Continuing to treat detainees at a U.S. military prison in Iraq despite a mortar that fell only a few yards away was just part of his job and just part of being human, Master Sgt. David Allegretti said.
"It says that we're human beings," said the soldier, who triaged patients at Abu Ghraib prison.
"My lane was to take care of patients for whatever they needed care for. I didn't worry about why the individual was" at the prison, Master Sgt. Allegretti said.
On Tuesday, the master sergeant, currently stationed at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, became the first soldier in the U.S. Army Medical Command to receive the new Combat Action Award.
On April 6, 2004, Master Sgt. Allegretti was the non-commissioned officer in charge of triage at the prison, which was subjected to an intense mortar attack.
There were more than 100 detainee casualties, said Col. Doris Johnson, the master sergeant's current boss and the chief of training at Eisenhower.
As Master Sgt. Allegretti and his troops treated wounded people in the open, there was a second attack from insurgents, Col. Johnson said, less than 83 feet away.
Instead of running, they stayed focused, she said, treating their patients.
"You just focus on what you're doing," Master Sgt. Allegretti said.
The award is relatively new.
First authorized in May, the award, similar to the more familiar Combat Infantry Badge and Combat Medical Badge, is for soldiers who have engaged or been engaged by the enemy.
However, unlike the infantry and medical badges, soldiers awarded the Combat Action Badge don't have to be members of special forces or infantry units, or medics attached to combat units.
The master sergeant, who was assigned with the Army's 67th Combat Support Hospital out of Germany at the time of the attack, said he wants his fellow troops who worked in harm's way to receive the badge.
Master Sgt. Allegretti also has advice for other medical personnel still in Iraq.
"Stay focused on what you're doing. And remember why you were there," he said.
Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409 or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com.
ABOUT THE COMBAT ACTION BADGE
This new award was first authorized by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker in May 2005.
To be eligible for this award, a soldier must be performing assigned duties in a hostile fire or imminent danger area, and be present and engaging or being engaged by the enemy, performing satisfactorily within the prescribed rules of engagement. The soldier must not be assigned or attached to a unit that would qualify the soldier for the existing Combat Infantry Badge or Combat Medical Badge.
Master Sgt. David Allegretti, currently assigned to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, is the first soldier in the U.S. Army Medical Command to receive the award.
Sources: U.S. Army Office of Public Affairs, Eisenhower Army Medical Center Public Affairs
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