Marine LCpl from 2/7 awarded Navy Cross for Heroism in Afghanistan

**Captain Jin** · April 01, 2009, 09:56 PM

I first heard about this from some friends of mine in the battalion. The Marine was a junior Marine in 2nd Platoon of Golf Company Second Battalion Seventh Marines. His name is Brady A. Gustafson and this was his first deployment since being in the Marine Corps. He's been awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest honor only to the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Here is the article.

I didn't know him but I have to say it's shocking and incredible to see a young Marine from my old Company be awarded such a high medal. What upsets me is that the ONLY damn place I can find articles about it is from Military/Marine Corps times. Where the hell are the articles in normal news papers, why isn't this kind of heroism talked about by the f'ing media? It's disgusting we live in a society that will tell me about Paris Hilton or how coked out Britney Spears is but won't talk about the sacrifice this young man made. In addition that article doesn't tell the full story, nor does it truly touch on the seriousness of his actions.

The squad was on patrol and was ambushed by a significantly strong Taliban force. Gustafson's vehicle(MRAP) was hit by 23 RPGs. Simultaneously the vehicle in front was hit by an IED and was set on fire. The Marines were escaping that vehicle but were right in the kill zone, open to enemy fire. Meanwhile an RPG finally penetrated Gustafson's MRAP and exploded inside, knocking all the Marines within unconcious. Gustafson's leg was incredibly destroyed by the RPG yet he continued to provide suppression fire from the turret. He poured hundreds of rounds into enemy positions allowing the evacuating Marines to escape from the kill zone. When the Marines within his own vehicle woke up, the young Marine looked down at his team leader and said "Lcpl, can I get down now, I'm feeling really dizzy." His leg was nearly blown completely off.

Regardless of your feelings of the war in general; surely the actions of this young man are more befitting and news worthy then what all the whores in hollywood are up to. Man, it's just sad. I wouldn't even have known about it if I hadn't been in the same unit as him, and that's

ing ridiculous.

**Zephyrus** · April 01, 2009, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Captain Jin

I first heard about this from some friends of mine in the battalion. The Marine was a junior Marine in 2nd Platoon of Golf Company Second Battalion Seventh Marines. His name is Brady A. Gustafson and this was his first deployment since being in the Marine Corps. He's been awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest honor only to the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Here is the article.

I didn't know him but I have to say it's shocking and incredible to see a young Marine from my old Company be awarded such a high medal. What upsets me is that the ONLY damn place I can find articles about it is from Military/Marine Corps times. Where the hell are the articles in normal news papers, why isn't this kind of heroism talked about by the f'ing media? It's disgusting we live in a society that will tell me about Paris Hilton or how coked out Britney Spears is but won't talk about the sacrifice this young man made. In addition that article doesn't tell the full story, nor does it truly touch on the seriousness of his actions.

The squad was on patrol and was ambushed by a significantly strong Taliban force. Gustafson's vehicle(MRAP) was hit by 23 RPGs. Simultaneously the vehicle in front was hit by an IED and was set on fire. The Marines were escaping that vehicle but were right in the kill zone, open to enemy fire. Meanwhile an RPG finally penetrated Gustafson's MRAP and exploded inside, knocking all the Marines within unconcious. Gustafson's leg was incredibly destroyed by the RPG yet he continued to provide suppression fire from the turret. He poured hundreds of rounds into enemy positions allowing the evacuating Marines to escape from the kill zone. When the Marines within his own vehicle woke up, the young Marine looked down at his team leader and said "Lcpl, can I get down now, I'm feeling really dizzy." His leg was nearly blown completely off.

Regardless of your feelings of the war in general; surely the actions of this young man are more befitting and news worthy then what all the whores in hollywood are up to. Man, it's just sad. I wouldn't even have known about it if I hadn't been in the same unit as him, and that's

ing ridiculous.

Why the

indeed is Octomom on the news instead of this? This is something I wouldn't mind reading about on Cnn.

We are a country at war. If our soldiers are putting their lives on the line, then lets keep reminding the american people how brave their sons and daughters out there are.

