Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.
This week Bruce told us about Sergeant Jarrett Kraft. From his Navy Cross citation,
As numerically superior insurgent forces attacked Sergeant Kraft and the Marines in Al Fallujah, Iraq, he quickly organized and fearlessly led three assault forces on three separate attacks to repel the insurgents and ensure the successful advance of the battalion. With complete disregard for his own life, he placed himself between intense enemy fire and the men during each attack providing suppressive fire and leadership to sustain the fight and eliminate the enemy. Although grenades thrown by the insurgents rendered him momentarily unconscious during one assault, this did not dampen his spirit or determination. Undeterred, Sergeant Kraft continued to lead from the front, despite being wounded himself. On two more occasions, he was knocked down stairwells by enemy grenade blasts and finally while emplacing a sniper in a critical location, Sergeant Kraft was knocked down by the blast from a friendly M1A1 tank main gun. He demonstrated courageous leadership with a complete disregard for his own safety, during this desperate two-hour battle as he personally braved multiple enemy small arms kill zones to render assistance and guidance to his Marines. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, Sergeant Kraft reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here.
What is Pundit Review Radio?
On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-8pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.