Marine awarded Navy Cross for jumping on grenade

While on a dismounted patrol on July 8, 2008 in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand Province, 19 year-old PFC Richard Weinmaster, a squad automatic rifleman with 3d Platoon, Company E, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, used his body to shield his teammates from the blast of an enemy grenade.

Weinmasters’ actions prevented his fire team leader and several other Marines from injury. After taking the blast from the grenade – which critically wounded the young Marine – Weinmaster continued to engage the enemy with his automatic weapon until he collapsed from his wounds, forcing the enemy to break contact.

Exemplifying the professionalism of the U.S. Marine Corps, Weinmaster says that he was “just doing my job.”

“Everyone on my left and right would have done the same thing,” said Weinmaster. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”

Weinmaster was critically wounded, taking shrapnel in the head, legs and abdomen. Uncertain whether he would survive his injuries, he was air-evac’d back to the U.S.. The Marine has made a full recovery and has since returned to his unit, although he still has shrapnel embedded in his brain from the incident.

On Thursday, Weinmaster was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second-highest award for valor – and promoted to Lance Corporal at a service at 29 Palms.

From LCpl Weinmaster’s Navy Cross citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Private First Class Richard S. Weinmaster, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as Automatic Rifleman, 3d Platoon, Company E, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (Forward), in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM on 8 July 2008. Private First Class Weinmaster’s squad was conducting a dismounted patrol down a narrow side street in the Sangin District of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces ambushed the squad with machine gun fire and hand grenades. Upon contact, Private First Class Weinmaster immediately began engaging the enemy positions with his squad automatic weapon. As he delivered suppressive fire and assaulted the enemy, encountering a withering volume of fire that passed within meters of his position, Private First Class Weinmaster saw two hand grenades tossed over a wall land in the middle of his patrol. Noting where one of the grenades landed, he quickly placed himself between the grenade and his fire team leader, using his body to shield both his team leader and several other Marines from the blast, which occurred immediately. Private first Class Weinmaster was seriously injured when the grenade detonated, but his valorous actions prevented his fire team leader from receiving any shrapnel. Although he was critically wounded, Private First Class Weinmaster continued to carry on the attack, engaging enemy forces with accurate automatic weapons fire and forcing them to break contact, until he collapsed from the gravity of his wounds. By his outstanding display of decisive action, unlimited courage in the face of extreme danger, and total dedication to duty, Private First Class Weinmaster reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Weinmaster is originally from Cozad, Nebraska.