The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Jeffrey Dean McCoy, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as Commanding Officer, Troop C, 3d Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, in Iraq, from 22 March 2003 to 25 March 2003. Captain McCoy’s performance as the Commander of Crazyhorse Troop during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM has been nothing short of extraordinary. His outstanding combat leadership and the battlefield successes have set a modern example of aggressive cavalry troop operations and reflect great credit upon himself, the troopers of Crazyhorse Troop, 3d Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry “Garry Owen”, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
For Valorous Service during combat operations against forces of Iraq while commanding Crazyhorse Troop, 3d Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 22 to 25 March 2003. Captain McCoy displayed great heroism and combat leadership throughout the entire campaign, constantly leading his troop from theirthe front and employing them to defeat each and every Iraqi force he came on contact with. On the morning of 22 March 2003, Crazyhorse lead the squadron attack to seize OBJ CHATHAM (As Samawah). The Squadron further divided this objective into two smaller objectives, PISTOL and SABER, both of which centered on key bridge crossings along the 3d Infantry Division’s planned route of march. Crazyhorse seized both OBJ PISTOL and SABER in rapid fashion. On Objective PISTOL Iraqi light infantry forces fought desperately to hold onto the bridge site but were destroyed by Captain McCoy’s brilliant employment of his Troop’s direct fire systems augmented by the Squadron’s KIOWA Warriors, the direct support howitzer battery and CAS from the U.S. Air Force. Captain McCoy continued until he was reinforced by Apache troop and enemy resistance in the area was neutralized. Throughout the entire engagement, Captain McCoy constantly maintained control of these vital crossing sites thereby facilitating the rapid advance of the 1st Raider Brigade into zone while destroying over 120 Iraqi soldiers and para-military forces, 1xTank, 3xArtillery pieces and numerous automatic and air defense weapons. On the morning of 25 March 2003, during an intense sand storm that reduced visibility to less than 50 meters, Crazyhorse Troop crossed the Euphrates River southe3ast of An Jajaf and to relieve Bonecrusher Troop on OBJ FLOYD (Abu Sukhayr, Iraq) and maintain the one and only bridge crossing over the Euphrates that the division had to sustain its lines of communications. For the next 3 days Iraqi military and paramilitary forces attacked Crazyhorse Troop with an intensity that had been unmatched during this conflict. With the Squadron Commander and TAC decisively engaged while located more than 24 km to the north and out of direct radio contact, Captain McCoy was truly the commander in charge of the fight at OBJ FLOYD. Iraqi forces attacked the troop with T-72 tanks and BMPs, light infantry, dump trucks, cars and even suicide bombers driving fully loaded 5,000-gallon fuel trucks directly at the Troop’s defenses. Captain McCoy’s performance during this time was incredible. He fought his troop superbly, fully employing every asset available to him from his own tanks and Bradleys to individual small arms to MLRS and even air strikes by B-1 bombers flying in close support of the Division. Captain McCoy and his trooper’s actions during this period of time were nothing short of extraordinary. Practically cut off from friendly forces, receiving re-supply and evacuation only when the squadron was able to gather the assets to provide tracked escort to its supply vehicles, Captain McCoy displayed indisputable heroism and superb tactical intuition as he fought his troop to maintain his objective. Upon relief by the 2d BCT, Crazyhorse had destroyed over 20 tanks and personnel carriers, 52 trucks, and 7 vehicles driven by suicide bombers. Captain McCoy and his Crazyhorse troopers continued to perform superbly in support of the Squadron and the Division. Crazyhorse successfully screened key terrain in sector as part of the squadron’s guard along PL ST LOUIS denied Iraqi forces access to Baghdad from the West. His aggressive actions not only protected the flank of the Squadron’s main effort troop during an intense mounted action vicinity OBJ MONTGOMERY, but also accounted for the destruction of over 10 enemy tanks, personnel carriers, air defense weapons and numerous small arms and ammunition caches. Captain McCoy’s performance as the Commander of Crazyhorse Troop during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM has been nothing short of extraordinary. His outstanding combat leadership and the battlefield successes have set a modern example of aggressive cavalry troop operations and reflect great credit upon himself, the troopers of Crazyhorse Troop, 3d Squadron, 7th U.S. Cavalry “Garry Owen”, and the United States Army.