A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
This from DefenseLink, since the media won’t tell about anything but “dead checking”:
“It stings but it’s nothing.†Most people might say that when describing a carpet burn or perhaps a bee sting. Staff Sgt. Viggiani, on the other hand, said that of a bullet wound sustained on June 3, 2004, in the mountainous region around Khabargho, Afghanistan.
His team and another squad received reports that a group of Taliban fighters were fleeing out of the town and into the forbidding hills – incredibly tough terrain full of caves and crevices, pits, and pitfalls.
As the men approached the ridgeline north of town, Viggiani’s squad lost touch with the others as the mountains interfered with the radio transmissions. Then Viggiani and his squad came under heavy and accurate fire, which injured two Marines and halted the advance. Viggiani crept forward, as it seemed like the fire was coming from the steep slope in front of him.
Viggiani and another Marine continued their slow advance – and suddenly came under direct fire. Shooting was coming from a cave just a few feet away, and the enemies were still firing at the wounded Marines who had taken cover behind a nearby rock. With the rest of his team pinned down, it fell to Viggiani to eliminate the well-entrenched insurgents. Maneuvering to a better position, he found himself peering through a small break in the rocks. When he saw a piece of cloth move, he fired off three or four rounds. He heard no sounds that would lead him to believe the enemies had been hit, so he grabbed a grenade and dropped it into the hole. The cave blew apart, exposing three now-dead Taliban snipers.
With the threat eliminated, the medic was able to reach and treat the two injured Marines. Viggiani refused treatment on the gunshot to his leg, and instead continued fighting. After three or four hours of intense chase and fighting, the Marines killed 14 enemy fighters and cleared the area. For his leadership and bravery, Viggiani was awarded the Navy Cross on Jan. 25, 2006.
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Sharon M
“Viggiani was awarded the Navy Cross on Jan. 25, 2006″.
When I reached the end of this post I saw the “no comments”. That means nothing. Most likely not too many people have not read this yet. I read this blog everyday, but for some reason that section stood out tonight.
Viggiani and all the others like him should have been in every local paper, every day.
Sharon M
jkc@NTC
I couldn’t agree with you more Sharon. You know damn well that if it were something that could have been manipulated into some twisted BS story about how the US is all ate up, or if a civilian got caught in the crossfire and got hit in the big toe by the US Military, it would have been on billboards, on the news, AND in every local newspaper. Forget all the good stuff, that’s over-rated.
Terri
I SO agree Sharon. Stories like this are the stories that should always been in the media, yet they never are. That’s why everyone here, us at ASM and everyone at other blogs, put such effort into making sure that these Heroes are recognized for their actions. Thank God for Sgt. Viggiani and the other Heroes like him.
Donna
Thanks Pariot for that post. I so agree with Sharon and Terri that stories like this should always be in the media but you hardly ever hear of it. All we hear in the news is things contrary to this and that the war is lost. Why don’t they tell of brave deeds like this that our troops are preforming and give our soldiers a boost in morale for a change. God Bless our troops as you guys fight for our protection and freedom.
Donna
Sorry, I misspelled Patriot….my bad!!
Meyer
It is funny how fast a grunt gets upgraded to a sniper. Especially a dead opfor.