Police recommend bravery citation for US Marine who stopped beating

[thedrifter]

Police recommend bravery citation for US Marine who stopped beating

SYDNEY (AFP) Jun 24, 2003
Sydney police on Tuesday recommended that a visiting US Marine be awarded a bravery citation for halting a street attack that nearly killed a man over the weekend.
Corporal Jason Belmont challenged the attacker during the assault outside a suburban Sydney pub in the early hours of Sunday, scaring the man away, police said.

Belmont then administered first aid to the victim, who suffered serious head and eye injuries after being repeatedly kicked and gouged by his attacker, they said.

"The actions of Corporal Jason Belmont were above and beyond the call of duty," police Commander John Sweeney said in a statement.

"Corporal Belmont stepped in and stopped what can only be described as a ferocious and relentless assault," he said.

"Had he not intervened, the victim may well have suffered fatal injuries ... His speedy actions prevented the loss of the victim's eye," he said.

Belmont was one of 6,500 US sailors and Marines on shore leave in Sydney en route home from the war in Iraq.

The US troops arrived on Friday aboard five warships and departed for California on Tuesday.

Before the ships sailed, Sweeney visited Belmont aboard the USS Cleveland to thank him for his actions.

"I passed on my personal thanks and also the thanks of the people of New South Wales for the soldiers actions, and I will now be forwarding a Command Commendation to his Marine Commanders recognising Corporal Belmonts actions," he said.




All rights reserved. ? 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.


http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030624022204.6vknxiwx.html


Sempers,

Roger