Wednesday Hero: 2nd Lt. Philip D. Palmer

Today we honor a wonderful man by the name of 2nd Lt. Philip D. Palmer from Charleston, South Carolina. This Marine earned the Silver Star for exceptional leadership while under fire and the ability to guide his young Soldiers through some very fierce fire fights in Iraq. Here is a little summary of one of them.

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2nd Lieutenant Palmer.

Unshakable leadership under fire and the ability to guide young soldiers through fierce fighting defined Second Lieutenant Philip D. Palmer's mission as a combat advisor to the Iraqi Army.

Days after the “troop surge” was announced, a young second lieutenant would persevere under fire to lead a burgeoning Iraqi Army unit to victory. Second Lieutenant Philip D. Palmer of the United States Marine Corps was assigned to a Military Transition Team working with the 1st battalion of the Iraqi Army during operations in the Ma’Laab district in Ramadi, Iraq. The morning of January 14th, 2007, would serve as a defining moment in his life and the lives of all the Iraqi troops he shepherded through danger.

The Iraqi platoon, led by Iraqi Lieutenant Allah, worked its way through the dangerous city streets, unaware of what was ahead. As the patrol bounded ahead, gunfire erupted from nearby positions hitting Lieutenant Allah squarely in his armor. While the rounds were stopped by his layers of armor, he was shell-shocked and stunned by the near-death experience. With Allah paralyzed by fear and incapable of leading his men under such hectic conditions, Palmer seized the initiative.

Seeing that words alone would not be enough to organize this nascent Iraqi unit, Palmer knew he must act. Standing like a monolith in the face of incoming enemy fire, Palmer took command of the broken unit, rallying them through his bold example. Taking point, he pushed forward towards the attacking insurgents with his newly inspired Iraqi unit who followed close through the chaotic streets.

Palmer kept in mind the mission and the 13 Iraqis he was attached to as he led the fight against the insurgent forces. At the end of the day, he successfully concluded the operation and brought every one of the Iraqi soldiers back to base alive. His heroic assumption of command and leadership under intense attack earned him the Army Commendation Medal with Valor. [Source: DefenseLink.mil. (.pdf)]
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He is amazing, and we all thank him. Especially the families of those 13 Iraqi Soldiers and his own family! Well, we Americans thank you also. We are proud of you, and God bless you.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives
so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday.
For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Correction: I have made an error as to which medal he was honored to receive. He actually received the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, not the Silver Star. You would think I would know that, since it's right there in front of me! D'oh!

My apologies 2nd Lt. Palmer. Maybe it was just me thinking I would have given you a Silver Star. It has been explained to me, however, that this medal is reserved for Marines who do heroic acts. What do you call what you did? I know. Your job. I call it brave and absolutely great. I think no less of you now than I did then. As a matter of fact, I think more of you for correcting me. Godspeed, friend.

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