  I will trust the judgement of SNO's in regard to what awards SNM should recieve.

One thing I do know for sure, Corporal Lonnie Young set a damn fine example of what being a Marine NCO is all about.

Quoted: Quoted: Navy Cross. From what I have read, I agree with Cincinnatus.  There are Officers who were eyewitnesses to the actions of SNM on the day in question.  I will trust the judgement of SNO's in regard to what awards SNM should recieve. One thing I do know for sure, Corporal Lonnie Young set a damn fine example of what being a Marine NCO is all about. (Damn straight

Personally, I still think it warrants more. Not too many have been put in this serious of a situation and handled it as well as this. He IS a hero in my book.

No MoH cause he was evacuated. Now, If he'd stayed behind and manned the guns after getting a band-aid slapped on his wounds and then got shot again, that would have been MoH material. The man does deserve the Navy Cross tho.

I wan't there of course...so I can't give a first hand account....BUT based on what I've read, I believe he  deserves at LEAST a Navy Cross.  What do the USMC superiors have to say?  Was he alone except for the SOFs?

Anyway...I'd certainly upgrade that Silver Star.

the MOH i snt a poularity contest, and you dont win it...you earn it. this young man deserves a Navy cross. i am proud to be in an organization that produces men like him and i can only hope to perform half as well if i should ever be in a similar situation.

If he ends up with a Silver Star, that's fine too.

Squabbling about such things is unseemly.

Quoted: Quoted: Navy Cross. From what I have read, I agree with Cincinnatus.  There are Officers who were eyewitnesses to the actions of SNM on the day in question.  I will trust the judgement of SNO's in regard to what awards SNM should recieve. One thing I do know for sure, Corporal Lonnie Young set a damn fine example of what being a Marine NCO is all about.

+1!  This young LCpl is never going to get the MOH.  He is a damned fine example of my Marine Corps.

Semper Fi!

If he was retrieving the wounded under direct fire then he would be up for something higher than the Silver Star.
I hope he is able to stay in the Corps despite his wounds.

If you read most MOH awards, you'll see the recipient usually dies as a result of his actions. I'm not quite sure this guy rates a MOH, but I too think a Navy Cross would be well deserved. BTW, A Navy Cross is no small award.

Let me also say I am very proud of this man. He certainly represented the USMC and his home state of Kentucky well.

His actions were incredible and deserving of a Silver Star maybe even a Navy Cross.  But I concur with most of the fellow Devil Dogs in here and say no MOH.

Cpl. Lonnie Young kneels next to his wounded comrade in high spirits, despite the fact there is a bullet lodged in his back. Young, a Defense Messaging System administrator by trade, learned first-hand that every Marine is a rifleman when the base he was working on in An Najaf, Iraq came under attack by approximately 800 anti-coalition militiamen, April 4, 2004. Young fought alongside seven Blackwater Security personnel in an effort to secure the base.

I think the significance of being awarded a Silver Star is often lost on the general population.  The Silver Star is a high honor and one that very few Soldiers / Marines who serve in combat will ever receive.  Even a Bronze Star with V is nothing to look down on - lots of people get Bronze Stars while serving a year in the zone, but not many Vs are handed out, and even fewer Silver Stars.

The Navy Cross (Distinguished Service Cross in the Army) and Medal of Honor (it's no longer called the "Congressional" MoH) are awarded only to people that perform "conspicuous acts of gallantry" with "utter disregard for their own safety."  While this incident sounds like such an act of gallantry (and I certainly don't want to downplay what this fine Marine did), there are a few factors that I see that keep it from reaching the level of MoH.  For example, he was fighting from a rooftop, a tactically superior (elevated) position (or at least at the same level as the sniper reported in the firefight), and he had the opportunity to go inside the cover of a building a several points during the fight.  Just the fact that he was able to sit for several minutes and reload makes it sound like it was a prolonged firefight, but not continuously intense.  If this firefight has occurred in an open field with the men taking cover in a bomb crater, and the CPL was running across open ground to evac wounded and retrieve more ammo, IMHO that would elevate it to the level of MoH.  I think he's deserving of the Navy Cross (certainly the Silver Star), but having read lots of award citations from this conflict (for my own edification), I doubt he'll get a MoH.

