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Marine from King of Prussia
wins Silver Star
By Marc Schogol, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted on Tue, Dec. 13, 2005 Philly Inquirer
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/13393407.htm
A Marine from King of Prussia received the military's third-highest
medal yesterday for "gallantry in action" in Afghanistan.
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Capt. Christopher P. Niedziocha, a 1996
graduate of Upper Merion High School, was presented with the Silver Star
during ceremonies at the Naval Weapons Station in Norfolk, Va.
Niedziocha, 27, was a platoon commander with the 22d Marine
Expeditionary Unit when his convoy was ambushed in June 2004 near the
village of Sandabuz, Afghanistan. |
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"Under heavy rocket and small arms fire, he aggressively guided the
convoy through the ambush, and then led a small unit of Marines in a
counterattack up steep terrain," according to a Marine Corps
statement. "The Marines dislodged the enemy fighters and
neutralized remaining enemy forces with direct fire and close air
support."
A number of Niedziocha's relatives, many of whom still live in the
Philadelphia and King of Prussia area, were present for yesterday's
ceremony.
"I really feel I can't accept all the credit for this, but it was
nice to see my parents, grandparents, brother, aunt, uncle, and
cousin," said Niedziocha, who was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and
moved to Montgomery County when he was 5.
"I could see they all looked really proud." Niedziocha,
who joined the Marine Reserves in high school and went through officer
candidate school while getting his bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania
State University, was sent to Afghanistan in February 2004.
Four months later, Niedziocha, then a first lieutenant, was leading his
platoon on a patrol when they were fired on by members of the Taliban
from steep, rocky hills on three sides of the Marine column.
"We just pushed right through the fire - we went right into the
kill zone and ambush," Niedziocha said.
Jumping out of their humvees, he and his men returned fire. Three
Marines were wounded. After checking on them, "I started to grab
Marines... and we started heading up the mountain."
In the fight that followed, Niedziocha said 23 Taliban fighters were
killed and two were wounded and captured. And if it weren't for body
armor and some very near misses, "we could have had four or five
Marines killed that day."
Niedziocha, who returned to the United States last September, is platoon
commander of a Norfolk-based outfit that trains antiterrorism units.
His hitch is up in two years, but right now, he is where he wants to be
and "I don't see any reason not to continue." |
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