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A shy
and reserved man with many
talents who displays incredible
calmness under fire --- that's
an accurate description for
then-Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Wagner.
When his convoy was ambushed on
main supply route Michigan
between Fallujah and Habbaniyah,
the Air Force non-commissioned
officer remained composed but
acted swiftly.
“I basically did what I was
trained to do,” said Wagner.
Insurgents had attacked with two
Improvised Explosive Device
detonations within meters of his
vehicle and small arms fire from
nearby fields.
“I stayed on the road,
accelerated through the threat,
and put our vehicle in a
position where my gunner Tech.
Sgt. Matthew Walter could engage
and eliminate the hostilities,”
he continued. His citation noted
that his team and he then
“provided suppressive fire to
allow the assault team to
neutralize the secondary
threat.”
This was one of several
incidents that Wagner was
recognized for. His unending
initiative and leadership were
cornerstones for the
establishment of a major
operational base that was
designed for U.S. military
forces and Iraqi Army to jointly
destroy insurgent forces. Wagner
was not only in charge of a
Coalition Military Assistance
Training Team at the
Multi-National Security
Transition Command in Iraq but
also 220 Iraqi soldiers
“Part of
my job was to design a Base
Defense Plan to protect more
than 2,000 coalition personnel
living on Camp Habbaniyah,”
explained
Wagner. |
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This
plan
included
extraction
of all
U.S.
military
and
Department
of
Defense
contractor
personnel
in the
event
insurgent
forces
attempted
to take
over the
base,
according
to
Wagner.
On May
6, 2006,
he had
an
opportunity
to put
his plan
to the
test... a
real
test.
At 3:32
p.m. the
base
came
under
attack
by enemy
forces
along
multiple
areas of
the
perimeter.
Without
concern
for his
own
safety,
he
willingly
placed
himself
in the
line of
fire,
exposing
himself
to grave
danger
in order
to
assist
in
defending
the
southern
perimeter
of the
base.
When
asked
about
the
success
of the
plan, he
said,
“Plans
are only
as good
as the
personnel
performing
them. I
do have
to say
that
during
my time
there,
they
[Iraqi
Army]
never
allowed
a
perpetrator
to
penetrate
the base
perimeter.”
Wagner
understood
the
Iraqi
culture
and
boundaries;
that
helped
him
advise
the
Iraqi
Army
leadership
on a
security
plan for
the
democratic
elections.
He also
took
control
of an
investigation
that led
to the
recovery
of 48
stolen
weapons
and the
capture
of two
Iraqi
Army
thieves.
For all
of these
actions,
he was
awarded
the
Bronze
Star
Medal.
“I
definitely
don't
think I
am a
‘hero.'
There
are
other
Soldiers,
Sailors,
Airmen
and
Marines
more
deserving
of this
honor. I
just did
my job,
what I
was
trained
for and
what I
was
called
on to
do,”
Wagner
insists. |
