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The
President of the United States
Takes Pleasure in Presenting
The Navy Cross
To
Justin
D. Lehew
Gunnery Sergeant, United States Marine Corps
For
Services as Set Forth in the Following
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism as Amphibious Assault
Platoon Sergeant, Company A, 1st Battalion, 2d Marines, Task Force
Tarawa, I Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation IRAQI
FREEDOM on 23 and 24 March 2003. As Regimental Combat Team 2 attacked
north towards An Nasiriyah, Iraq, lead elements of the Battalion came
under heavy enemy fire. When the beleaguered United States Army 507th
Maintenance Company convoy was spotted in the distance, Gunnery Sergeant
Lehew and his crew were dispatched to rescue the soldiers. Under
constant enemy fire, he led the rescue team to the soldiers. With total
disregard for his own welfare, he assisted the evacuation effort of four
soldiers, two of whom were critically wounded. While still receiving
enemy fire, he climbed back into his vehicle and immediately began
suppressing enemy infantry. During the subsequent company attack on the
eastern bridge over the Euphrates River, Gunnery Sergeant Lehew
continuously exposed himself to withering enemy fire during the
three-hour urban firefight. His courageous battlefield presence inspired
his Marines to fight a determined foe and allowed him to position his
platoon's heavy machine guns to repel numerous waves of attackers. In
the midst of the battle, an Amphibious Assault Vehicle was destroyed,
killing or wounding all its occupants. Gunnery Sergeant Lehew
immediately moved to recover the nine Marines. He again exposed himself
to a barrage of fire as he worked for nearly an hour recovering
casualties from the wreckage. By his outstanding display of decisive
leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and
utmost devotion to duty, Gunnery Sergeant Lehew reflected great credit
upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and
the United States Naval Service.
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