The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Bronze Star Medal to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Bartholomew A. DelPolito, United States Navy, for meritorious service from 29 August 2007 to 28 August 2008, while deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as the Afghan National Army (ANA) Headquarters Security and Support Brigade (HSSB) Military Police (MP) at Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Delpolito significantly exposing himself to hostile action and great personal risk, served as mission commander, convoy commander, vehicle commander, driver or gunner during more than 450 combat patrols and tactical convoys through the Kabul Area of operation. His performance in a combat zone reflects great credit upon himself, the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, the United States Central Command and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito meritoriously served from 29 August 2007 to 28 August 2009 as the Military Police Mentor of Headquarters Security and Support Brigade (HSSB) Embedded Training Team. As an ETT member, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito trained and advised the HSSB on its mission, which includes protecting the Afghan Ministry of Defense, the Presidential Palace and the Afghan President. While significantly exposing himself to hostile action and great personal risk, he served as mission commander, convoy commander, vehicle commander, driver or gunner during more than 450 combat patrols and tactical convoys, transiting routes that have seen the highest number of Suicide Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (SVBIEDs) incidents in Afghanistan. Under his superb guidance, the Military Police (MP) Company achieved its training proficiency and combat readiness five months earlier than expected. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito meticulously planned and implemented a training program tied to the unit’s key Mission Essential Tasks (METL). He further refined training to account for the HSSB’s unique mission, enabling the MP Company to successfully conduct operations within just a few weeks of his arrival. As a direct result of his efforts, the MP Company was lauded by both the Brigade Commander and members of the Ministry of Defense for their proficiency. President Karzai specifically recognized the company in comments he made at the close of the Afghan-Pakistan Peace Jirga, an event for which the MPs provided security in Kabul city. His efforts resulted in the ANA MP’s perfectly establishing the initial perimeter, allowing NATO Forces to secure the crime scenes and remove wounded personnel. His mentorship enabled the MP Company to rapidly respond to eight separate suicide bombings, in which they provided both aid to the victims and site security for the first responders. The unit also conducted three joint raids with the Kabul City Police and the National Defense Service and performed more than 200 traffic control point operations helping secure Kabul city. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito’s superb ability to coach and mentor the entire MP Company; including one Lieutenant Colonel, four Lieutenants, 52 Sergeants and 108 ANA Soldiers in MP operations and counter terrorism significantly improved force protection and security of the Ministry of Defense and the Presidential Palace. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito’s deep understanding of the ETT mission, the Coalition mission, the Afghan Army’s mission and his unique ability to work within the lifelines of Afghanistan culture earned him the privilege of escorting 90 ANA soldiers and 70 ANP personnel to Fort Riley, Kansas, in order to better train the ETT teams preparing for deployment. Always leading by example, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito ensured mission success by supervising the security of seven Cooperative Medical Assistance (CMA) and five Humanitarian Assistance (HA) operations at remote sites. These humanitarian operations provided assistance to more than 12,000 local nationals and significantly improved relationships between the government and the populace. Constantly striving to improve the combat readiness of the Military Police Company, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito spent hundreds of hours coordinating with coalition units and government agencies in order to acquire more than $1,000,000 of police equipment for the MP Company. This equipment, which was obtained only through Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito’s tireless efforts, was absolutely critical to the effectiveness and accomplishment of the MP’s missions. A true leader, he coordinated with facility engineers to improve the Soldiers’ quality of life, resulting in needed improvements to the MP Company’s barracks, offices and significantly increasing the number of re-enlistments. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito’s attention to detail and uncompromising ethics were central to his being selected as the unit’s Project Purchasing Officer (PPO). Among his many projects, as PPO he efficiently managed a key Kabul city school project with a budget in excess of $500,000. He also coordinated a $48,000 project which installed two separate wells in Dehkhodadad, Afghanistan. The wells now provide fresh water to more than 20,000 local nationals, vastly improving their quality of life, and helping to ensure the support of the Afghan Government. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, DelPolito’s actions have positively impacted the national security of both Afghanistan and the United States. His performance of duty in a combat zone reflects great credit upon himself, the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, the United States Central Command, and the United States Navy.