Timothy B. Howard

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Timothy B. Howard, Captain, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as an AH-IT (TOW) Cobra Attack Helicopter Pilot with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE (HMM-261), Twenty-Second Marine Amphibious Unit, conducting combat operations on the Island of Grenada in support of Operation URGENT FURY, on 25 October 1983. Captain Howard was flying a Cobra helicopter supporting Navy SEALs who had gone in to rescue Governor-General Paul Scoon, the British Administrative Representative on Grenada. Captain Howard had brought his Cobra into a hover in order to allow his Weapons Officer, Captain Jeb Seagle, to line up a shot with a TOW missile. As they hovered the ship was bracketed by gunfire from a ZU-23 23-mm. Anti-Aircraft gun. Shells exploded around the ship. One shell hit the port side engine and another blasted through cockpit side. That second shell almost severed Captain Howard’s right arm and also peppered his right leg, breaking it in a number of places. In addition, the violet impact had knocked Captain Seagle unconscious. Captain Howard using his functioning limbs, managed to land the aircraft in the middle of Tanteen Field without rolling it. The force of the impact activated the canopy release system and also woke Captain Seagle, who jumped out of the aircraft and pulled Howard free. He then tied his helmet communications cord around the stricken pilots arm to stop the bleeding. Captain Howard feeling as though he was slipping away, told Captain Seagle to leave him and save himself. Seagle refused and instead, grabbing Howard’s pistol, moved away to lure Grenadian forces, who had begun advancing on the crash site, away from his grievously injured pilot. While a medevac CH-46 was landing to rescue Captain Howard, Captain Seagle was captured and executed by Grenadian forces. As the CH-46 sped out of St. George’s Harbor, the gunship covering its withdrawal, crewed by Captain Pat Giguere and Lieutenant Jeff Scharver was hit and plunged into the harbor. By his extraordinary courage, uncommon valor, and steadfast devotion to duty in the face of danger, Captain Howard reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.