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Chief Petty Officer Justin A. Wilson, a special amphibious
reconnaissance corpsman with 1st Marine Special Operations
Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, was
awarded the Navy Cross aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton,
California, Nov. 25, 2014.
The Navy Cross is the second
highest valor award after the Medal of Honor and must be approved by
the secretary of the Navy before being awarded.
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Chief Petty Officer Justin A. Wilson, a special amphibious
reconnaissance corpsman with 1st Marine Special Operations
Battalion, was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroic actions while
supporting Operation Enduring Freedom during a ceremony aboard
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Nov. 25, 2014. The Navy
Cross is the second highest valor award, second to the Medal of
Honor, and must be approved by the Secretary of the Navy before
being awarded.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Murray)
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Wilson, who was born in Beloit, Kansas, was awarded the
Navy Cross for his extraordinary actions on Sept. 28, 2011,
while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
While on a patrol in Afghanistan, an improvised explosive
device detonated, injuring Wilson and his teammates. Without
hesitation or concern for his own injuries, Wilson moved his
fallen teammates out of the kill zone before letting anyone
attend to his wounds.
During the ceremony, Maj. Gen.
Joseph
Osterman, the commanding general of Marine Corps Forces
Special Operations Command presented the Navy Cross to
Wilson. Osterman also posthumously awarded Bronze Star
Medals to Staff Sgts. Christopher Diaz and Nicholas
Sprovtsoff, who gave their lives to protect their fellow
teammates in the same incident in which Wilson was injured.
Wilson, who was the first Sailor in MARSOC's eight-year
history to be awarded the Navy Cross, spoke highly of his
team and the Marines who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“These men I served with were the embodiment of honor,
courage and commitment,” Wilson said. “Some people tell me
that I'm lucky to be alive, but I think I was really lucky
to have served with these great men.”
Throughout
Wilson's time in the Navy, he has deployed multiple times in
support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Osterman spoke of the dedication and self-sacrifice
Wilson showed when his team member, who was near an Afghan
Local Police checkpoint, was hit by an IED explosion.
“This is a man who literally ran through an environment
that was so littered with IEDs that it took a deliberate
task force to get rid of them afterwards,” said Osterman.
“He ran through all of the IEDs with no regard to his own
safety, so he could find and save his team members who were
in trouble.”
While he was moving casualties from the
initial blast site, a second device exploded, severely
injuring Wilson, who ignored his wounds and continued
rescuing other injured comrades.
During the ceremony,
Wilson spoke directly to the families who were affected by
this tragic accident.
“I really want to thank all of
you. These men were some of the most outstanding people I
had ever met and that's all because of you guys,” said
Wilson. “You instilled them with the best characteristics
and I just want you to know how thankful I am to have known
them.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joshua Murray
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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