Marines honored for heroism in Iraq

Two Marines who risked their lives to help fellow soldiers were decorated Thursday for heroic combat service during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Daniel Velis Jr. and Capt. Mark Vanderbeek were recognized at an award banquet in Little America Hotel held by the Marine Corp Recruiting Station.

Velis, originally from Los Angeles, was given the Bronze Star for leading his company out of an enemy ambush near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, on March 27, 2003, and then going on to defeat two Iraqi platoons and an entrenched enemy squad.

While on a night patrol in Baghdad his platoon came under fire from multiple directions. Velis' squad overwhelmed the enemy and with complete disregard for his personal safety he entered the kill zone to pull a wounded Marine to safety and aided in securing a landing zone for two mortally wounded Marines.

"When I think about it, it was what any other Marine would and should do," Valis said. "There's no difference between me doing my job and any other Marine doing their job."

Valis is now living in Layton and serves as a canvassing recruiter in Ogden and Salt Lake City.

Vanderbeek, originally from Bedford, Ore., was awarded the Air Medal for a rescue mission he flew in a CH46E Sea Knight helicopter on the first day of combat in Iraq, March 21, 2003.

"It was the very first combat mission I ever did," he said. "At first it was kind of a novelty but that wore off when people started shooting at me. When we started loading Marines who'd been injured the importance of what we were doing became extremely clear."

The Casualty Evacuation Mission in the vicinity of Az Zubayr, Iraq, was carried out despite enemy fire toward the loading zone. Vanderbeek flew his helicopter through challenging terrain, skimming the ground at high speed and then made a difficult landing next to a 150-foot set of high-tension wires.

The helicopter received heavy small arms fire while the wounded soldiers were loaded until Vanderbeek was able to take off and transport the Marines to a surgical team 50 miles away in Kuwait.

"During the war I had other interesting missions, this was just one of them," he said. "But the opening round was like, 'Wow, so this is what this is all about.' "

Vanderbeek is now an officer selection officer for the recruiting station in Salt Lake City.

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