Soon thereafter, he moved to the roof where he engaged and wounded a fifth insurgent, who fell from the roof of the building. He pursued him up the stairs and killed him. He then took enemy fire from an insurgent who had appeared from a closet across the room. Bellavia returned fire, killing both attackers. He proceeded to kill one insurgent and wound another, who then ran to another part of the house.īellavia was soon engaged by another insurgent rushing down the stairs when the previously wounded insurgent re-emerged to engage him as well. Bellavia re-entered the house, armed with an M16, and assaulted insurgents who were firing rocket-propelled grenades. He quickly exchanged an M16 rifle for an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, entered the house where his squad was trapped, and engaged insurgents, providing cover fire so that he and his fellow soldiers could exit safely, the Army said.Ī Bradley Fighting Vehicle arrived to help suppress the enemy, but it could not fire directly into the house. Bellavia was clearing a block of houses when his platoon became pinned down. The Army provides this description of Bellavia’s heroic actions in Fallujah: He describes that day in this video from the Army. Bellavia was then a staff sergeant in the Army. He will be the first living veteran from the Iraq War to receive the nation’s highest honor.īellavia will receive the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 10, 2004, while serving as a squad leader in support of Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq. By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 June 2019 at 1:47 pmĭavid Bellavia, a Waterport resident and Lyndonville graduate, will receive the Medal of Honor on June 25 during a ceremony at the White House.
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