The President of the United States of America, authorized by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962, takes pleasure in presenting the Bronze Star Medal to Chief Warrant Officer Two Terrence P. Rulla, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious service while serving with Operational Detachment Alpha 012 (ODA-012), 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, from 12 November 2004 to 1 July 2005. Chief Warrant Officer Two Rulla’s outstanding dedication to duty during combat operations in Iraq contributed to the overwhelming success of the Command’s mission. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect distinct credit upon himself, Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
Chief Warrant Officer Two Terrance P. Rulla distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as the Assistant Detachment Commander, for Operational Detachment Alpha 012 (ODA-012), Baghdad, Iraq, from 12 November 2004 to 1 July 2005, during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Chief Warrant Officer Two Rulla distinguished himself early as a subject matter expert in Foreign Internal Defense (FIC) and Advanced Special Operations (ASO). While in Ar Ramadi, he took charge of a 12-man Iraqi urban reconnaissance element and single-handedly trained them in a wide range of mission-critical tasks, to include weapons marksmanship, defensive driving, photography, sketching, and target identification. He was personally responsible for the employment of this element on over thirty Close Target Reconnaissance (CTR) missions throughout the intensely denied Ar Ramadi area, providing invaluable situational awareness of the detachment and the FIRST Marine Division. While assigned to lead one of the detachment’s two split teams, he maintained thorough accountability and operational control of his element on over 15 targeted, split-team raids throughout the dangerous Al Anbar province of Iraq, often times including complex target packets and follow-on targets. Chief Warrant Officer Two Rulla’s attention to detail was instrumental to the detachment’s successful operations, resulting in the detention of over 80 Anti-Iraqi Forces personnel, to include five High-Value Targets (HVT) and the number one HVT for Ar Ramadi. He served exceptionally as the detachment’s Liaison to other governmental agencies and one Special Operations Command Task Force. His vast experience gave him instant credibility, and contributed enormously to the detachment’s support from, and solid working relationship with these other units. With the detachment commander on an advanced party to Baghdad, Chief Warrant Officer Two Rulla was responsible for a detailed Transfer of Authority (TOA) to the incoming Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Unit, to include the planning and execution of two complex raids as confidence targets for the NSW team. His tireless efforts, sound judgment, and strong leadership were instrumental to a safe and successful handover, and the operational capabilities of the NSW during this important time. Chief Warrant Officer Two Rulla performed superbly as the only U.S. advisor to an Iraqi Army Battalion intelligence operations section. In only three weeks he completed a challenging task re-organization and advised them daily on information collection and targeting, while still performing his other duties for the detachment. In his first month he was instrumental in the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army capturing four of their ten HVT’s in the dangerous Haifa Street areas of operations. His experience in ASO and CTR was indispensable to the success of the 1st Battalion’s urban reconnaissance element. His extensive operational knowledge, coupled with his vast experience from Ar Ramadi, enabled him to provide extremely valuable advice in the training and employment of this element in countless missions. His professionalism, experience, and leadership played a vital role in the success of this mission. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect distinct credit upon himself, the Special Operations Command Central, and the United States Army.