Did the marine in question authorize the media to interview him?

**Space Wolves** · April 01, 2009, 10:53 PM

Because the major news agencies don't give a hoot for our troops dieing..

all we care about are celebs, food, and what not...shame indeed...the american public needs a wake up call...

feels like such an insult to me..

**Ahlerich** · April 02, 2009, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by Space Wolves

Because the major news agencies don't give a hoot for our troops dieing..

:

bs. media is not allowed to make stories about dieing grunts. it just takes the peachy feeling out of the general opinion towards wars in a land far far away.

**Captain Jin** · April 01, 2009, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Zephyrus

Why the

indeed is Octomom on the news instead of this? This is something I wouldn't mind reading about on Cnn.

We are a country at war. If our soldiers are putting their lives on the line, then lets keep reminding the american people how brave their sons and daughters out there are.

Did the marine in question authorize the media to interview him?

My guess is that he hasn't been interviewed yet. The battalion just returned from Afghanistan in November and I'm guessing that if his wounds were as bad as my buddies told me they were then he's probably at Walter Reid or Bethesda in rehab etc.

Yeah, I forgot about Octomom and all that publicity too, now I'm even more pissed.

**Farnan** · April 02, 2009, 06:36 AM

Originally Posted by Captain Jin

My guess is that he hasn't been interviewed yet. The battalion just returned from Afghanistan in November and I'm guessing that if his wounds were as bad as my buddies told me they were then he's probably at Walter Reid or Bethesda in rehab etc.

Yeah, I forgot about Octomom and all that publicity too, now I'm even more pissed.

.. All they care about what

ing celebrity is getting rehab where and what Brittany

ing Spears is doing. I don't think even any of the 5 MOH Awardees got any air time.

**Henry707** · April 02, 2009, 06:40 AM

Over in the UK, we hear quite a lot about our forces overseas. A year or so again our highest honour, the Victoria Cross, was awared to one soldier with an amazing story...

henri

**Barry Goldwater** · April 02, 2009, 06:56 AM

What the

? I didn't even know about this until this thread showed up...what a damn shame our media has become...this fellow deserves to be on the front-page news & my TV, not Octomom or some celebrity who's been done to death (and you make take 'done to death' any way you wish

)...

**Vasquez** · April 01, 2009, 11:33 PM

OORAH my friend.

**Santini** · April 01, 2009, 11:46 PM

Hope he doesn't get screwed on medical and disability...
Hope finding a job is a breeze...

**Zephyrus** · April 01, 2009, 11:47 PM

Originally Posted by Vasquez

OORAH my friend.

Whenever I play COD4, you always die in my campaigns...

Originally Posted by Santini

Hope he doesn't get screwed on medical and disability...
Hope finding a job is a breeze...

I've read an article on CNN recently where the VA screwed up a marine's health insurance and allowed the man in question to be given a $3,000.00 sum bill for an operation done on his mangled leg.

So I really find myself questioning the usefulness that is the VA bureacracy...

**Vasquez** · April 01, 2009, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by Zephyrus

Whenever I play COD4, you always die in my campaigns...

Ha

**Fluttershy** · April 02, 2009, 12:30 AM

THe media wont report this... although im sure if the marine had say... shot an inanimate work of fiction (koran, bible) it would be plastered all over the news.

but a genuine act of heroism? Nah of course the media isnt interested in that

**Jabberwock** · April 02, 2009, 12:57 AM

Because the major news agencies don't give a hoot for our troops dieing..

No, people don't get a hoot about this. The media is only interested in what people are interested in.

Nobody wants to here about people getting their legs blown off, being ambushed by 23 RPGs, etc.

No one wants to hear about the tragedies of war. We know it's there but we don't want to come face to face with it.

And the military definitely doesn't want this stuff televised. Televising someone who got a medal for getting their leg nearly blown off and covering a vehicle filled with unconscious people is just not good publicity, especially for the Marines.

