1st Lt. Boada was attached to a platoon on routine patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan when over two dozen extremists attacked the Marines. As the unit's forward air controller, Boada directed air attacks on insurgent positions.

After two Marines were hit by fire while approaching an enemy cave entrance, Boada and a fellow Marine worked their way from boulder to boulder across roughly 25 meters to rescue them, all the while under machine gun fire from the cave. Boada hurled grenades into the cave, killing the fighters inside. Boada later directed further air strikes to cover the platoon's withdrawal.

1st Lt. Boada received the Silver Star on February 1, 2006. When asked about his role that day, he said simply, "The Marines I was with that day deserve the recognition. They all need to be talked about, talked about more than me, they are all amazing.