John W. Marshall

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Silver Star Medal (Posthumously) to John W. Marshall, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with the 3d Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, when his fuel and ammunition convoy that was resupplying soldiers during the second ‘thunder run’ south of Baghdad, Iraq, was attacked on 8 April 2003. Sergeant First Class Marshall defended his convoy, firing a Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher on an armored personnel vehicle until a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG, blew his body out of the vehicle. His comrades found him several days later, buried by the enemy in a shallow grave. By exposing himself to danger and continuing to fire, he helped to save the convoy from being overrun.