Silver Star Story

On April 13, 2004, elements of Bravo Company, 2nd platoon were involved in a firefight in Fallujah, Iraq. Major Jason E. Smith, then a captain, was the Company Commander for Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

Marines never leave their own behind. They fight, sometimes to the death, for those to the right and to the left, under and above them. It is this commitment that makes the Corps the tight-knit band of brothers that is renowned throughout the globe.

On April 13, 2004, Maj Smith, then Company Commander, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team One, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, demonstrated his commitment to the men around him, ultimately leading him to be awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day.

Smith led a rescue convoy through Al Fallujah to reach elements of his company that were surrounded by enemy forces and required medical evacuation and fire support. Without accurate information as to the location of his Marines, Smith used smoke from a burning amphibious assault vehicle to locate his stranded platoon. Faced with enemy fire along the route, Smith dismounted his vehicle in the rear of the rescue convoy, raced to the front and began to lead the convoy on foot through the streets to the destination. Along the way, he coordinated and participated in counter attacks against local militia forces, exposing himself to enemy fire numerous times with complete disregard for his personal safety.

When the convoy reached their destination, Smith entered the building where the platoon was caught, quickly analyzed the situation and organized a defensive position around the platoon and a burning Amphibious Assault Vehicle. While radioing back to the command post, Smith calmly walked from room to room telling the Marines what a good job they had done, bolstering their fighting spirit and praising them.

Smith also learned that inside the assault vehicle were the remains of a Marine. He radioed again to the command post and arranged for a tow truck to come pick the vehicle up, stating that he would not leave until this task was complete. The Marine inside the vehicle had to be brought back, and he was not going to leave him behind. While all this was going on, close air support was called to conduct close quarters air raids on the surrounding enemy positions and to provide cover for the Marines. Smith supervised and coordinated the Marines’ withdrawal from the immediate area where the gun raid was to take place and then stayed behind to spot the ammunition as it was dropped on the buildings to confirm the hits.

After the successful gun run, Smith coordinated with a tank company to tow the AAV back to friendly lines and secured the area before being the last to leave.

Today, Major Smith serves as the Commanding Officer of Recruiting Station New Jersey.