Marine Honored at NFL Opener

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Marine Honored at NFL Opener
Submitted by: Operation Tribute to Freedom
Story Identification Number: 2003910135318
Story by Army Pfc. James Cornwell



WASHINGTON(Sep 7, 2003) -- Since he arrived back in the United States from Baghdad, Marine Cpl. Gardner Mejia has been staying out of the public eye.

"I hid from the media as soon as I got here," he said.

However, on Sept. 4th, Mejia, an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment, Camp Pendleton, Calif., and a native of Roselle, N.J., stood in front of more than 85,000 cheering, appreciative football fans at FedEx Field to be recognized for his service in the U.S.'s global war on terrorism. He and three other service members received lifetime memberships in the Military Order of the Purple Heart during a halftime ceremony at the Washington Redskins- New York Jets game.

When the four halftime honorees arrived at FedEx Field, the four halftime honorees spent most of the game standing on the Redskins sideline reveling in the excitement. The crowd shouted appreciative comments from the front rows even before the halftime ceremony, and several ESPN personalities offered greetings, including former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin and NFL Primetime host Chris Berman.

After the introduction by Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who received two Purple Hearts during his service in Vietnam, representatives of the Military Order of the Purple Heart presented each service member with his membership certificate as the crowd offered thunderous cheers and applause.

The ceremony was part of the NFL's participation in Operation Tribute to Freedom, a Department of Defense initiative of nationwide celebrations and activities to demonstrate public appreciation for American men and women in uniform and reinforce the bond between the citizenry and the military.

Mejia enjoyed his moment in front of the crowd. "I'm a movie star today," he said. "I've never been close to any event like that."

"I appreciate all the support the NFL is giving us, especially the media. I think it's outstanding how they're giving us backup," Mejia said.

Mejia earned his Purple Heart on the morning of April 10 while clearing a palace in Baghdad with his unit. It was their second objective of the day. A grenade explosion in the building left him with shrapnel in his right hand, severely injuring his middle finger. "I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

"Time seemed to slow down. I didn't feel my arm - I thought they had blown off my arm," he said. He touched the area around the wound to see what was wrong.

"Since I had gloves, it didn't really show until I turned my hand around. So it kind of affected me for like two seconds, but then one of my guys came over and I snapped out of it," Mejia said.

After being wounded, Mejia could no longer help clear the rooms because he couldn't feel his lower right arm. He took charge of rear security with other wounded Marines at that point, he said. Afterwards he was evacuated by helicopter.

Mejia's company gunnery sergeant was killed outside the palace in a vehicle that same day, he said.

The gunny always acted like nothing ever hurt him. "Rounds were coming down and he was still standing out there like nothing," said Mejia. "The way they got him was in his vehicle, and he wasn't even out doing anything. That kind of bothered me," he said.

"My lieutenant was right next to me when he got shot, so that affected me a lot. You don't expect to lose your lieutenant right off at the beginning of the war," he said.

The lieutenant and the gunny were like family to Mejia.

Mejia was able to use a reporter's cell phone to call his wife and family at home five hours after being wounded.

"I'm very religious," Mejia said. Thinking about coming back to his son and his wife and knowing his family was praying for him was what kept him motivated, as did seeing Iraqis who were glad the Marines were there, he said.

Mejia would go back if he had to. "It was the job, and I would do it again if it was called for. If it becomes necessary for me to do it again instead of my son, I would," he said.

He's glad to be back in the United States, though. "It feels good. I get to see my son, and that's what I really want," Mejia said. He's currently serving with the Marine Liaison Detachment at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., while he continues treatment.




Marine Cpl. Gardner Mejia, an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment receives a lifetime membership in the Military Order of the Purple Heart during halftime at the Washington Redskins- New York Jets NFL game as part of Operation Tribute to Freedom Thursday.
Photo by: Army Pfc. James Cornwell

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