| Pfc. Jared Malone will return to Iraq later this year. |
On Jan. 5, 2005, Pfc. Jared Malone, a graduate of Emery High School, was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for heroic action while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Pfc. Malone received the award for action in Iraq on June 25, 2004.
On that date, Pfc. Malone’s M1A1 tank platoon was called into action as an Armor Quick Reaction Force to reinforce a traffic control point under attack by enemy forces. During the initial moments of the engagement with the enemy, Pfc. Malone’s .50 caliber machine gun was damaged by enemy fire and his tank’s main gun was disabled. While receiving small arms, mortar and RPG fire from the enemy in the surrounding buildings, Pfc. Malone exposed himself to the enemy fire for several minutes to change ammunition boxes for the .50 caliber machine gun. His actions allowed his tank to continue to engage the enemy firing on the Marine infantry positions and were crucial to the defeat of the enemy force attacking the traffic control point.
Pfc. Malone was deployed to Iraq from April to October 2004 as part of the Marine Corps unit deployment plan. Under this plan, units are assigned to Iraq for six-seven months then they return to the stateside base for six-12 months before returning to Iraq. He is currently stationed at 29 Palms, Calif. His tank platoon will return to Iraq later this year as part of the Marine Corps rotation plan.
Pfc. Malone is the son of Bill and Jan Malone of Price.