Copyright 2006 Chattanooga Publishing Company
By STUMP MARTIN
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Jeff Pursley is now a volunteer with the Fort Oglethorpe Fire Department, but it was a firefight of a different sort for which he was awarded a Bronze Star last year.
Mr. Pursley was a petty officer 3rd Class serving in Operation Freedom II in Fallujah, Iraq, during a 2004 firefight that led to his citation last year for acts of bravery.
He was the leader of a four-man sniper team and a hospital corpsman for the Scout Snipers of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment.
During the Fallujah firefight, he recorded his longest combat shot with an M40A3 .30-caliber sniper rifle at 1,028 meters, or about 1,124 yards, which is nearly two-thirds of a mile.
“They (insurgents) were everywhere. There were tons of them,” Mr. Pursley said.
“I was on the roof of a house in a firefight, and they were shooting mortars and machine guns at us. I spotted a guy on the balcony of another house shooting at us, and I popped him,” he said.
Mr. Pursley said he and one of his team members were injured by a grenade blast during the battle.
“I was hit it both arms, my hand, and it cracked four of my teeth when I got hit in the face,” he said.
Marine Lt. Calvin Dalton, the platoon commander, recommended Mr. Pursley for the Bronze Star.
Lt. Dalton wrote that the young petty officer coordinated “direct and indirect fire against enemy positions and wounded multiple enemy troops.”
Lt. Dalton said Petty Officer Pursley exhibited “zealous initiative, courage and exceptional dedication to duty.” And he said he then rendered medical aid to those who were wounded and coordinated reinforcements to help evacuate wounded comrades.
“I think everybody on my team should have all been awarded a medal,” Mr. Pursley said Tuesday.
Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue Capt. Larry Honeycutt said Mr. Pursley was a quiet young man who grew up on the same street where he lived.
He said when Mr. Pursley was a child, he was always ready to try new things.
“He always the first to say ‘Let me do this first’,” he said. “He is always ready to go. You don’t have to wait on Jeff.”
“We are very proud of Jeff and his service to our country,” Mr. Honeycutt said. “He was a fireman before he left for Iraq, and he came back with us and is an excellent fireman.”
Mr. Pursley, 29, admits he is a “thrill seeker.”
A smile came across his face when he said he enjoys an adrenaline rush, such as with skydiving. He is a member of the United States Parachuting Association.
“The ultimate was being in the firefight in Fallujah,” he said. “But, I can do without that.”
Today, he does contract work for the U.S. Department of the Defense and State Department.
“I protect people and places,” he said. “I’m going to Afghanistan this month. I’m just waiting on the contract.”
Mr. Pursley said he also does training in close-quarters battle, hostage rescue and precision shooting with SWAT teams. He said he has trained members of SWAT teams in Nevada, Arizona, California and North Carolina.
He said he spends time each day working on improving his expert marksmanship.
“I’m not going to do this forever,” he said. “But, I want to open a range around here someday and offer training.”
The former Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School football player was named Mr. Warrior during the 1993 football season.
Mark Mariakis was his coach. He said he was not surprised Mr. Pursley was a military warrior, too.
“Jeff was meticulous in everything he did,” Mr. Mariakis said. “He always wanted to do things right, and he got the job done.”