Meet Sgt. Scott Montoya:Small-arms fire rained down on the men of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines. Both Iraqi civilians and Marines were injured. Pinned down, with the injured needing assistance, Sgt. Scott C. Montoya rushed through enemy fire while "repeatedly exposing himself to fire-swept streets," according to his Navy Cross award citation.
Montoya received the U.S. military's second-highest award at Camp Pendleton for heroism stemming from his actions on April 8, 2003, two weeks into Operation Iraqi Freedom.
With his firearm in one hand engaging the enemy and a badly bleeding Marine in the other, he fought their way 500 yards to safety. He returned to the cross-fire again and dragged another - who'd been dazed by the concussion of a grenade blast - to a casualty collection point. In all, he rescued four injured Marines and one Iraqi civilian out of harm's way, according to his citation.
Montoya's "extraordinary heroism" arose out of the battle for Baghdad.
Montoya described it this way:
"I saw a hurt Marine and all my training came into play. It wasn't a cognitive thing; I just saw the situation and cared for my Marines."...
Be sure to go read the rest of this amazing story, and listen to a couple of msm interviews this hero has done. You can find that here.
Thank you for your service, Sgt. Montoya!
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