President Donald Trump will present the Medal of Honor on Tuesday to former Army Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia for his actions as a squad leader in Fallujah, making him the first living Iraq War veteran to receive the recognition.
During Operation Phantom Fury in 2004, Bellavia's platoon was pinned down while clearing a block of houses. Bellavia then exchanged his M16 rifle for an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and entered the house where his squad was trapped to provide cover fire so the soldiers could exit safely, the White House said.
"A Bradley Fighting Vehicle arrived to help suppress the enemy, but it could not fire directly into the house," it added in a statement. "ThenStaff Sergeant Bellavia reentered the house... and assaulted insurgents who were firing rocketpropelled grenades."
There, he engaged five different fighters, pursuing them through the house until the threat was neutralized.
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