While he and his team took accurate enemy fire, the Team Chief again exposed himself by climbing on top a building to employ a roof charge in order to recover a wounded Afghan soldier. The Team Chief exposed himself to enemy fire to lead an assault across 30 meters of open terrain, attacking Taliban fighters entrenched in a bunker with his rifle and hand grenades. According to the award citation, during a heliborne raid into difficult enemy-controlled terrain in Southern Afghanistan, he led his team of Marine Raiders and partner nation forces in four hours of close combat with more than a dozen Taliban fighters occupying defensive strongholds. The master sergeant and Critical Skills Operator, was serving as a Team Chief with 2nd Marine Raider Battalion in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel when his team was engaged by enemy combatants. A Marine Raider was awarded the Silver Star Medal for heroic actions while deployed to Afghanistan in 2019, at a ceremony aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. Jesula Jeanlouis)Ī Marine Raider was awarded the Silver Star Medal for heroic actions while deployed to Afghanistan in 2019, at a ceremony aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The annual galas, held to commemorate the founding of Marine Corps, have been scaled back to ensure the health of the force while ensuring the most meaningful aspects of the festivities remain untouched. COVID-19 restrictions have changed the way Marines across the globe are celebrating the Corps’ 245th birthday. Marine Raiders also ran a collective 245 miles. Smith, Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, during the 245th Marine Corps Birthday cake cutting ceremony at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Nov. Glynn, commander of Marine Forces, Special Operations Command, passes a piece of the cake to the guest of honor, Lt.