"I try to bring calmness, an ability to bring everything together - bring the indirect fire where I need them, bring the attack aircraft where I need them, and that's not just me," said Lt. Col. Jeff Ingram. "All I'm doing is directing things. I have people on both ends that actually do the work. I'll just say, 'I need indirect fire here,' and my fire support officer makes that happen."
Ingram, commander of the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, received the Silver Star in Baghdad for conspicuous gallantry in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"It has nothing whatsoever to do with me. It has to do with the soldiers that I lead. They're the ones that earn the medals. I merely represent them," he said during a live interview on MSNBC moments after receiving the award.
"In this case, I received the Silver Star on behalf of them," he added referring to the nearly 600 soldiers that he commands.
The Silver Star is the Army's fourth highest decoration awarded to those who are cited for gallantry with marked distinction while serving in action against a U.S. enemy during conflict.
During the battle to secure Al Hillah, Iraq, March 31, 2003, Ingram's unit, attached 101st Airborne Division, was moving on the city to divert the enemy's attention from the 3rd Infantry Division so they could move forward to Karbala, said Ingram.
"We knew there were some light forces in the area, but once we crossed the line of departure, there were a lot more there than we anticipated."
Ingram said his unit encountered dismounted forces and artillery and rocket propelled grenades from a Republican Guard battalion
The Iraqi RPG and small-arms fire merely scratched the tank and left an occasional burn mark on the surface, he said.
"The battalion commander trails the lead company, so as the lead company went in and engaged, I just happened to be in a spot between two buildings where a counterattack company tried to come down and get in behind my lead company," he said.
According to the award citation, Ingram calmly and skillfully directed the efforts of a combined arms task force in destroying the Iraqi battalion as multiple rocket propelled grenades bounced off his tank, massed artillery fire exploded all around and intense small arms fire was directed at him.
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