'Rocket Man' Rocks Insurgents in Ramadi

I just wanted to make note of a brave Marine. God bless him and all of our soldiers, sailors and airmen.

.

Marine has effectively fired 24 rockets using the Shoulder-Launched Multi-Purpose Assault Weapon or SMAW during combat operations in Ramadi.

By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Joseph DiGirolamo

1st Marine Expeditionary Force

RAMADI, Iraq, June 14, 2006 — The crack of insurgents firing rounds overhead sends him into action to find his target and neutralize it - fast. The Marine assesses multiple enemy targets approximately 400 meters away. He sights in. His finger steadily squeezes the trigger as a single shot jets from his rocket launcher. The explosion rocks the earth as the perfect hit is rewarded by the now silenced enemy – courtesy of the "Rocket man."

.

“They are calling me ‘Rocket man’ because of all the rockets I’ve fired since we have been here,” said Lance Cpl. Richard M. Mason II, of Medina, Ohio. “It’s an adrenaline rush to be the guy firing the rocket during a firefight.”

.

Mason has accurately fired 24 rockets in combat and his teammates have dubbed him appropriately.

.

The 21-year-old assaultman with K Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment has become a vital asset in the ongoing battle against the insurgency in the capital of Al Anbar province.

.

“During almost every engagement he has stopped enemy fire by destroying insurgents held up in a building,” said 1st Lt. Carlos M. Goetz, 2nd platoon commander. “Without hesitation he has exposed himself to enemy fire numerous times in order to execute my intent and help his fellow Marines.”

.

The Rest of the Story