Former Marine awarded Navy Cross for heroism

[cec]

July 31, 2006

Former Marine awarded Navy Cross for heroism

By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer

Sgt. Robert J. Mitchell Jr. (right) shares a laugh with Alex Nicoll after receiving the Navy Cross at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Friday. Mitchell received the medal for his actions in Fallujah, Iraq while serving as a squadron leader for Company K of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment. Mitchell helped save the lives of a number of soldiers including Nicoll who lost his leg during the offensive. — Chris Park / AP Photo
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. —Amid the fierce fight for Fallujah in late 2004, bravery ruled inside a building dubbed the “House of Hell.”
Five wounded leathernecks with 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, were trapped inside an insurgent-held house in the Iraqi city. Then-Cpl. Robert J. Mitchell Jr., a squad leader with a unit operating in the city’s Jolan neighborhood, where 3/1 was clearing houses block by block, raced into the house with his company first sergeant and a handful of other Marines.
Mitchell’s actions on Nov. 13, 2004, would earn him the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for valor in combat.
Inside the two-story house, Mitchell and men from Kilo Company entered a pitched battle with six insurgents who lobbed hand grenades and fired AK-47 rifles at the Marines, who fought to kill the insurgents while protecting and tending to their wounded. Mitchell’s best friend and the first sergeant were among the wounded.
At one point, Mitchell —wounded by shrapnel and AK-47 fire but tending to one of the wounded men — grabbed his combat knife and plunged it into a nearby insurgent, killing him. He also provided cover fire so a corpsman could reach the house. When the battle was over, his actions were credited with helping save the lives of several Marines.
During a ceremony at Camp Pendleton on Friday, Lt. Gen. John Sattler praised Mitchell’s selflessness despite the chaos of combat that day.
There was “no time to think about being wounded — my men are down. No time to think about being saved — my men are exposed to the dangers of combat. No time to worry about my own personal safety or comfort, because I’ve got a job to do and a mission to accomplish,” Sattler told the crowd that included Mitchell’s wife, parents and the men of 3/1, standing in formation on a parade deck at Camp Horno.
“He did not go forward in a crazed moment or on an impulse. He thought things through, and he did what needed to be done. He dispatched the enemy as he must, and he took care of those wounded warriors to make sure they got the care that was necessary,” Sattler said.
Mitchell’s Navy Cross is the second awarded for actions in that house. His company first sergeant, now-Sgt. Maj. Brad Kasal, received the decoration in May.
Brotherly love forged in battle
Mitchell, now 26, choked up with emotion as he turned to the battalion formation and thanked his men.
“I love each and every one of you,” he said, adding “these are people that do know what it means to fight for freedom.
“Each and every one of you knows somebody who’s lost a lot more than any one of us who is here. That’s why we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” he said. “I hope the best for you. Life is good.”
Mitchell, now married with a 6-month-old son, lives in Phoenix along with former Lance Cpl. Alex Nicoll, whose leg was damaged by enemy fire inside the house and later had to be amputated. Their friendship and tight bond have extended into life outside the Corps. “I thank God every day that he is here, just like I thank God every day that you are here,” Mitchell said of his friend.
“He’s everything. I mean, he’s the only reason I’m here, I know that,” Nicoll said after the ceremony.
Mitchell and a smiling Nicoll, sporting sunglasses and a bandana around his head and walking with his prosthetic leg, traded hugs and handshakes as they mingled with their old friends and ribbed one another. “We all know this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for my will to survive,” a laughing Nicoll teased Mitchell as they stood in a crowd.
Sgt. Tyler Farmer, a team leader with Kilo’s 3rd Platoon, was wounded inside the house. Farmer said Mitchell was a great leader who was fair and cared for his men. “It’s so great to see such a great man get such a high award. He is such a great inspiration,” Farmer said. “I try to be the same with my guys.”
After Fallujah, Mitchell received a combat meritorious promotion to sergeant and left the Corps in March 2005.
Mitchell’s Navy Cross marks 14 awarded so far to Marines and sailors, Sattler said. Of those, two were awarded to officers, 12 to enlisted troops.



http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f...25-1991038.php