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 CAMP
PENDLETON, Calif. (10/14/2011) - A Marine who went above and
beyond the call of duty to lead Marines in the recovery of
battle-damaged vehicles in Helmand Province, Afghanistan,
was recognized for his leadership and accomplishments in a
ceremony here, Sept. 8.
Staff Sgt. Nicholas Singh,
maintenance chief, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat
Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group, was
awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions while deployed to
Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
During his 7-month deployment from August 2010 to March
2011, Nicholas led his team in numerous recovery missions,
recovering more than 60 battle-damaged vehicles while taking
direct and indirect fire, and managing the constant threat
of improvised explosive devices.
“I did what any
Marine would do,” said Nicholas. “When I'm out there
recovering vehicles, my instinct kicked in and I was focused
on the mission at hand, which was to get those Marines and
their vehicles back to camp safely.”
Juan Singh,
Nicholas' father, flew in from El Paso, Texas, to be at his
son's award ceremony.
“I'm very proud of his
accomplishments,” Juan said. “It's a parent's dream to see
their son's success in life. I knew he would make it because
since he was a teenager, he has always excelled in school.
He wasn't afraid to work hard to accomplish his goals.”
Nicholas used that mentality to lead his Marines,
mentoring them to do the right thing.
“I always tell
my Marines to stay strong and keep their heads up,” he said.
“They can't let anybody keep them from doing what they want
to achieve their goals.”
But Nicholas wasn't always a
leader of Marines. In fact, before he was recovering and
repairing tactical vehicles for the Marine Corps, Nicholas
worked with sick animals at a veterinarian clinic in El
Paso, Texas.
While going to college and working as a
veterinarian, he felt that there was something missing in
his life, so he decided to take control and make some
changes for himself by joining the Marine Corps Feb. 23,
2000.
Nearly 12 years later and four combat
deployments under his belt, to include three tours to Iraq
and his most recent tour to Afghanistan, Nicholas is still
leading Marines and repairing tactical vehicles – quite a
change from his previous occupation.
“I wanted a
change of pace,” he said. “I wanted to see what else is out
there and at the time, it felt like the Marine Corps was
calling my name.”
His father was surprised of the
decision to join the Corps, but supported him all the way.
“It was a shock to me,” said Juan. “One minute he was
taking care of animals and going to school, the next he was
telling me he enlisted in the Marine Corps. But I supported
his decision. I told him, ‘You need to make something of
yourself if you go.'”
After receiving the Bronze
Star, Nicholas remained humbled and credited his success to
his subordinates.
“All the things that I do, I do for
these Marines I serve with,” said Nicholas. “I don't do it
for the fame, I don't do it for the glory, or the attention,
but I do it for them. They're the future of this
organization and if I can help even just one of them to
become better at their job, it'll help us to accomplish our
missions.”
He added, “The way I see it, this award
isn't just for me but it also represents my Marines. Without
them, I don't think I could have done all those missions on
my own. I would do anything for these Marines.”
Even
up to the point where he stood in front of a formation of
Marines awaiting to be awarded, Nicholas still couldn't
believe it was real.
“It's hard to describe this
feeling,” he said. “When they told me I was put up for this
award, I didn't believe it. I thought it was a dream. But
now that it's on my chest, I know that it's a reality and I
am honored to receive it.”
Nicholas plans to continue
his career as a Marine and help mentor new devil dogs when
he transfers to Okinawa, Japan, next year. “1st MLG is a
good unit,” he said. “It takes care of me and it treats the
Marines fair. I'm glad I get to be a part of it.”
More associated images in frame below
By USMC Cpl. Khoa Pelczar
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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