The Secretary of the Army of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Army Commendation Medal with Combat “V” to Specialist Matthew Oliver, United States Army, for valorous courage while serving as a member of BDOC on 10 and 11 August 2005, during a fire fight at the main gate. Specialist Oliver’s courage and total disregard for personal safety while under fire had direct impact on the performance and well being of other soldiers. His dedication to duty and selfless service reflect great credit upon himself, the 2d Brigade Combat Team, MEFII and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
On or about 102330AUG2005, Specialist Oliver served as the driver from A Team, 1st Squad, 2d Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry, 2d Brigade Combat Team, doing all assigned tasks and going above and beyond what is expected of him while manning the main gate of Camp Habbaniya, Iraq. Periodically, the main gate had received sporadic gunfire from the nearby village of Civil Camp. The night was clear and the moon approaching first quarter. Civil Camp is a small community that was originally base housing for officers of the Iraqi Regime. After the battle of Falluja, it became a refugee camp and then blossomed into the small community it is now. As it was part of the base at one time it is in very close proximity to our Observation Posts. Initially, at about 102300AUG2005, the enemy opened fire with AK-47’s and AKM’s from three different locations on the Main Gate and OP12 which is nearby. The enemy fired approximately 30 founds of effective fire on both positions. The personnel at these locations, including Specialist Oliver, returned effective suppressing fire on all three locations and halted the enemy fire. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes later, the enemy re-engaged the main gate with more intensive and effective fire. This second burst of fire made it more difficult for the main gate to suppress the enemy fire. During this second burst of effective fire, Specialist Oliver became concerned for the drive of the M577 that is used as a gate for vehicle traffic and who is not a combat arms soldier. He took it upon himself to run across the open area of the main gate, under fire, to ensure that the driver was unharmed and in a covered position. Sometime during one of the engagements, the enemy fire was hitting the HESCO barrier so close to Specialist Oliver’s head that he was actually getting struck by sand and grit in the face. Also, while manning the M577 to check on the driver for the vehicle, bullets were observed impacting the ground directly behind him as the enemy identified him in the open and attempted to shoot him. His valorous courage while under effective enemy fire had a direct impact on rallying the other soldiers near him, motivating them further to suppress the enemy with effective fires. His total disregard for his personal safety and dedication to his fellow soldiers motivated him to ensure the track driver, who is separated from the main gate fighting position, was unharmed and in a covered position. A sweep of the area the following day was conducted which did not discover any definitive enemy casualties, although some medical supplies were discovered. Following the second engagement the enemy did not attempt to engage the main gate for nearly a week, which consisted of very ineffective small arms fire.