IRAQ: Navy corpsman cited for 'courage under fire'

Al Jazeera, the "Arab CNN," isn't always considered fair in its reporting on U.S. forces in Iraq.

But that didn't matter when Navy corpsman Ryan Faulhaber saw an Al Jazeera reporter wounded and helpless during the battle this spring in Basra between insurgents and Iraqi troops backed by U.S. Marines.

Braving insurgent fire, Faulhaber dashed into the open to treat the reporter and bring him to safety. "None of the Iraqis were willing to assist the wounded reporter," Maj. Mark Slusher said. "Faulhaber did not hesitate."

Days later, in the same battle, Faulhaber rescued five Marines from a vehicle that had burst into flames when hit with a rocket-propelled grenade. "Same thing again, courage under fire," Slusher said.

Faulhaber, now back at Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been awarded the Bronze Star for bravery, the Marine Corps announced this week.

-- Tony Perry reporting from Al Asad, Iraq

Photo: Navy corpsman Ryan Faulhaber with Iraqi children. Credit: Marine Corps