Last November 1, The American Spectator published an
exclusive
account of four American paratroopers who’d fought to
thwart a massive al Qaeda kidnap-and-execution operation in the
Iraqi city of Samarra.
Caught completely by surprise and outnumbered at least ten to
one by heavily-armed fighters, the four young soldiers — Sergeant
Josh Morley, Specialist Tracy Willis, and then-Specialists Eric
Moser and Chris Corriveau — fought a pitched and protracted
rooftop battle that left at least a dozen terrorists dead, and made
the surviving Americans into heroes.
Sergeant Morley and Specialist Willis lost their lives in the
encounter. Morley left behind an infant daughter he had never
met.
After TAS broke the story, it faded out of the news for
nearly seven months, with the only media mention of the harrowing
event coming in an editorial by William Kristol and Dean Barnett in
the Weekly Standard, which contrasted the bravery of these
soldiers with the attitude of American diplomats who were making
news at the time by very publicly refusing assignments to
Baghdad.
The story of that rooftop battle came to life once again this
past week when, on May 22, 2008, now-Sergeants Moser and Corriveau
were presented with Distinguished Service Crosses by President
George W. Bush for their heroism and gallantry under fire on that
fateful morning nine months ago and half a world away. (A
compilation of photographs and video interviews is available
here).
According to the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, the
Distinguished Service Cross, which is second only to the Medal of
Honor in the hierarchy of decorations, “is awarded to a person who
while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself
or herself by extraordinary heroism…while engaged in an action
against an enemy of the United States.
“The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable
and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the
individual apart from his or her comrades” (emphasis
added).
As is obvious to all who have read or heard of their amazing
story,
the actions of Eric Moser and Chris Corriveau fit that description
almost to a “T.” As the military hierarchy from President Bush down
has recognized, Sergeants Moser and Corriveau are heroes in every
sense of the word — not that you would get that impression from
talking to them.
Both Eric Moser and Chris Corriveau are ordinary young men who,
when the literal fight of their lives broke out with no warning
whatsoever, reacted with such extraordinary focus, resolve, and
reflexive action that they not only held off an overwhelmingly
larger enemy force and managed to save their own lives in the
process, but also succeeded in protecting the bodies of their
fallen comrades from concerted efforts made by the attackers to
claim at least one of those American soldiers’ bodies as a
prize.
The recognition these paratroopers have received is well
deserved — though in my personal opinion, as a veteran and as the
reporter who repeatedly interviewed all participants and went over
the situation that they faced, in the place that they faced it, so
as better to understand those events before the authoring the story
for TAS last fall, these young men are entirely deserving
of the highest award that their country can possibly offer them:
the Medal of Honor.
Recognition, though, does not take away the scarring effects of
that battle, nor does it bring back from the dead those who were
lost. In an interview with CBS News after President Bush
presented him with his award, Corriveau honestly downplayed his own
actions and their affects — saying that, truly, “I almost wanted
to die that day on the roof with my brothers.”
With the President’s attendance at the 82nd Airborne Division’s
“All-American Week” events, and his presentation of these awards to
Sergeants Moser and Corriveau, the mainstream media has decided
that their story is not only believable, but actually worth
covering. However, as with all acts of bravery, and all actions
that put something greater above one’s self, neither recognition
nor media attention is necessary to validate these young men’s
actions, nor to confirm that they are indeed heroes.
Having completed a fifteen-month combat tour in Iraq and
returned to the United States in November, the 82nd Airborne is
reportedly scheduled to deploy back to the Middle East this fall.
When it does so, it will be short at least four soldiers.
Chris Corriveau, still scarred by the events that robbed him of
his two best friends in the world, has said he plans to separate
from the Army and attend college this fall.
Eric Moser attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection
course in April, and was selected to begin Special Forces training.
In the fall, he takes his first steps toward trading in the maroon
beret of a paratrooper that he currently wears for the Green Beret
of an Army Special Forces soldier.
Josh Morley and Tracy Willis, who lost their lives during that
fateful gun battle in Samarra last August (and who were
posthumously awarded Bronze Star Medals for their actions), will
always be cherished and remembered by those who knew them, as well
as by those millions of Americans who value the risks and
sacrifices our military men and women make in the name of their
comrades and of our freedoms, often at the highest
possible cost.
