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Volume 75, Edition 3
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Simulators
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8th Engineer Support Battalion Change of Command Ceremony | 3A
Thursday, January 23, 2014
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Two MARSOC Marines’ families receive Navy Cross for son’s heroic actions Gunnery Sgt. Robert Storm
U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command
C
apt. Matthew Manoukian and Staff Sgt. Sky Mote were posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the highest decoration that can be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and second highest decoration for valor, during an award ceremony at 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion headquarters, Saturday. “Staff Sergeant Mote could have exited the structure to safety. He instead grabbed his M4 rifle and entered the operations room, courageously exposing himself to a hail of gunfire,” cited the award. Manoukian’s award cited “Located in the far corner for the room, Manoukian drew his pistol and, in the face of near certain death, engaged the attacker while commanding his Marines to maneuver to safety.” Maj. Gen. Mark A. Clark, commanding general of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, presented the Navy Cross to Mote’s and Manoukian’s family after speaking of them during the ceremony. “The bravery of Matt, Ryan and Sky was a continuation of the brave choices they made in the beginning, to choose a harder road fraught with peril, in order to have a chance at victory,” Clark said. Both, Mote and Manoukian, were assigned to Marine Special Operations Team 8133, Marine Spe-
cial Operations Company C, 1st Marines Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when they came under intense enemy fire from a rogue Afghan local policeman attacking from inside the perimeter of their tactical operations center. Mote and Manoukian became the third and fourth Marines in MARSOC’s seven year history to receive this prestigious award, as a result of their extraordinary heroic actions taken during OEF. “The Manoukian family is deeply honored and humbled to accept the Navy Cross on behalf of our dearly beloved son and brother, Capt. Matthew Patrick Manoukian. Our Matthew’s courage and dedication inspires us on a daily basis to help others, to cherish our freedom, and to try to make a positive difference in the world,” said Socrates Manoukian and Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian, Capt. Manoukian’s father and mother. Mote, in his final act of bravery, boldly engaged the gunman, now less than five meters in front of him, until falling mortally wounded. Mote’s heroic actions and selfless actions enabled his fellow Marines to get to safety and survive the attack. During the same attack, Manoukian, the team leader, was working in the operations center when the initial attack commenced with AK-47
Photo by Capt. Barry Morris
Maj. Gen. Mark A. Clark, commanding general of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, and Lt. Col. John Lynch (far left), commanding officer, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion present the Navy Cross Medal to Socrates Manoukian and Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian, for their son’s, Capt. Matthew Manoukian’s heroic and selfless actions taken during Operation Enduring Freedom.
see Heroic 7A
II MHG
Expo
Photo by Pfc. Ryan A. Young
Marines from 8th Communication Battalion explain the capabilities of their equipment to visitors at the II Marine Headquarters Group Enabler Battalion Capability Expo at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Jan. 15. 8th Comm Bn., featured several types of equipment that can extend the range of communication between deployed Marines.
Expo shows commanders effective uses of battalions Pfc. Ryan Young
II Marine Expeditionary Force
Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group set up and participated in an exposition to showcase the capabilities of the II MHG enabler battalions to visiting commanders, Jan. 15 - 16. The II MHG Capabilities Expo gave ground commanders, within II Marine Expeditionary Force, a first-hand look at the variety of ways each battalion provides unique capabilities to the force. The enabler units included 8th Communications Battalion, 2nd Law Enforcement Battalion, 2nd Radio Battalion, 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company and 2nd Intelligence Battalion. Enabler battalions provide direct support to ground forces that don’t have an organic capability. For example, 2nd ANGLICO can provide a joint terminal attack controller to an
infantry unit to provide close air support for that unit. II MEF commanders, along with Marines from other units, walked around to every display and were greeted by knowledgeable Marines from each unit. The expo focused on educating colonels and lieutenant colonels in command billets about the capabilities of battalions within II MEF. Gunnery Sgt. Christopher J. Ransom, the 8th Communications Bn. future operations chief, set up various pieces of equipment with his Marines on hand to explain the way their communications equipment functions. In one of many displays, his Marines set up a very small aperture terminal, a mobile satellite station, which has the capability to pull outside communications into a deployed environment and send communications to other units. “We have the capabilities to
support the MEF, the Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and all three Marine Expeditionary Units at the same time, while providing a contingency response team and a Joint Task Force Enabler,” said Ransom. “So, we have a huge capability that most Marines and probably some commanders are not aware of.” Capt. Roy V. Fish served as the officer in charge for the expo. The commanders can better plan operations when they understand the capabilities of the enabler battalions, said Fish. This can increase demand of the battalions and help produce a better product. “We actually got a couple people who were surprised at the capabilities we had,” said Fish. “They didn’t realize we could do the things we can do onsite, on the battle field and those capabilities will definitely be in the planning process for commanders in the future.”
Photo by Pfc. Ryan A. Young
A Marine from 8th Communication Battalion explains the capabilities of his equipment to visitors at the II Marine Headquarters Group Enabler Battalion Capability Expo at Camp Lejeune, Jan. 15. Overall, the expo was a success, with more than 80 Marines and civilians coming to view the displays, said Fish. “This is something we hope is going to be a continual thing in the future, and it’s only going
to get better,” said Fish. “We’re going to understand more of what the commanders, and their planning staffs, need so we can present (our capabilities) in a way they may better understand it.”