Marine awarded Silver Star for heroism in Afghanistan
For his actions on Jan. 8, 2011 in Sangin, Afghanistan, Sgt. Philip McCulloch Jr. was awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest medal for valor in combat.
The San Diego Union-Tribune provided this account of the battle in Sangin:
"The young Marine could have gone home after he was blasted by a rocket-propelled grenade. But Sgt. Philip McCulloch Jr., like many of his brothers-in-arms wounded on that tour to Afghanistan, begged to be sent back to the front lines after recuperating at a rear base.
"The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, an infantry unit from Camp Pendleton, was encircled by enemy fighters in a fierce and protracted battle for the Sangin valley. By the time the Marines finished their seven-month tour last spring, they had lost 25 killed and some 200 wounded – the worst casualties of any battalion in the decade-long war.
"McCulloch, 22 at the time and serving his third combat tour after two previous stints in Iraq, rejoined the battalion and later led his squad on a six-hour running battle against a larger force of enemy fighters. They only turned back to base for lack of ammunition."
Read more about Sgt. McCulloch and the Silver Star ceremony in the San Diego Union-Tribune