For a little perspective, a Sergeant First Class from an engineer unit with the 3rd ID during the initial assault on Baghdad International Airport was involved in a firefight in which his unit blew a hole in walled compound that had about 200 Iraqi soldiers inside.  They began taking small arms fire and indirect and realized there was a CP / OP in the control tower.  While elements of his unit maneuvered to destroy the position in the tower, the SFC manned a cal .50 on the top of an M113, completely exposed to enemy fire, and held off the Iraqi soldiers for about 10-15 minutes, stopping about 4 times to reload the machine gun.  He was mortally wounded by small arms fire, but not before he killed between 50-75 enemy soldiers.  He was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but last I heard, it was being downgraded.

Just my thoughts,

Dave

Quoted: If he ends up with a Silver Star, that's fine too. Squabbling about such things is unseemly.

+1

There is nothing that says you have to die to be awarded the Medal of Honor

Criteria for the Medal Of Honor as it pertains to the Army, excerpted from AR 600-8-22 Military Awards

Sction II
Authority and Criteria- U.S. Army Individual Decorations

3-6 Medal of Honor
a. The Medal of Honor, section 3741, title 10, united States Code (10USC 3741, was established by Joint Resolution of Congress, 12 July 1862 (amended by acts 9 July 1918 and 25 July 1963).
b. The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President in the name of Congress to a person who, while a member of the Army, distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk to life. Incontestable proof of the performance of the service will be exacted and each recommendation for the award of this decoration will on the standard of extraordinary merit.

3-7 Distinguished Service Cross
b. The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing or foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades.

3-9 Siver Star
b. The sivel Star is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The required gallantry, while of a lesser degree than that required for the Distinguished Service Cross, must nevertheless have been performed with marked distingction.
______________________________________________________________________________

The last sentence for the Distinguished Service Cross may be the caveat as to why he was awarded the Siver Star.

The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades.

I never said you had to die to be awarded the MOH, just that it seems more often than not, recipients of the award ended up dying in the action. Jumping on grenades to save the rest of the squad probably accounts for many of these.

When in doubt, award the lower.
It avoids "inflation".

I never said you had to die to be awarded the MOH, just that it seems more often than not, recipients of the award ended up dying in the action. Jumping on grenades to save the rest of the squad probably accounts for many of these.

My apologies to you then. It just seems more often than not that this is the perception amongst the uninformed or those who are to lazy to open up the appropriate publication.

When in doubt, award the lower. It avoids "inflation".

There should never be any doubt when everything is spelled out for the reviewer. Whether it is for a lowly old Achievemnt Medal or a Medal of Honor. I'm sure after it is all said and done, that Marine was just as happy to get out of there in one piece.

That guy is a total badass, higher award or not....he's a hero in my book

Quoted: There is nothing that says you have to die to be awarded the Medal of Honor Criteria for the Medal Of Honor as it pertains to the Army, excerpted from AR 600-8-22 Military Awards Sction II Authority and Criteria- U.S. Army Individual Decorations 3-6 Medal of Honor a. The Medal of Honor, section 3741, title 10, united States Code (10USC 3741, was established by Joint Resolution of Congress, 12 July 1862 (amended by acts 9 July 1918 and 25 July 1963). b. The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President in the name of Congress to a person who, while a member of the Army, distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his comrades and must have involved risk to life. Incontestable proof of the performance of the service will be exacted and each recommendation for the award of this decoration will on the standard of extraordinary merit. 3-7 Distinguished Service Cross b. The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing or foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades. 3-9 Siver Star b. The sivel Star is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The required gallantry, while of a lesser degree than that required for the Distinguished Service Cross, must nevertheless have been performed with marked distingction. ______________________________________________________________________________ The last sentence for the Distinguished Service Cross may be the caveat as to why he was awarded the Siver Star. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades.

These are why I think it's the MOH.

- Outnumbered, low on ammo, perched on a rooftop for hours in a battle against Iraqi insurgents, Lonnie Young figured his number was up. (Very, very bad situation. Almost impossible to come out of.)

