Sgt. Joshua Moore, shown training in California in March, will receive the Navy Cross during a Nov. 1 ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. (Marine Corps)
By Dan Lamothe
Staff writer
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Maj. Gen. Walter L. Miller Jr., left, commanding general of Regional Command Southwest, congratulates Sgt. Joshua Moore, a scout sniper team leader with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, on Sept. 13. Moore will be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions in Afghanistan in 2011. (Sgt. Tammy K. Hineline/Marine Corps)
A Marine scout sniper who tossed a live grenade from an Afghan compound before it exploded will receive the Navy Cross next week for his heroism, Marine officials said.
Sgt. Joshua Moore will receive the award - second only to the Medal of Honor in recognizing combat valor - during a Nov. 1 ceremony at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He is credited with a series of heroic actions on March 14, 2011, while deployed near Marjah, a former Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, where Marines encountered fierce combat in 2010 and 2011.
According to his Navy Cross citation, Moore was a lance corporal when his scout sniper element came under fire while occupying a compound north of Marjah. Two Marines were quickly wounded, and an insurgent tossed two grenades over a wall into the structure.
"Without hesitation, Lance Corporal Moore threw the closest grenade out of the compound before it exploded," his citation says. "Realizing seconds later that the second grenade was not going to explode he charged out of the compound to aid the wounded. Though instantly taken under fire by an enemy force one hundred meters away, Lance Corporal Moore audaciously stood his ground, returning fire with his M4 rifle and M203 grenade launcher."
Moore's effort forced the insurgents to abandon their position, buying his team time to regroup and aid the wounded Marines, the citation says. He then assisted in scouting and securing a landing zone for a medical evacuation.
http://www.militarytimes.com/articl...230023/Marine-scout-sniper-who-tossed-live-grenade-from-compound-get-Navy-Cross
