His name is Sgt. Craig Warfle. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after he finished high school in Stow, Ohio, in 2008 and now is a member of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
On a recent Friday afternoon, he stood perfectly still during a ceremony at Hunter Army Air Field as Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno pinned a small, eagle-emblazoned cross onto his uniform.
With that simple motion, Sgt. Warfle became only the 26th soldier to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross since troops began operating in Afghanistan in 2001. Only the medal of honor ranks higher to recognize valor during combat.
Warfle also has become the Ranger regiment’s second most decorated soldier. Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry was awarded the Medal of Honor last year his actions in Afghanistan in May 2008.
The Army’s citation for Warfle indicated he won the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during a firefight in 2010 in which he and other Rangers were dropped in to assault a group of Taliban fighters.
Odierno said Warfle’s actions as an automatic rifleman saved the lives of his teammates and resulted in the deaths of 16 Taliban fighters.
“…It’s about young soldiers doing their jobs, being there for each other, relying on each other and knowing that they ….will step up when the situation necessitates it,” Odierno said.
During the battle, Warfle was shot in the arm but he continued to operate “with total disregard for his own personal safety, maneuvered on a fortified enemy machine gun position through effective enemy fire,” the Army citation reads. “... His actions allowed the platoon to hastily withdraw and defeat the enemy using air assets.”
Warfle said any of his battalion mates would have done the same thing.
“It’s humbling, you know. It’s something that at the time we were just doing what we were doing,” said the sereant who since has served two more deployments to Afghanistan.
Warfle wasn’t alone in getting recognition for his actions.
Odierno pinned Silver Stars on 1st Battalion Rangers Staff Sgt. Dominic Annecchini, Sgt. Michael Ross and Sgt. Christopher Coray, and 24 other Rangers received honors including Bronze Stars, Army Commendation Medals and Purple Hearts.
A Presidential Unit Citation went to the Rangers for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” while deployed from May to October 2010.
As Odiereno said: “… all of the awardees here today epitomize selfless service to a cause greater than themselves”
Almost anything that can be said in praise of these soldiers seems inadequate. So we’ll settle for a simple but sincere thought:
Thank you.
Justice for dune removal
A few days ago, state officials announced they had reached a settlement with, Harry Spirides, the owner of the Ocean Plaza Beach Resort to restore a sand dune he all but wiped away earlier this year and to fund $10,000 worth of environmental education at the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
Spirides signed a consent order with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on Oct. 27, three months after he gave DNR a written statement in which he acknowledged he had hired laborers to shovel sand in the middle of the night over the course of three weeks in February and March.
The resort owner had complained earlier that the dune was too tall but told DNR agents his ‘intent’ was to sweep sand off a nearby walkway. The only problem was the dune was 60 feet from the walkway.
Spirides continues to claim there was “no ill intent,” and it’s impossible to read someone’s mind, but the fine and required restoration of the dune are on target, and DNR’s Spud Woodward notes the total cost is likely to top $20,000 after the cost of restoring the dune and legal fees are added into the total.
“I think it’s large enough to show it was an egregious action, and the penalty is commensurate with it,” Woodward said.
We agree.
The fine and reworking of the dune make their point and serve as an effective warning to anyone else who might be tempted to rework the beach without going through appropriate channels.
Mayor Jason Buelterman also make sense when he says he will ask Spirides to stop down as a member of Tybee’s beach task force. His staying there would be akin to the fox guarding the hen house.
One other note: In Spirides’ press release on the fine and restoration order, he characterized the $10,000 as “a charitable donation.”
Good luck selling that notion to the IRS.