European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 stars and stripes heroes june Courtesy of Gerald Wolford 1st class Gerald Wolford and his Crew endured a four hour firefight in an attempt to secure Bridges outside Baghdad As the War got under from Derek Michael Woody Galen Young and Cory for his Wolford was awarded the Silver every window had someone with a gun7 by Lisa Burgess stars and stripes people who have been in combat know that any firefight that lasts longer than five or 10 minutes is a relatively rare even in a hot shooting the fight on the Banks of the euphrates River in Southeast of Bagh that earned 1st class Gerald Wolford a Silver Star for valor went Al most four by the time it was Over in the Early hours of april 2003 humvee that Wolford was using had sur Vived two direct hits by Rock a propelled humvee Are de signed to run or move even when the tires Are blown Wolford but this one looked like a Fred Flint Stone cartoon you where the Stone wheels just keep getting More and More chipped away like who was wounded during the fight but refused medical care until it was was fighting alongside two soldiers who were also badly but demanded to stay in the three of his soldiers also received the Bronze Star with v device for valor that Day Cory Michael Woody and Derek it is the dedication and loyalty of his More than his that makes Wolford recall that Day with such he told stripes in an interview in washing name 1st class Gerald Wolford unit 82nd airborne divisions 3rd of the 325th airborne infantry regi ment medal Silver Star earned april Iraq they just blew my he i never had a question that they do what i when i follow they were right there with when the Battle Wolford was assigned to the 82nd airborne divisions 3rd of the 325th airborne infantry regi out of fort when the War kicked the heavy weapons Section Leader and his recon platoon were part of a ground attack con Voy moving North from Kuwait to Tallis Southeast of on March he and his hum Vee mounted platoon were told to secure a series of Bridges across the euphrates River in and then perform reconnaissance for the follow on infantry who were on the Mission got exciting at the first when Wolford told his Driver to hold up his had spotted a pickup outfitted with a machine gun on the positioned on the far Side of the about 200 Yards who was up on the Ber asked his Leader for permission to i told him to go Wolford those were kind the shots heard round the at least for our Battal because they were the first time any one had fired in the Wolford christians ens first blast disabled the engine a second round disabled the but those shots also opened up a whole can of he people started coming out of the it was like every House and every window had someone with a gun in it and All those weapons were firing at Wolford and his one of the most immediate threats was coming from a House that had sandbags covering the absorbing the Impact of Wolford units machine gun who had been using a mark19 grenade decided this was a Good time to pull out the which is a 74 my antitank shoulder fired Christiansen was Busy he had bigger fish to Wolford i wanted to fire one in combat there really this seemed like a Good the missile worked even better than it Wolford i had time to turn and yell Reg so the two other men had time to get the Reg hit the Bridge above their wounding Woodward and and knocking Wolford Over in the Wolford got his dazed and bleeding soldiers to their into the and took them to a nearby casualty collection had in it worked spectacularly then went Back to the the whole House fell in on the during a he went Back to Check on psyched by his first at4 Wolford his Woodward had received less of a began looking for another blow than and was patched up he saw fire coming from a foxhole in another the shooter seemed to have figured out that the mark19 is a Little slow in and kept popping Back into his Hole like a just in time to avoid getting hit by the so Wolford readied another at4 the results of this shot were even More dramatic than the first one in an attempt to escape the incoming the enemy fighter leapt from his foxhole and made a break for but he rigged when he should have and impacted directly with the Wolford he ran right into the or it went off right in front of i  but he was there was nothing left of him at the fighting continued As Wolford team moved toward the second at one working to extract a Small group of engineers that had gotten pinned he and his men took their first my gunner and i both saw an Reg fired at our position at the same i having my men receive awards for their valor is what made my accomplishments Honor 1st class Gerald Wolford and on his after talking to the i let him make the Deci and he decided to come Wolford Rippee had been Hurt and lost a lot of but was begging to return the medics if he its on your Wolford that was the most asinine thing id Ever Hes my if he it will be my fault no matter Rippee came Back just in time to be present when the humvee got hit for the second time with an this one went underneath the vehicle and destroyed the right rear adding to the Flintstones but it kept so did Wolford and his fighting the enemy on both sides of the euphrates being awarded the Silver Star is an incredible said who has just finished officer candidate school and is in the pipeline to be an infantry but having my men receive awards for their valor is what made my accomplish ments email Lisa Burgess at