- SURNAME
Baldwin
- FORENAME
Brent R.
- UNIT
10 SF Group (Det A-062,Company C,2 Bn)
- RANK
Staff Sergeant
- NUMBER
- AWARD
Silver Star
- PLACE
Iraq 2004
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
from Jonesville,Michigan
born Jonesville,Michigan
entered service June 1998
1st Infantry Division
SF 2003
served in Kosovo and Iraq
previous awards M.S.M.,A.C.M. (x3)
left military 2005
small business owner,Colorado Springs,Colorado
private security company
married Merrisue L. Melville of Aberdeen,Washington (1 son John)
CITATION:
Silver Star : The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Brent R. Baldwin, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against enemy forces while serving as the Detachment Weapons Sergeant for Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 062 (ODA-062), Company C, 2d Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), under Advanced Operational Base 060, in action at Baqubah, Iraq, on 9 April 2004, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Staff Sergeant Baldwin's outstanding leadership, personal bravery and selfless actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and the United States Army. NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD: Staff Sergeant Brent R. Baldwin distinguished himself through conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against enemy forces, in Baqubah, Iraq, on 9 April 2004, while serving as the Detachment Weapons Sergeant for Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 062 (ODA-062), Company C, 2d Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), under Advanced Operational Base 060. Staff Sergeant Baldwin's heroism and bravery under intense enemy fire and in total disregard for personal safety, saved the life of a wounded American Soldier and led to the overwhelming success and survival of Operational Detachment Alpha 062 (ODA-062) in an engagement with Anti Iraqi Forces (AIF). While Staff Sergeant Baldwin and his detachment were patrolling to downtown Baqubah after receiving multiple reports that 500 AIF were staged to conduct attacks on Coalition and Iraqi government entities and structures, Staff Sergeant Baldwin and two other detachment members moved to the rooftop of the Diyala Police Station and emplaced hasty defensive fighting positions. As the attack began his hasty defensive position was destroyed by three direct hits from a volley of approximately a dozen rocket propelled grenades (RPG), fired from four separate positions. During the initial phases of the attack, Staff Sergeant Baldwin dug a trapped and wounded Soldier out of the rubble and revived him under intense hostile fire and continuous barrages of RPGs. Realizing that the massing of fires was the prelude to an all-out assault, Staff Sergeant Baldwin emerged from the destroyed fighting position firing his M-249 machine gun at the AIF attackers. The AIF continued to systematically target his rooftop position with a sustained attack of at least 25 RPGs supported by medium machine gun and various small arms fire. Without regard for his own personal safety, Staff Sergeant Baldwin engaged and killed several AIF attempting to breach the building's defensive perimeter by moving to multiple positions and engaging the enemy with withering fire in a close-pitched battle. Staff Sergeant Baldwin then repositioned himself to his initial exposed defensive position to counter another enemy flanking maneuver killing several more attackers at close range and destroying an enemy machine gun position with an AT-4. As the battle continued, Staff Sergeant Baldwin further exposed himself to enemy fire as he systematically moved around the rooftop perimeter coordinating and directing friendly fires in order to gain fire superiority over the enemy. Having repelled the enemy assault, Staff Sergeant Baldwin then moved from the rooftop to the first floor of the jail compound of the Diyala Police Station. He then organized U.S. Forces to retake the detention facility from approximately 350 inmates who were rioting and attempting to escape. The inmates had broken out of their cells to get away from a very large fire in the jail portion of the police station caused by the intense RPG fire. While leading the U.S. Forces to retake the detention facility, Staff Sergeant Baldwin was forced to engage a very large inmate, whose ultimate plan was to pull Staff Sergeant Baldwin into a sea of rioting prisoners, in hand-to-hand combat. While engaged with the inmate in unarmed combat, and risking his own safety, he instructed U.S. Forces to fire non-lethal ammunition at the prisoner. The inmate was shot three times with non-lethal rounds and continued to fight Staff Sergeant Baldwin with intense vigor until Staff Sergeant Baldwin subdued him using hand-to-hand techniques, quelling the riotous intentions of the rest of the prisoners. Staff Sergeant Baldwin demonstrated an extraordinary degree of heroism under fire, by rallying his Special Forces detachment in the successful repelling of an over-whelming superior battalion-sized enemy force, which maintained the integrity and authority of the Diyala Police Station and the Iraqi Interim Government Counsel. His heroic actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of gallantry and intrepidity, which reflect great credit upon himself, the Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.
WEB LINKS:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/3886
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