The Marine Corps will present the third-highest combat award to an Iraq War veteran Thursday, following a review that upgraded his commendation. Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Glenn M. Walters, will present the Silver Star Medal to Capt. Andrew Kim, an officer with Marine Corps Tactics and Operations Group, at the Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms tomorrow. Kim initially received a Bronze Star Medal for valorous actions performed on August 6, 2003, while serving as a counterintelligence specialist with the 1st Marine Division in Iraq. According to the Marine Corps, an Iraqi man approached Kim and his linguist, suddenly drawing a pistol, shooting Kim’s linguist in the neck. A sergeant at the time, Kim immediately returned fire, killing the assassin. He was then hit repeatedly by small arms fire from the rear. Disregarding his own wounds, Kim ushered his fallen linguist into a vehicle and left the ambush’s kill zone, pursued by five Iraqis in a white pickup truck. Taking volleys of enemy fire, Kim drove to a light armored reconnaissance security element and ordered a deadly counterattack on the enemy—“bold” actions the Marine Corps concluded showed “undaunted courage and complete dedication to duty,” plus “gallantry and effectiveness under fire” that “saved the lives of all those conducting the mission,” according to his award citation.
TWENTYNINE PALMS MARINE TO GET SILVER STAR FOR SAVING LINGUIST DURING ENEMY FIRE
