Mr.Moto
February 27, 2006, 8:07pm
1
Sgt. Anthony Viggiani was serving in Afghanistan with a special forces capable Marine unit when Army copters spotted militia in the hills. He was leading a squad to go after them when they came under fire, and two of his men were wounded.
“I was able to look down a break in the rocks and saw a bit of cloth move, so I got off three or four shots and then dropped the [fragmentation grenade],” said Viggiani.
Combined with rifle and machine-gun fire from Wood and Gould’s squad, the grenade explosion silenced the enemy position, which was later found to have housed three militia fighters.
Sometime during the fight, Viggiani was struck in the lower left leg by an enemy bullet, fired by fighters further up the valley. Seemingly unmindful of the wound, Viggiani continued to engage the enemy with rifle fire until the area was cleared and a total of four dead and one wounded enemy fighters were found.
Mere minutes after the fight, with typical Marine élan, Viggiani dismissed the wound that stained the front of his trouser leg a deep crimson.
“It stings a bit, but it’s nothing,” he said as he paused for a photograph in front of the cave he helped clear mere minutes after the fight.
[Quote from this site, which also shows that photograph of Viggiani in front of the cave. You can see the bloodstains on his pant leg.]http://www.defendamerica.mil/profiles/jun2004/pr061404b.html )
Staff Sgt. Viggiani has just been awarded the Navy Cross for heroism. He is currently a drill instructor at Parris Island.
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