This award matters

Image courtesy: The Official Gunnery Sergeant John "Manila" Basilone U.S. Postage Stamp Campaign

After serving three tours in Iraq, Gunnery Sgt. Brian Blonder received a new set of orders in 2008, while back in the United States. The battle-tested Marine was urgently needed in Afghanistan, and he had to be there in ten days.

His fourth Middle East combat tour would be incredibly challenging. Gunnery Sgt. Blonder was injured in an IED attack, but pressed his platoon forward through ambushes and terrorist booby-traps to achieve its objectives. In great tribute to his tenacity, the Marines killed 19 insurgents and took out a key enemy target on that dangerous Afghanistan day.

According to The North County Times, Blonder has been honored for his extraordinary bravery with the 2010 Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone Award for Courage and Committment. The award and scholarship are named for a heroic Marine from Buffalo, New York, who performed with stunning bravery on Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima during World War II. The award is only presented to noncommissioned officers. While this year's ceremony was supposed to begin with a high-altitude parachute drop, bad weather cancelled those plans. Still, the Camp Pendelton event was filled with dramatic moments.

"I'm standing next to a Marine hero," [Maj. Gen. Richard] Mills said of Blonder. "He's done everything we ask our Marines to do, and he has always been out in front leading his men. No one deserves it more than Gunny Blonder."

Hearing those words from Maj. Gen. Mills must have been overwhelmingly special to the 30-year-old Marine. Mark Walters' article said shortly after the ceremony, Mills left for Afghanistan, where he will command ground Marine ground forces.

On a personal note, asking for votes for the 2010 MilBlog Awards over the last few days has been a somewhat uncomfortable experience. While it is an honor to be nominated in the U.S. Reporter category, I don't feel that typing from an air-conditioned room makes me worthy of an award. That said, my deep congratulations to all fellow nominees, and good luck in tonight's final voting.

I continue to believe that real heroes like Blonder deserve trophies and recognition, even though America's media often deems Grammy winners, sports MVPs, and 'Dancing With The Stars' contestants more important. To me, nothing matters more than sacrifice on today's battlefields. In the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan, where Gunnery Sgt. Brian Blonder fought so bravely, freedom's survival in the 21st century is being determined.