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Marine Advisor to Afghan Army Awarded Silver Star
Corporal Ethan Nagel was awarded the Silver Star, Dec. 17, 2013, during a ceremony in Minneapolis for his actions in Afghanistan.
The native of Prior Lake, Minn., was presented his medal for opposing armed forces in Afghanistan in July 2009.
"It's an honor to be nominated for the Silver Star and, even more so, to receive it," said Nagel. "Honestly, the men who were there fighting [alongside] me deserve this just as much as I do. They did an amazing job."
At the time, Nagel, a member of the Third Marine Division, was deployed and serving as a military advisor to the Afghan National Army. During a humanitarian mission, Nagel, along with U.S. Special Forces and trained Afghan soldiers, was ambushed by a superior enemy force.
During a prolonged firefight where Nagel was wounded by shrapnel and a U.S. Army Special Forces officer, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas M. Vose III, was shot in the chest, Nagel gave up his position to initially provide aid to Vose and then defended him from Taliban fighters trying to capture him.
At one point in the fighting, Nagel was seen applying pressure to Vose's chest while simultaneously defending him with his pistol.
When the medical evacuation took place, Nagel helped protect the helicopter during its descent and takeoff. Vose was airlifted out of the battlefield, but later died of his wounds.
"You don't strive to receive the Silver Star, because it is due to such harsh circumstances," said Nagel. "I would trade it all in for the friends that I've lost."
Brigadier General James S. Hartsei I, commanding general of the Fourth Marine Division, presented the award lo Nagel.
"He [Nagel] was not going to let the Taliban capture Vose," said BGen I lartsell. "And that's exactly what they were trying to do."
Nagel...