A Marine's Silver Star brings closure and hope to this once-dishonored battalion

When Col. Chris Dixon recalls his unit's battalion’s 2011 deployment to Afghanistan, he doesn't dwell on the it’s not a grainy 40-second war-zone video that made international headlines that he remembers most. No, Dixon says, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines made tangible progress in what was a hotly contested part of Helmand province, a vast area that stretched from region that It’s work Dixon says had a positive long-term effects on the region, which stretched from Musa Qala to Now Zad. During those seven months, he said, they bravely fought of the war's Instead, the former commander of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, said he recalls the great work his young noncommissioned officers carried out across two vast districts north of Sangin, a volatile region where Marines fought their toughest battles that had long-term effects in Afghanistan.

On Friday, Veteran Sgt. Matthew Parker was one of those squad leaders, Sgt. Matthew Parker,. On Friday, he was presented with a Silver Star during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He's the second 3/2 Marine from Dixon’s battalion in recent weeks to be recognized for heroism during that combat tour the 2011 deployment. 

It's been nearly five years since Parker, who has since left the Marine Corps, after he led his platoon out of an intense firefight in Musa Qala. His commander and another squad leader were injured during the battle, and Parker took charge, striking several of the enemy's positions until they were forced to retreat. was presented with the prestigious Silver Star. Last month, Staff Sgt. Nathan Hervey, who was a scout sniper section leader with 3/2, received the Bronze Star with "V" for his actions during the same battle. Hervey, who was a sergeant at the time, is credited with taking out an enemy position to which helped save his fellow Marines. 

Both men, Dixon said, Dixon called the actions displayed courage, thoughtfulness and leadership. by those Marines "Exactly what you want in a Marine sergeant," he said. 

It’s unfortunate though, he added, that such stories of success his battalion’s successes were later overshadowed by the controversy when a 39-second video clip surfaced in January 2012 that showed four snipers with his battalion urinating on enemy corpses. 

Parker’s Silver Star, which Dixon said is the last of the battalion’s administrative delays, brings to a close a dark, frustrating period for many who served in the 1,000-man battalion chapter for many. In January 2012, after the Marines had returned home to North Carolina, a video surfaced showing four of the unit's Marines, elite scout snipers, defiling the remains of insurgents they'd just shot and killed  — including Dixon, his Marines, and family members who were swept up in a criminal investigation. The fallout that ensued reached the Marine Corps' most senior general, who was so incensed by the video that he, too, would become entangled in scandal as he sought to ferret out all wrongdoers and ensure they were held accountable.  

The entire battalion was locked down for months. No one was promoted. No one was allowed to move into a new assignment. No one was That investigation would leave valor awards for like Parker and Hervey, it meant no one was allowed to receive the awards they had earned on the battlefield.   

Dixon, who was a lieutenant colonel in 2011, was remanded to a staff job for two years, his promotion and follow-on assignment delayed until the commandant, then-Gen. James Amos, was satisfied that the battalion commander didn't bear greater responsibility for the incident it saw hicareer limbosat in a staff job as his promotion to colonel and next assignment were delayed. He was finally promoted to colonel 2014, and now as the chief of staff for Joint Task Force Civil Support at Fort Eustis, Virginia, which oversees the military's first responders for chemical, biological and nuclear incidents. 

Both Parker and Dixon said 3/2 accomplished too much on that deployment to allow knew that one negative incident to define the Marines — or the battalion — forever.

When 3/2 left Afghanistan the region in late 2011, the Marines who replaced them saw better security as a result of what Dixon's battalion had accomplished. The 3/2 Marines worked to build up the Afghan soldiers and police who would provide security for that part of Helmand province. Strained local troops and the police force, and small teams of troops Marines pushed the edges of the battle space to drive insurgents from out of the region. And while the Marines tried to keep things stable, things often got kinetic.   

The Marines responded with true battlefield innovation. The same sniper team that , which later came under scrutiny for the war-zone video, was credited with incorporating M1 Abrams tanks into their missions, — a move that enabled them to kill hundreds of insurgents. Top Marine leaders, including the commandant, visited the battalion in theater during its deployment to congratulate them on their successes.

Life for the Afghans was also better with 3/2 in the region. Dixon’s Marines built a road that connected Musa Qala to Now Zad, opening opportunities for which opened up commerce and connecting the districts to Lashkar Gah, Helmand's the capital and of Helmand province and a political and economic center.

Once that road was opened up, it was as though day-to-day life improved was infused back into Now Zad and Musa Qala, Dixon said. Markets thrived and the locals appreciated the security Marines provided along the road. And that wasn't all 's just one example of how the 3/2 Marines affected change in the region, Dixon said. 

As he prepared to speak at Dixon prepared to watch Maj. Gen. Brian Beaudreault, the commanding general of 2nd Marine Division, present Parker's with the Silver Star ceremony, Dixon said the moment would have even deeper meaning for much more for his battalion. 

"We’re honoring Parker," he said, "but at the same time, we need to honor all of them," Dixon said. The six Marines and the sailor that were killed, we need to talk about our wounded, we need to talk about the daily performance of the individual Marines and sailors." 

Dixon said that Parker's award is the last of the unit's administrative delays. But at least one other One 3/2 family remains hopeful that the Marine Corps will recognize their hero it will lead to Parker’s Silver Star leads to other members of the battalion receiving recognition. 

Medically retired Cpl. Rob Richards, one of the scout snipers involved in the controversial video, was nominated put up for a Bronze Star with "V" for his actions during 3/2's the 2011 deployment. Richards had been put up for the valor award, which Dixon signed, for braving enemy fire to retrieve a dead insurgent's weapon before it fell back into enemy hands. Dixon endorsed the award before the scandal erupted, but today it oughly five years later, that award remains in limbo.

Richards, a sergeant who was busted down in rank to corporal as a result of the video for his involvement in the video, died unexpectedly suddenly at his home in August 2014 after receiving an honorable discharge leaving the Corps. He was 28 years old. His wife, Raechel, said that knowing Parker's is about to receive his Silver Star is "extremely satisfying," and gives her hope that for other deserving Marines from members of 3/2 will be recognized, too for combat heroism. 

Richards' and her husband’s supporters continue to advocate for his Bronze Star that award to be issued. Quoting the Marines' motto She said she knows Marines are "always faithful," his widow said all she can do is hope holds out hope that one day, her hero receives the award for which the citations were written.