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 Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against a well equipped enemy force while acting as the Platoon Leader/Convoy Commander for 3d Platoon, Alpha Company, 2d Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, in Afghanistan, 26 August 2006. Sergeant First Class Morales’ gallant leadership, personal bravery and selfless actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3d Brigade Combat Team, and the United States Army.
NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY AWARD:
Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales distinguished himself by gallantry in action against a well equipped enemy force on 26 August 2006, while acting as the Platoon Leader/Convoy Commander for 3d Platoon, Alpha Company, 2d Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales personally risked his life by exposing himself multiple times to RPG and small arms fire in the kill zone of a linear ambush to save the lives of wounded U.S. Soldiers and gain fire superiority and defeat the enemy force. His dynamic leadership and disregard for his personal safety allowed him directing an overwhelming response to a platoon sized enemy ambush as well as personally moving to aid fellow U.S. Soldiers pinned down and wounded in the kill zone. His expertise as a Pathfinder aided in the quick evacuation of all four American casualties. While assigned to Camp Tillman, Lawara, Afghanistan, Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales, Platoon Sergeant and acting Platoon Leader of a mounted patrol was en route to hilltop 2911 when, at approximately 0610Z, the patrol was ambushed by heavy and accurate machine gun and RPG fire. Upon initial contact, Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales quickly provided guidance to his gunner to engage at a distance and direction of the contact in relation to the patrol. During the relay of information, the lead vehicle of the combat patrol suffered critical hits by four RPG’s, inflicting serious wounds to the vehicle commander and Gunner. Sergeant First Class Morales quickly assessed the situation and reacted ordering the element to extract the disabled vehicle and establish a base of fire outside the engagement area. Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales, with complete disregard for enemy fire, exited his vehicle to hook up the vehicle to tow the damaged vehicle out of the kill zone while still receiving heavy and accurate machinegun fire. Upon hooking the damaged vehicle up, the lead vehicle became stuck in the river bed. Sergeant First Class Morales immediately ordered his gunner and the gunner of the damaged vehicle to provide suppressive fire against enemy positions while, disregarding his own personal safety, he ran back into the exposed side of the kill zone to extract the vehicle commander, initially wounded during the beginning of the ambush. Once he placed the casualties in a covered location, Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales then identified all three gunners’ weapons systems were out of ammunition. Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales, in order to cover the gunners as they reloaded, exposed himself to enemy fire again running to the lead vehicle and manned a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, providing immediate suppression into the ambush line allowing the gunners an opportunity to reload their weapons and allow the medics to render first aid to the two casualties. Sergeant First Class Morales then again exposed himself to small arms fire and ran from the lead vehicle to the disabled vehicle 20 meters away to help suppress the area in front of the Mortar section vehicle since their weapons systems also malfunctioned. Once the gunners had reloaded or corrected the malfunctions Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales issued critical fire commands that quickly regained fire superiority. Once Fire superiority was established Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales issued orders to immediately establish security covering all directions and began treating the casualties and preparing them for evacuation. Sergeant First Class Morales assisted the medics in performing first aid to a gunner who had been wounded by small arms fire to the right bicep and the lead vehicle commander who received shrapnel from his thigh to his foot. Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales then led a two vehicle MEDEVAC element approximately 500 meters through the riverbed to a suitable landing zone location and Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales immediately establish security covering all directions and used his skills as Company Senior Pathfinder to successfully mark and guide the medivac helicopter to the LZ. His quick actions and experienced judgment in a limited amount of time enabled the casualties to be evacuated rapidly, thus saving their lives. Sergeant First Class Morales’ actions were pivotal in gaining fire superiority over an enemy that had the element of surprise. His ability to quickly employ his limited resources while under direct fire was instrumental in preserving the lives of his fellow comrades in a situation that could have resulted in extensive U.S. casualties and loss of equipment. Sergeant First Class Francisco Morales training and experience were indispensable assets that contributed to the survival of the patrol. His actions allowed the patrol to defeat enemy actions north of Camp Tillman and limit their influence in Lawara and thus degrading their ability to move freely along the Afghanistan/Pakistan boarder. Sergeant First Class Morales’ gallantry in action is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon him, Alpha Company, Task Force Catamount, Combined Task Force Spartan, Combined Joint Task Force 76, and the United States Army.