File Under Badass... Last week, a former Navy hospital corpsman was awarded a Silver Star -- the military's third-highest award for valor -- for saving the life of a wounded Marine during an enemy ambush in Afghanistan.
Silver Star for Doc who fought to save Marine
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Kong was serving in the Sangin District of Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment in 2011 when he and fellow service members came under attack by Taliban fighters. During the firefight, Marine Cpl. Michael Dawers was shot in the chest and fell to the ground.
According to the Silver Star citation, Kong was initially pinned down by enemy fire but "courageously rushed from his covered position, boldly charged into the kill zone dodging a hail of bullets, and reached the casualty," pulling him to safety and administering "life-saving aid."