- According to one senior Marine officer on the ground in Najaf that day, Young’s actions helped turn the tide of the battle against a well-coordinated militia attacking from various directions. (If it wasn't for his individual actions, they probably would all be dead. Or at least they would have had their heads cut off and video taped for all of us to see it.)

- “All of the Blackwater guys told me that if it hadn’t been for him, they may indeed have been overrun,” said the officer, who asked that his name not be used. (Same thing, he saved the day.)

- The gun battle against hundreds of members of the al-Mahdi militia, loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, grew so intense that Young had to stop shooting every 15 minutes to let the barrel of his gun cool. (This was like the Alamo, and we won this time. Directly from the actions of this Marine. True others were in the fight, but if it wasn't for Young, it would have had a different outcome.)

- The first break in action for the Kentucky native came when an Army captain near him was shot in the arm and back. Young dug into his medical kit and bandaged the man up, then eased him down four stories to nurses below. (You can't tell me that he didn't expose himself to direct fire when doing this. There was a sniper trying to take them out as well as RPG's.)

- Next, Young dashed across the camp to Blackwater’s ammunition supply room, strapped about 150 pounds of bullets to his body, and sprinted back to the roof. (Was he exposed when running across the camp with 150 pounds of ammo on his back? I bet he was.)

- The insurgents had machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and a sniper shooting out the window of a local hospital. (Roof top or not, they all were exposed to direct fire.)

- Young saw a red flash, then blood spurting 5 or 6 feet out of the jaw and neck of a contractor. He reached into the quarter-sized bullet hole in the man’s jaw and pinched his carotid artery closed, then dragged the man across the roof to where his medical kit lay sprawled open. (Another mans life he saved.)

- Midway across the roof, Young heard a loud smack. Pain danced across his face, chased by adrenaline, and he forgot about it. After a medic packed the man’s wounds with a substance that clots blood, Young strapped the man to his back and carried him downstairs. In all, the Marine left the roof five times: twice to transport wounded comrades, three times for ammunition. (Wounded, he was still in the fight, got others to safety and saved their butts by going for ammo. He could have cowarded in the corner or let someone else try to do what he did. But he was a leader and saved their butts, in a very intense prolonged fire fight.)

- When a group of U.S. Army military police officers joined the fight, Young used his experience as a weapons instructor to talk them through it. Conserve your ammo. Slow and steady before you squeeze. Adjust your sites for range and distance. Take breaks so your gun barrel doesn’t melt. (Again, taking command when he was a subordinate. Saving their butts.)

- At some point, Young felt dizzy. He realized he couldn’t see out of his left eye. The doctor found a gunshot wound high on his left shoulder. Young didn’t want to leave the fight, but an Army captain told him otherwise. (Fighting while wounded and without disregard to his personal safety. Yeah, he left, but only after fighting wounded, saving lives and taking charge to kick the enemies butts.)

- After surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder – it lodged an inch from his spine – and shrapnel from his eye, Young recuperated for two weeks in Baghdad, then spent a month at home in Kentucky. (Most soldiers would have asked to be taking to safety after a wound like that.)

He may not get a MOH, but in my book he earned it. I know it is the highest honor given, but he exhibited what it takes to get the medal. He should at least get a Navy Cross. How many of our guys would have been dead if it wasn't directly from a CPL.'s actions? As a subordinate Junior NCO, he was wounded, exposed to fire, saved lives even when wounded, took charge, personally worked to get ammo to save the day and SAVED THE DAY!

Damn fine man. Wish our country was full of men like this.

Not MOH material from my point of view. Worthy of recognition by all means, but I just don't see it meeting that standard.

Take some time and read a few MOH narratives

www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm

Here is an example of what a MOH citation looks like:

DOSS, DESMOND T.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April-21 May 1945. Entered service at: Lynchburg, Va. Birth: Lynchburg, Va. G.O. No.: 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Pfc. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them 1 by 1 to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and 2 days later he treated 4 men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within 8 yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making 4 separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Pfc. Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of 1 arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Pfc. Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.

Quoted: Not MOH material from my point of view. Worthy of recognition by all means, but I just don't see it meeting that standard. Take some time and read a few MOH narratives www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm

Point taken, but this guy rates more than a Silver Star = Navy Cross.

Cross or MOH, the star was not enough.