Sgt. Kristopher Kane

[Rohrbough]

Heroic Marine from Murrieta a face that stands out above the crowd

By JOE VARGO
The Press-Enterprise

Video: The Marines honor Sgt. Kristopher Kane with a billboard
The house collapsing around him as his wounded colleagues were evacuated, Marine Cpl. Kristopher Kane continued blasting away at insurgents during a firefight in Iraq, actions that earned him honors for gallantry -- and a crushed right leg.
Now recovered and assigned to Camp Pendleton, Kane recently received another honor.
The Murrieta resident's image sits atop a billboard in his hometown of El Cajon, part of a national effort to honor America's military men and women. About a dozen Hometown Heroes have been honored across the nation in a program sponsored by the Marines but one that honors all branches of the military.

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Ramon Meña Owens/The Press-Enterprise

“It’s really hard to put into words. I’m very humbled,” says Marine Sgt. Kristopher Kane, 27, about the billboard in El Cajon that bears his image. El Cajon is Kane’s hometown.

"It's really hard to put into words," said Kane, 27, who has since been promoted to sergeant. "I'm very humbled."
The billboard overlooks Main Street in downtown El Cajon.
It's near the courthouse, banks, restaurants and other businesses. Pedestrian and motor traffic moves past constantly under Kane's image, decked out in dress blues and replete with his decorations, including the Silver Star for gallantry and Purple Heart for combat wounds.
The billboard is donated by media company Clear Channel. Anne Riney, a spokeswoman for Clear Channel Outdoor in Los Angeles, said Kane's portrait is the first to appear in Southern California. Clear Channel receives information about individual military personnel from the Marines and makes space available on its billboards.
"We are happy to support our service people," Riney said.
Chaos and Terror
Kane was decorated for bravery during that 2004 fight to clear out insurgents in Fallujah, a battle the Marines later dubbed Operation Al Fajr. Kane said he'll never forget the date -- Nov. 10. It's the birthday of the Corps.
At 24, Kane was already one of the oldest men in his platoon and a senior noncommissioned officer.
Kane's fighting began when he shoehorned his way into an armored transport vehicle with 24 other Marines. The vehicles, designed to carry 15 troops, took their positions side by side on the outskirts of town. The vehicle next to Kane's took two direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades, and calls for medical evacuations crackled over the radio. His squad moved out, clearing insurgents building by building.
Eight Marines entered a two-story building and immediately came under intense fire from armor-piercing projectiles and hand grenades thrown from the second floor. Several Marines fell wounded and Kane repeatedly exposed himself to insurgent gunfire, returning it with his automatic weapon.
The unit squad leader, Lt. Dustin Shumney, wrote in his after-action report that Kane's accurate fire kept the insurgents at bay and allowed for the evacuation of wounded Marines. Kane continued firing even as a Marine bulldozer flattened a wall to provide the escape route for the wounded.
"With total disregard for his own safety, Cpl. Kane held his position even as the building began to crumble around him," Shumney said. "He continued to thwart the enemy's attempt to fire on the platoon as the building and doorframe collapsed on him."
Kane's right leg was crushed and his collarbone broken.
Shumney, who was later killed in a helicopter crash, wrote that Kane's "heroic actions enabled the platoon to destroy the enemy stronghold and kill all the enemies in the building."
Kane downplays his role.
"There's some initial fear but then your training takes over," he said. "Being a leader means showing no fear."
Returning Home
Kane re-enlisted while preparing to go to Iraq and requested an assignment as a marksmanship instructor. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton, where he teaches Marine recruits how to fire their M-16 rifles. He said he expects to make a second deployment to Iraq this year. After that, he hopes to become a firefighter.
Kane said he's grateful for the Hometown Hero honor but thinks about his buddies who didn't survive.
Most of the members of his squad and platoon died in a January 2005 helicopter crash that claimed 31 Americans. If he had not been wounded in Fallujah, Kane said, he would have been on that helicopter.
"To lose them all makes you wonder," he said.
Reach Joe Vargo at 951-368-9289 or jvargo@PE.com

[sabadgeman]

Nice post on a brave and honourable man thank you.