MOS 0365 Infantry Squad Leader
0365 Infantry Patrol Chief
Heroic achievement while serving as Infantry Patrol Chief, Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 25 November 2004. After an enemy ambush on 3d Platoon nearby, Corporal Jackson quickly moved to an overwatch position and spotted five wounded Marines in a building courtyard. He courageously low-crawled close to the enemy stronghold to gain intelligence and then ran through the rooftops under intense enemy fire to relay the intelligence to the 3d Platoon Commander. With total disregard for his own safety, he re-occupied his position and threw a grenade, destroying several enemy insurgents and silencing one of the enemy's machine guns. After eliminating part of the threat, he low-crawled to another area and dropped a grenade through a hole in the roof, eliminating several more enemy personnel and silencing another enemy machine gun. As a tank breached the courtyard wall, 3d Platoon began suppressing the target building. He seized this opportunity and quickly moved to the courtyard while under enemy machine gun fire, dragging out a wounded Marine. He re-entered the courtyard to retrieve a second wounded Marine. Still under enemy fire, he moved through the open area a third time, extinguished a fire that had mortally wounded the third casualty, and swiftly carried out his body. Due to his heroic efforts, two Marines survived the devastating enemy ambush. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Corporal Jackson reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
0365 Squad Leader
Heroic Achievement in the superior performance of his duties while serving as Squad Leader, Advisor Team 1, 1st Battalion 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st Marine Division (forward) from May 2012 to July 2012. While supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Corporal Rodriguez personally led over 50 Combat Patrols in the Southern Helmand Province of Afghanistan. On the morning of May 27th, during the peak of the Taliban fighting season, following a nighttime helicopter insertion into enemy territory in support of Operation Trap House 6, Corporal Rodriguez's squad was ambushed by an improvised explosive device, severely injuring the patrol's lead point man. While supervising the medical treatment of the amputated Marine, Corporal Rodriguez's squad was again ambushed by a squad plus sized enemy force employing small arms and medium machine gun fire. He reorganized the squad under heavy fire and led the assault against the enemy positions. Shooting and moving from cover to cover and shouting words of encouragement to his men to stay in the fight, he continued to set an example of calmness and courage and returned a ferocious counter attack with grenades, rockets, and accurate fires to entrenched Taliban fighters as close as 30 meters away, personally killing three enemy fighters during the engagement. After neutralizing the threat and forcing the remaining wounded and battered enemy fighters to retreat over 400 meters, he led the squad as lead point man to a hasty Landing Zone, personally sweeping the open field with a metal detecter for enemy land mines, in order to prevent further casualties. After securing the LZ and coordinating the medical evacuation of the wounded Marine, he led his squad all the way back to the patrol base in the Zamindawar section of Kajaki, Afghanistan. Corporal Rodriguez's initiative, perseverance, and total dedication to duty reflected great credit upon him, and were in keeping with the highest tradition of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
0365 Squad Leader
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE OF HIS DUTIES WHILE SERVING AS SQUAD LEADER, COMPANY F, 2D BATTALION, 5TH MARINES, 1ST MARINE DIVISION FROM JANUARY 2023 TO JANUARY 2025. DURING THIS TIME, SERGEANT LEAVENS LED HIS SQUAD THROUGH COUNTLESS HOURS OF TRAINING, 12 LIVE FIRE RANGES, AND SEVEN FIELD EXERCISES. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING HIS SQUAD THROUGHOUT THE WORKUP AND ULTIMATELY DEPLOYMENT AS PART OF MARINE DETACHMENT PHILIPPINES 24.4. DURING THIS TIME, SERGEANT LEAVENS SERVED AS SITE LEAD FOR FORCES IN MANILA AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING A CAPABLE REACTION FORCE OF NINE MARINES, CONDUCTING DAILY RANDOM ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES AND LEADING HIS MARINES COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF THE PLATOON. HIS PERFORMANCE DIRECTLY IMPACTED THE PLATOON'S ABILITY TO SUPPORT SPECIAL OPERATIONS TASK FORCE 511.2. SERGEANT LEAVENS' EXCEPTIONAL PROFESSIONALISM, UNRELENTING PERSEVERANCE, AND DEDICATION TO DUTY REFLECTED CREDIT UPON HIM AND WERE IN KEEPING WITH THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE MARINE CORPS AND THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.