2 awarded Silver Stars for bravery in Afghanistan

On two successive mornings in July, Joseph Gould woke up at 3 a.m. with an overwhelming need to pray for his son, a Navy corpsman deployed in Afghanistan. "I awoke and I felt like Peter was in trouble," he said.

On the third morning, also at 3 a.m., Joseph and Malissa Gould got a telephone call from their son, Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter A. Gould. The Marine Corps squad to which he was assigned had been ambushed by the Taliban in the Garmsir district of Helmand province.

Gould, 24, downplayed his injuries. "He said he only had a few cuts and scratches," his father remembers. He made no mention of his actions during the morning-long firefight in which the Marines were attacked from three directions by 35 to 40 Taliban fighters armed with machine guns, improvised explosive devices and other weapons.

The Marines from Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment who were with Gould during the fight later praised his heroism to the brass. On Friday, at a ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Gould  was awarded a Silver Star for bravery as the squad medic on that brutal morning.

Within moments of the patrol being attacked, Gould ran through enemy fire to rescue a wounded Marine. As the battle continued, Gould was severely wounded by a shrapnel blast to his face and neck from a roadside bomb but he continued to administer aid to "my" Marines.

"His inspirational actions and mental toughness under intense enemy fire led directly to saving at least one Marine’s life that day," according to the Silver Star citation read to a gathering of Marines, family members and friends at a parade deck. 

A second Silver Star also was awarded Friday to the family of Marine Cpl. Larry Harris Jr.

During the same attack, Harris was attempting to carry a Marine to safety when he stepped on a roadside bomb. Harris, a fire team leader, died instantly but the Marine that he was carrying survived.

The citation presented to his parents and widow lauds Harris for "his bold leadership, wise judgment and complete dedication to duty."

Harris and Gould were “exceptional heroes," the battalion commander said.

The award to Gould is proof anew of the significant role of Navy corpsmen in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dozens have been cited for bravery; 42 have been killed in combat.

Marine infantry "grunts" are famously clannish and standoffish with outsiders, even from non-infantry Marines. But their corpsman, always called "Doc," is quickly accepted, Lt. Col. Fridrik Fridriksson told the gathering.

The term "Doc" is "a magical password to let a sailor come into the brotherhood of Marines," said Fridriksson, the current battalion commander. "These corpsmen do everything to take care of us -- and they don’t ask anything in return."

Gould, one of eight children in the family, grew up in Syracuse, Kan., a farming community on the border with Colorado. One brother served in the Air Force, another was a Marine who served two combat tours in Iraq. Their father is the principal of a Christian high school .

Gould has undergone numerous surgeries to repair his injuries, with more scheduled. He will leave active duty in June and hopes to attend UC Santa Barbara to study medicine, according to his girlfriend, Jackie Baysinger.

She said Gould had not wanted her or his parents to attend the Silver Star ceremony because he was embarrassed by the fuss being made over his actions, which he believed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Swarmed by reporters, Gould was reluctant to talk. His eyes welled with tears as he remembered Harris and other Marines killed during the battalion’s seven-month deployment. He was asked about the role of the corpsman during combat.

"You do what you have to do to get everyone home safely," he said quietly. "It’s in the job description."

-- Tony Perry at Camp Pendleton

Top photo: Marine Lt. Col. Fridrik Fridriksson, assisted by Sgt. Maj. Scott Samuels, pins the Silver Star on Petty Officer 3rd Class Peter A. Gould during ceremonies at Camp Pendleton.

Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Bottom photo: Gould has undergone numerous surgeries to repair injuries suffered when his unit was ambushed by heavily armed Taliban fighters.

Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Mr.G...]

OORAH!!! SEMPER FI Doc....

[Jane]

Just reading some WWII letters of my father in Italy which have come into my hands (he was infantry, a Red Bull). All I can see is that he is downplaying any injuries when he writes to his parents. But he wrote vividly of German bombardment and close encounters in firefights. He constantly employed humor - such as describing booby-trapping his area to prevent German incursions as a "prank done in the spirit of the holiday" (Halloween). My impression is that soldiering does not change, and indeed soldiers are ordinary people under extraordinary stress. They do what they can, and then they get medals pinned on them. My Dad was a complex human being with strengths and weaknesses. But his war only lasted four years.

[u know]

A true hero....thank you for your service humble warrior

[u know]

Prayers and thoughts to the family of Cpl Harris

[15 Year LAPD Veteran]

Kudos to you Joseph Gould! Your herosim made me shed a tear. We honor what you did for our country in Afganistan.

[Doug Wright]

OORAH Petty Officer Gould!

[jimmyd2]

Land of free because of the brave. Thank you for your service!

[Steve]

God bless you HM3 Gould. We're proud of your work.

S/F,
Steve
HMC (DV/PJ/FMF), USNR, Ret.

[Bob Bruns]

What we take for granted, they protect with their lives. Thanks and Semper Fi

[Schigolch]

Congratulations to our country for producing men like these.

[walker]

Nice job son, made me shed a tear too. Go Navy!

[Melody]

Gould is wearing his medal on his neck and face - a very brave young man with a bright future.

[JROD3055]

You done well HM3 Gould - God Bless you. Others will come behind you and use your acti0ns as measuring stick to live by.

[michael g]

Note to the L.A. Times: This should have been a front page story!! Perhaps, rather than focusing on the twin pukes of Charlie Sheen and Lady Ga Ga, the latest fashion trends and another puff piece on Obama and his vacant "recovery", you should spend more time on stories like this. Men like Peter Gould are the true American heroes, the people that inspire and sacrifice-- not some coked-out Hollywood celeb or Progressive windbag...

[Brian F.]

A sincere thank you to Cpl. Harris, his family & Petty Officer Gould. It is brave men and women that keep our country safe!!

[Doc Robertson]

I salute you Doc Gould. You may not think of yourself as a hero but we do. It took courage and a dedication to your Marines to do what you did that day. You obviously have what it takes to be successul in any field of medicine you choose so best of luck in your studies. Semper Fi Doc.

[mike reeves]

Double OORAH !

[rodney]

God bless them and their families.

[Michelle Woods Rosenblatt]

GO UNCLE SCOTT! MY HERO!
-Misha

[E. Samuels]

God Bless the heros that serve and protect our country! Prayers to Cpl. Harris' family and a huge thank-you to Petty Officer Gould! Our armed forces make me proud to be an American! You all Rock!

[U.S. NAVY Retired]

I salute Petty Officer Gould. You are a true hero and I am proud to say a sailor..