Full Story
Corpsman receives Navy Commendation for courage under fire
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii
Story Identification #: 200684163751
Story by Lance Cpl. Ryan Trevino
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII (Aug. 4, 2006) --
III Marine Expeditionary Force Deputy Commanding General, Brig. Gen. Mastin M. Robeson, presented a hospital corpsman from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” Device (authorized for acts or service involving direct participation in combat operations) during a ceremony held here May 26.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Robert John Paul Hinckley, corpsman, Combined Anti-Armor Team II, Weapons Company was presented the award for his actions under fire during 1/3’s deployment to Afghanistan where the unit was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Finley, Wash. native said he remembers what happened Jan. 25 when a convoy in which he and several other Marines were riding left Camp Blessing and headed east along Pech River Road.
Hinckley, the only hospital corpsman along for the ride, was a passenger in one of the vehicles positioned in the rear of the convoy.
“We were riding through an area called ‘IED cliff,’ when one of the vehicles in front of me got hit by an IED,” said the 22-year-old. “The explosion caused the vehicle to flip upside down.”
After the explosion, Hinckley said he was quick to respond.
“I was the first one out of the vehicle. I ran up to the ‘high back’ (Humvee) to assess the casualties,” explained Hinckley
He said he immediately realized that the driver was unharmed during the blast, but the passenger, Lance Cpl. Billy D. Brixey, from 1/3, was trapped in the vehicle and severely injured.
“I noticed he was hurt pretty bad,” said Hinckley, remembering his first reaction after seeing the trapped Brixey. He said his legs, arms, and some of his fingers were broken.”
Other Marines witnessed Hinckley’s actions that day.
“I saw him run up to Lance Corporal Brixey and start taking care of him,” said Lance Cpl. Kyle L. Koons, missileman, Weapons Company. “He was doing his job.”
About the time Hinckley arrived at the destroyed vehicle, the ambush came into full effect. Insurgents started firing at the halted convoy with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Koons said he saw Hinckley position himself in front of the fallen Brixey, to shield him from enemy fire.
“I looked around and saw rounds bouncing off the ground and the vehicle all around us,” recalled Hinckley, who said he knew he needed to get Brixey out of the vehicle as soon as possible. “They were trying to shoot us because they saw a wounded Marine and a corpsman.”
After getting Brixey safely out of the vehicle, Hinckley was able to stabilize him, and applied as many splints to Brixey’s broken bones as he could, all the while protecting him from a barrage of enemy fire.
“My first instinct was to get him some cover, said Hinckley. “I needed to save this Marine’s life.”
The firefight ended when artillery support was called in on the enemy’s position up in the mountains.
Badly wounded and in need of immediate care, Brixey was rushed to a helicopter waiting to transport him to the closest hospital for treatment. He later died of his wounds received during the explosion, while on his way to a hospital in Germany.
According to the award citation, Hinckley, with complete disregard for his own safety, coordinated the delicate removal of the Marine from the wreckage under intense enemy fire for 30 minutes.
The deployment to Afghanistan was Hinckley’s second with 1/3. He was also with the unit during the initial assault on Fallujah in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
This was Hinckley’s first award of any kind, and according to the sea-service veteran, it was completely unexpected – just like the day he found himself under enemy fire, treating a wounded Marine.
“At one instance, I thought, ‘Wow, I never thought I would find myself here.’”
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