**seal** · April 02, 2009, 07:39 AM

It wasn't too long ago that men like this would have been paraded in New York, celebrated by the nation, and given lucrative contracts. Now his heroism gets ignored. Sad.

**Henry707** · April 02, 2009, 09:04 AM

Hey Seal,

I know what you mean but it''s always the same story. They always say in the British Army, the more unpopular the war, the more medals get given out & less interested people are...

Sometimes we go for days without even a mention on the news that our troops are in action.

I have made an effort to do something about it & have raised well over £2000 for a charity to supported wounded soldiers when they return to the UK. Hell, least I can make sure that they know someone cares.

Henri

**Captain Jin** · April 02, 2009, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by Henry707

I have made an effort to do something about it & have raised well over £2000 for a charity to supported wounded soldiers when they return to the UK. Hell, least I can make sure that they know someone cares.

Henri

That's a hell of a thing to do for your vets man. Things have really improved a lot in the US thanks to the efforts of Vietnam vets who made damn sure no one suffered the same kind of welcome that they did. It's still upsetting. And Farnan, you're right, I don't think those men that earned the MOH ever got any amount of air time either. I only remember hearing about them from Militarytimes periodicals. Sad.

As for the media not reporting on the men dying in Iraq of Afghanistan-- that is completely bs. Daily (especially when the war going badly in Iraq), they bombarded the public with images of burnt up charred remnants of vehicles destroyed in suicide attacks, images of masses of people in panic, or the post blast images of a market place. They talked about the death toll, over and over and over. Anything negative that could be drummed up about the war, then it was. I don't know how you can ever assume the media was ever 'for' the war. The pigs in the news only care about where they feel the public opinion is. If public opinion is good, as in let's go to war, they fan the flames of war, if it's bad then they pretend to have never supported the war and they show grisly images and constantly remind us of an unwinnable conflict we're involved in. They never make any attempt to honor those who are fighting the wars, and they certainly do not tell the story's of men and women that are the true heroes. The ones like this young Marine, or any of the Medal of Honor recipients and the like.

**Babur** · April 02, 2009, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Captain Jin

I first heard about this from some friends of mine in the battalion. The Marine was a junior Marine in 2nd Platoon of Golf Company Second Battalion Seventh Marines. His name is Brady A. Gustafson and this was his first deployment since being in the Marine Corps. He's been awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest honor only to the Medal of Honor for his heroism. Here is the article.

I didn't know him but I have to say it's shocking and incredible to see a young Marine from my old Company be awarded such a high medal. What upsets me is that the ONLY damn place I can find articles about it is from Military/Marine Corps times. Where the hell are the articles in normal news papers, why isn't this kind of heroism talked about by the f'ing media? It's disgusting we live in a society that will tell me about Paris Hilton or how coked out Britney Spears is but won't talk about the sacrifice this young man made. In addition that article doesn't tell the full story, nor does it truly touch on the seriousness of his actions.

The squad was on patrol and was ambushed by a significantly strong Taliban force. Gustafson's vehicle(MRAP) was hit by 23 RPGs. Simultaneously the vehicle in front was hit by an IED and was set on fire. The Marines were escaping that vehicle but were right in the kill zone, open to enemy fire. Meanwhile an RPG finally penetrated Gustafson's MRAP and exploded inside, knocking all the Marines within unconcious. Gustafson's leg was incredibly destroyed by the RPG yet he continued to provide suppression fire from the turret. He poured hundreds of rounds into enemy positions allowing the evacuating Marines to escape from the kill zone. When the Marines within his own vehicle woke up, the young Marine looked down at his team leader and said "Lcpl, can I get down now, I'm feeling really dizzy." His leg was nearly blown completely off.

Regardless of your feelings of the war in general; surely the actions of this young man are more befitting and news worthy then what all the whores in hollywood are up to. Man, it's just sad. I wouldn't even have known about it if I hadn't been in the same unit as him, and that's

ing ridiculous.

totally agree man

Over here,Jade Goody and her eventual death received more media time than that of the British servicemen in Afghanistan would receive combined