Raider Alumnus receives Navy's 2nd Highest Award
by Jasmine Straw
A few weeks ago, former Raider, Chief Petty Officer Joe Molina (Class of '97), was awarded the Silver and Bronze stars for his actions during his 2009 deployment in Afghanistan. He was awarded the Silver Star for his and his platoon’s efforts in a two-day firefight that ended in 56 enemy dead and no deaths in his platoon. Two days later his platoon rescued a U.S. Army detachment that was under attack and had already suffered three casualties. Molina’s platoon saved this group while, again, suffering no deaths within their platoon and 22 deaths of the enemy.
Molina, a chief special warfare operator of the Sea Air Land force, insists that he is no hero. “It’s about the team. It’s not about the individual,” he says. He only agreed to do interviews for his “brothers” - fellow SEALs and other military personnel. Throughout his interview he continued to deny that he is a hero, his actions were only a display of this training. His group as a whole during the 6 months they were deployed engaged in 300 hours of combat and accounted for 181 enemy casualties. Although he denies he is a hero, he will be thought of as a hero to the ones he had saved, their families, and the United States Navy.
Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/17/navy-seal-iimperial-beach-wins-silver-and-bronze-s/
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