Connecticut corpsman receives Silver Star for heroism in Afghanistan
5/9/2012 By Cpl. Walter D. Marino II , 2nd Marine Division
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Petty Officer 3rd Class Todd Angell received one of the nation’s highest military awards for valor, the Silver Star, for his heroism in Afghanistan as a corpsman with Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.Corporal Brandon Rumbaugh, a close friend of Angell’s and a Marine whose life he helped save in Afghanistan, pinned the medal on the Bethel, Conn., native during a ceremony April 27.
Rumbaugh, a Uniontown, Pa., native, became a double amputee after stepping on an improvised explosive device. Angell was one of the service members who rushed to his aid and started him on intravenous fluids and medication.
“One of the hardest (casualties) I worked on was Rumbaugh; he was one of the most unstable casualties I had. He was actually less stable than a kid I treated with a gunshot wound to the head,” said Angell. “I did everything I could, but I didn’t know if it was enough. Having him pin me meant the world to me. Just to have Rumbaugh alive to pin me, that’s more than any Silver Star or any medal.”
Rumbaugh wasn’t the only one Angell saved during his tour in Afghanistan. Angell risked his life on many occasions to save others because he said, “If that means being hurt on the way, so be it.”
During one incident Oct. 12, 2010, Angell took a Marine fire team and unknowingly ran more than 500 meters through an IED hotspot to provide immediate care for
Marines injured by IEDs, rather than wait for vehicles to navigate the difficult terrain in the area.
http://www.marines.mil/unit/2ndmardi...x#.T67iP6yF9ce
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Connecticut corpsman receives Silver Star for heroism in Afghanistan
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