Silver Star recipient remains calm, humble through Afghanistan tour

Silver Star recipient remains calm, humble through Afghanistan tour

1st Marine Division
Story by Lance Cpl. Timothy Lenzo

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - One moment he’s on guard duty, the next he’s on the ground bleeding. The native of Wellington, Nev., Marine takes a moment to collect his thoughts, picks himself up despite the pain and knows he has a job to do.

Lance Cpl. Cody Goebel, a machine gunner with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, had taken a bullet to the neck while guarding a position vital to his squad’s defense while serving in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

With an arterial wound to his neck, Goebel stood tall and refused medical aid until he was properly relieved and another Marine could man his position.

“I remembered to stay calm. I had been hit and now I needed to return fire,” said Goebel. “I wasn’t thinking about myself, I knew I had to defend my post and knew the other Marines were counting on me.”

Finally after seven minutes of fighting, a fellow squad member was able to relieve Goebel. Goebel went to find Petty Officer 3rd Class Alexander Federov, a Navy corpsman assigned to the battalion.
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