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 First Lieutenant (Armor) James Colin Cremin, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Executive Officer of Company A, 2d Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 17 April 2004, near Diwaniyah, Iraq. First Lieutenant (Armor) Cremin’s gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
First Lieutenant Cremin conspicuously distinguished himself with great gallantry and fearless leadership on 17 April 2004. First Lieutenant Cremin assumed command of the Heavy Equipment Transport convoy of the majority of the battalion’s tracked vehicles when it suffered an ambush in the city of Ad-Diwaniyah. The convoy was using an alternate route when the lead elements of the HET convoy began to encounter a barrage of small arms and RPG fire over a four-kilometer stretch of urban terrain. The company hasty defense, counter-attack and recovery of all the vehicles lasted over three hours and was fought through 4 kilometers of dense urban terrain which offered stiff enemy resistance with both small arms and RPG fire. At the onset of the attack, First Lieutenant Cremin monitored the convoy commander’s frequency and quickly determined that the HET drivers were confused and did not understand how to respond to such a heavy onslaught. While attempting to gain contact with the lead HETs to urge them to continue their move, First Lieutenant Cremin’s tank began to receive heavy small arms and RPG fire from both sides of the street. First Lieutenant Cremin fought out of his hatch the entire time in order to prevent enemy dismounts from approaching the vehicle and to maintain situational awareness of the entire convoy. An RPG round impacted on the right rear of his tank and after identifying the attacker 300m down an alley, destroyed the RPG team with .50 caliber fire. He and his gunner fought the tank as a three-man crew and engaged dismounted attackers from both the rooftops and alleyways throughout the kill zone. First Lieutenant Cremin continued to maintain situational awareness and was able to identify portions of the convoy had made wrong turns and were becoming vulnerable due to their limited mobility. He ordered all vehicles to a rally point on the other side of the river allowing the tank platoon leaders in the convoy to direct their HETs to a common point to reconsolidate. First Lieutenant Cremin then ordered tanks in the kill zone to break the retaining chains and continue the fight off of the HETs in order to increase mobility and survivability. At this point, he received the report that Aggressor White 2’s HET was disabled and still in the kill zone. At this point, First Lieutenant Cremin organized a counter-attack into the city to retrieve the HET before it fell into enemy hands. Originally, he organized a four-tank platoon to conduct the action, but while maneuvering in the tight terrain on the other side of the river, Aggressor Red 2 found soft ground and became mired. First Lieutenant Cremin then ordered Aggressor Red 3 to provide security for Red 2 while recovery assets arrived to assist the vehicle. At this point, First Lieutenant Cremin in his vehicle and Aggressor Red 4, SSG Costa, were the only two tanks available for the counter-attack. First Lieutenant Cremin led the section over the bridge and back into the kill zone where they immediately began to take more small arms and RPG fire. The section destroyed numerous enemy combatants on the street and on the rooftops as well as in vehicles that were being used to transport RPG teams into and out of the battle. First Lieutenant Cremin fought here for well over an hour and it was his use of the main gun on RPG teams that broke the attacker’s will and the enemy began to flee the area. He then organized control points along the route with Aggressor Red 4 and tanks from other companies to secure the route for the lost and disabled HETs. First Lieutenant Cremin remained near the disabled HET awaiting instructions on what actions to take while continuing to receive enemy small arms and RPG fire. While waiting for the order to either recover or destroy the HET, an RPG round slammed into the side of the HET causing it to burst into flames. First Lieutenant Cremin immediately engaged the RPG team with .50 caliber destroying the enemy troops. Once all the remaining HETs were accounted for and safely across the bridge, First Lieutenant Cremin ensured that all tanks were operational and recovered. He then broke down his control points and crossed the river away from the kill zone. First Lieutenant Cremin’s tank accounted for the most enemy killed during the entire engagement. His calm demeanor under extreme danger and ability to lead elements of a transportation company, three tank companies, a Headquarters company, and a scout section through a counter-attack to retrieve lost and endangered army equipment is a credit to his leadership and bravery in the face of heavy enemy fire. His strong leadership was a major factor in motivating the members of the convoy to fight fiercely in the face of such an organized attack. Had First Lieutenant Cremin not taken control of the situation once the convoy entered the ambush, there would most likely have been many more friendly casualties and destroyed or captured vehicles. First Lieutenant Cremin’s exceptional bravery while under intense fire during a three-hour attack is in the highest traditions of the 2d Cavalry Regiment, the 1st Armored Division and the United States Army.