Raymond M. Depouli

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Raymond M. DePouli, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Squad Leader of 1st Squad, Company A, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, during Operation ANACONDA in Afghanistan on 4 March 2002. When one of the two CH-47 Chinook helicopters transporting members of Staff Sergeant DePouli’s Ranger platoon was hit by an al Qaeda rocket-propelled grenade and forced to crash-land on the Takur Ghar mountaintop in eastern Afghanistan’s Shah-i-Khot Valley, his platoon found itself isolated in the middle of murderous crossfire. With three Rangers killed in the first minutes of combat and nearly everyone injured, the surviving Rangers of Chalk 2 managed to exit the wrecked Chinook, establish a perimeter, minister to the seriously wounded and return fire. During this period, Staff Sergeant DePouli demonstrated disregard for personal safety by engaging and destroying two enemy personnel who were attacking friendly aircraft and fellow Rangers.