MURPHYSBORO, Ill. - Even after having been thrown several meters, knocked unconscious, set aflame and buried under rubble all as a result of a suicide-vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, one deployed Fort Riley medic braved small-arms fire to save the lives of fellow
Soldiers and Iraqi policemen alike last year. Cpl. Clinton Warrick, who was a medic with 2nd Platoon, 300th Military Police Company, received the Army's third highest award for valor during
a ceremony June 18 at Riverside Park for his actions during an insurgent attack Sept. 18, 2006, at the Al Huryia Iraqi Police Station.

Presenting the award

Maj. Gen. Carter Ham, commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley, visited Warrick's hometown to present him with the Silver Star and other awards before his Family, friends, and former 300th MP Co. platoon leader, company commander and first sergeant.
"This is one of Fort Riley's great Soldiers - one of our real, no-kidding heroes," Ham said at the ceremony. "It is right and proper that we come here to present you this award for valor. Awards for valor in the United States Army are a big, big deal ... It is heroes like this that make our Army the best in the world and our nation so strong."

Warrick, who was on his second deployment with the 300th MP Co., said the sight of a fireball coming down the hallway toward him was one of the things he still remembers from that morning. "I remember trying to pick an (Iraqi policeman) up after being wounded and how I had to change hand positions just to pick the guy up so I could get him out of the rubble," Warrick said.

Shortly before the explosion, Warrick said, the first thing he heard was small-arms fire. His platoon leader, 1st Lt. Kevin Jones, had been on the roof and had seen the SVBIED approaching. Jones' said his goal was to run downstairs and get everyone as far back from the explosion as possible. "I made it about half way down the hallway when the explosion took
place," said Jones, who suffered burns and received shrapnel wounds on his lower back and legs. "Looking back on it now and piecing together, Cpl. Warrick was just within feet of me when it happened." Jones was temporarily knocked unconscious, but he was up and checking on Soldiers as soon as he assessed the situation.

"When I regained consciousness, I had an idea of what happened, but I was thrown down a side hallway, and it was full of smoke and debris," Jones said. "I could feel flames. I could feel the heat from the fire ... Everyone took a pretty good shot to the head from the percussion of
the blast."

The explosion came from what turned out to be a 200-pound aircraft bomb with an accelerant, according to reports from the unit. Warrick received third degree burns on his face, hand and legs from the blast. When he landed he was unconscious, his legs were on fire, and the roof
and an exterior wall had collapsed on him. When Jones found Warrick, he put out the fire, dragged him 20 meters to a vacant room and helped him fully regain consciousness.

One foot behind the other

Warrick said he talked himself through continuing with his mission and helping as many people as he could by telling himself to "put one foot behind the other," and pacing himself. Though Warrick's medical bag was still buried under the rubble, he made his way outside amidst small-arms fire to triage patients in the casualty-collection point Jones and his Soldiers had established moments earlier.

"All I remember is I had a job to do and I still needed to do it," Warrick said. "I was there for rendering medical aid. That's what needed to happen right then and there so I started in that frame of mind, and I continued until I was medevac'ed out." According to the unit's official report and award narrative, though he was injured severely, Warrick refused to sit down as he knew he would have immediately slipped into shock. He triaged several wounded Iraqi policemen, assessed others and conveyed the situation to the medical station at Forward Operating Base Ramadi to prepare them for the incoming patients.

"I was not aware of the extent of his injuries," Jones said, referencing his perspective during the attack. "I asked him if he was capable of physically treating people, at which he replied that he wasn't due to the amount of burns that he had ... Cpl. Warrick continued to use his medical knowledge to have the U.S. Soldiers treat our wounded as well as Iraqi police. Even though he couldn't physically do it, he was helping us do it."

Jones continued ensuring security perimeters were established - this time at the breached gate - when a second SVBIED approached. A quick-reaction force successfully destroyed it before it could attack the station, Jones said. After a sufficient number of QRF personnel had arrived, Warrick and other injured Soldiers were medevac'ed - with Warrick's status as
urgent.

Today Warrick is in a medical hold company at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he has been undergoing surgeries and rehabilitation since his arrival last year. He is scheduled to be medically separated from the Army and wants to come back to his hometown and obtain a teaching degree.

He still insists he was only doing the right thing at the right time. "It's kind of hard to fathom because I just did my job," Warrick said. "I didn't do anything special, is what I feel. I did what I needed to do."