Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal
A Legendary Marine and a story worth reading. Iconic Washington Post Blue Door Photo on the cover of the book taken during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Gabino Perez
Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal is one of the most legendary Marines in Marine Corps history. While he is most well-known for the iconic photograph of him being helped from a building in Fallujah, Iraq by two of his Marines, he is equally well-known by Marines for his leadership and courage.
Kasal was born on May 1, He enlisted in and served for 34 years in the Marine Corps. Kasal’s friends in school described him as a natural leader, so it’s no surprise that he became one of the most iconic leaders in the history of the Marine Corps.
Over the years Kasal served in several different roles. He attended Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia, a school mainly attended by the Army. He was an Infantry Instructor at the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, and he also served three years as a recruiter. As a Sergeant Major, Kasal served as the senior enlisted leader of the
WASHINGTON-- A single picture can capture the brotherhood of arms amid the agony of combat. It shows two young Marines, holding up their badly wounded first sergeant, still clutching his weapon, during brutal house to house fighting in the battle for Fallujah.
"I received seven gunshot wounds and then grenade shrapnel, fragmentation all over the entire body from a grenade," said Sgt. Bradley Kasal.
He charged into a building because he heard other Marines were trapped inside.
"There was about a dozen other Marines that all rushed to that building," Kasal said.
He won't talk about he did in there, but the citation for the Navy Cross he received says he threw himself on top of another Marine to absorb the blast of a grenade.
"For the almost two hours that I was inside of that room I knew without a doubt that somehow I would make it out," Kasal said. "I had that much trust and confidence in those other Marines that were around me that served with me."
The photo inspired a sculpture by a father who lost his son in Iraq. In addition to the Navy Cross, Kasal wears a chest full of medals, including two Purple Hearts. He nearly lost a leg and suffered a traumatic brain inj
A varsity letter winner in wrestling from and a State Tournament qualifier for East Union, Sgt. Major Brad Kasal has had a distinguished military career, since enlisting in the Marines in He has received the Nay Cross, two Purple Hearts, a Combat Section Ribbon and several other awards for his service to his country. The Navy Cross citation, in part, reads "for extraordinary heroism while serving as First Sergeant Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Expeditionary Force, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on 13 November First Sgt. Kasal was assisting an anti-armor platoon as they provided an over watch for 3rd Platoon when he heard a large volume of fire erupt to his immediate front, shortly followed by Marines exiting the structure. Upon learning that Marines were pinned down in the house by an unknown number of enemy personnel, he joined a squad making entry to clear the structure and rescue the Marines inside. Entering the first room and immediately encountering and eliminating an insurgent, he spotted a wounded Marine in the next room. While moving toward his comrade, he and another Marine came under heavy rifle fire from elevated enemy combatants with bo
My Men are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story
My Men Are My Heroes introduces its readers to a living standard of Marine Corps esprit de corps and military decorum. Sergeant Major Bradley Kasal, the pride of Iowa, is a small town boy who wanted to be a United States Marine even before a poster perfect Marine recruiter marched into his high school gym and offered him a challenge Kasal couldn't resist. Two decades later Kasal stood stiffly at attention, one leg literally shot in half, while the Navy Cross was pinned to his chest. Kasal is currently the Sergeant Major of the Infantry School at Camp Pendleton, CA until he retires in May, After a brief visit to his childhood Kasal's story quickly gathers steam, introducing the reader to his early Marine career; adventure filled years that earned him the name "Robo-Grunt" from men who don't offer accolades easily. Kasal uses his experience climbing the ranks to illustrate how Marines grow, and how they are shaped by the uncompromising attitudes of the officers and non-coms charged with turning young Marines into tigers. Kasal's adventures culminate in Iraq. By now he is 1st Sergeant Kasal, ramrodding Kilo Company, 3/1, a rifle comp
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