U.S. Navy Seabees Receive Purple Hearts
Story Number: NNS041118-01
Release Date: 11/18/2004 11:40:00 AM
By Journalist 2nd Class (SW) Barbara Silkwood, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40 Public Affairs
NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (NNS) -- Three Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 received Purple Hearts during a ceremony held Nov. 16 at Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, Calif., in recognition of their wounds sustained in action while serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers Rear Adm. Michael Loose presented the awards to Master Chief Constructionman Martin Yingling, Chief Equipment Operator Darion Williams, and Steelworker 3rd Class Justin Sasser.
Assigned to Task Force Echo, they were injured through indirect fire from a rocket attack Sept. 4 while working in Camp Fallujah, Iraq. Steelworker 3rd Class Eric Knott, who was killed during the same attack, was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in September.
Friends and family of the Purple Heart recipients attended the ceremony, along with more than 1,000 Seabees from 31st Seabee Readiness Group, NMCB 40, NMCB 5 and NMCB 3.
“Today, NMCB 4 is deployed across the globe, operating in three theaters, supporting three unified commands. From the Caribbean to Europe to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II, they are personifying our ‘can-do’ rally cry,” said Loose. “There is no doubt in my mind that every Seabee in NMCB 4 is with you in spirit today,” he said to the award recipients.
Loose said the ceremony was to honor all Seabees, since they carry the global war on terrorism to foreign shores in hopes of never fighting on American shores.
“I thank each and every one of you for wearing the cloth of our nation, for your many sacrifices and for your distinguished, selfless service,” Loose said. “Freedom and liberty are not innate rights. They are precious, they are priceless, and they are a great gift that have to be earned, protected and defended at all costs."
After the pinning, Seabees and civilians alike stood in line to shake the hands of the men who nearly lost their lives, offering their thanks in remembrance of the one who did.
“You don’t win this award,” Yingling said. “I feel honored that I was able to come home alive; that I was able to serve my country,” he said.
The rocket explosion injured his ankles and left leg, but only hours after his first surgery, Yingling, with nearly 25 years of military service, offered his life to his country once more by reenlisting.
“Take a look at America, that’s why," said Yingling. "That’s all that matters."
Sasser, who still wears a cast on his left arm, was also hit with shrapnel during the explosion. A bruised nerve in his arm limits movement of his fingers and wrist, but he said the damage isn’t permanent and he should be fully recovered in a few more months.
Although the battalion doesn’t return to home port for at least three more months, Sasser, despite his wishes, will not join them back in Iraq for this deployment.
“It’s nice to get this award, but I would rather be with the troops, with my guys in Iraq,” Sasser said. “They are like my family. They are probably worried about me, and I am worried about them."
