In April 2003 Marco Martinez led a team of Marines in Tarmiya, Iraq after his Squad Leader was wounded. As the fight between the Marines and Fadayeen moved to a courtyard, Martinez engaged the enemy with a rocket propelled grenade allowing the Marines to evacuate a wounded comrade. Martinez ended the fire fight by single handedly attacking a bunker while dodging bullets and tossing a grenade inside, killing 4 enemy forces. Dept. of Defense News.Martines has written a book entitled "Hard Corps" about his experiences in Iraq that led up to him being awarded the Navy Cross.
Today Martinez is a community college student studying business and working as a security guard at a nuclear plant. Martinez is the first Hispanic-American to receive the Navy Cross since the Vietnam War.
