# War Heroes XVI - Donald R. Hollenbaugh **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-heroes-xvi-donald-r-hollenbaugh/311282 "2005-07-06T14:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-heroes-xvi-donald-r-hollenbaugh/311282/1 "2005-07-06T14:27:03Z")
The President of the United States Takes Pleasure in Presenting The Distinguished Service Cross To Donald R. Hollenbaugh, Master Sergeant, U.S. Army For Services as Set Forth in the Following Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action on 26 April 2004, during combat operations against an armed Iraqi insurgent force while supporting United States Marine Corps operations in Fallujah, Iraq. Master Sergeant Hollenbaugh demonstrated the highest degree of courage and excellent leadership through his distinguished performance as Team Leader while engaged in Urban Combat Operations. His heroic actions throughout one of the most intensive firefights of the Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign were directly responsible for preventing enemy insurgent forces from overrunning the United States Force. Master Sergeant Hollenbaugh personally eliminated multiple enemy-controlled weapon positions, essential in turning the tide of the enemy’s ground-force assault upon a United States Marine Corps Platoon. His actions under fire as a Leader were performed with marked distinction and bravery. Master Sergeant Hollenbaugh’s distinctive accomplishments are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, this Command, and the United States Army. * * * Master Sergeant Hollenbaugh is a member of the Special Forces, and his actions were instrumental in holding off the enemy until the wounded could be evacuated to safety. Of the 37 men with him, 25 were wounded and one was killed. Many more would have died had he not singlehandedly engaged the insurgents at multiple points, making them think they were dealing with far more force than they were. He survived the engagement, and was awarded the DSC by Vice President Cheney a few weeks ago. [Previous War Heroes Threads - Brian Chontosh](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=264508) [Jason Dean Cunningham](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=264736) [Britt Slabinski](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=265066) [Justin D. Lehew](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=265257) [Mark E. Mitchell](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=265548) [John Chapman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266029) [Joseph B. Perez](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266229) [Marco A. Martinez](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266410) [Stephen Bass](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266753) [Luis E. Fonseca Jr.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278531) [Rafael Peralta](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=292331) [Paul R. Smith - Medal of Honor](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300439) [Scott C. Montoya](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=301284) [Willie L. Copeland III](http://http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6119925#post6119925) [Brent Morel](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=314884) ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-heroes-xvi-donald-r-hollenbaugh/311282/2 "2005-07-06T21:27:30Z")
Thank you, Master Sergeant Hollenbaugh. And thank you, Mr. Moto, for bringing him to our attention. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-heroes-xvi-donald-r-hollenbaugh/311282/3 "2005-07-07T04:32:41Z")
What a poorly-written citation! Is that the best we can do for men of such valor? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-heroes-xvi-donald-r-hollenbaugh/311282/4 "2005-07-07T10:40:37Z")
It is in the original. I should note that in previous threads, I have added paragraph breaks to make these things easier to read. That’s the only editing I’ve ever done to these citations, when I’ve had them available for posting.