Valor Friday

Thanksgiving Day is generally known in America as that last Thursday in November where we eat turkey and watch the Dallas Cowboys lose a football game, but it’s also the name for other holidays around the world. It’s celebrated on 25 October in the tiny Caribbean island nation of Grenada. The reason, if you can remember events in 1983, was because that was the day the US kicked off the invasion of the country to depose the dictatorial regime there, which was being supported by forces from Fidel Castro’s communist Cuba.

About 7,300 Americans were involved in the invasion and the short occupation that occurred in the following couple of weeks. With only about 1,300 defenders, the Americans (with all the latest and greatest of Cold War military technology and commanders who’d honed their skills in the Vietnam War) quickly overran and decimated the Grenadians. It was far from a bloodless victory, but in the context of armed amphibious invasion of foreign countries, the American tally of just 19 men killed and 116 wounded is minor. Even the Grenadians’ 45 killed and 358 wounded (plus 24 Cubans killed and 59 wounded) are relatively low.

Among the dead was Captain Jeb Seagle, a US Marine Corps AH-1T Cobra co-pilot. He was executed with two shots to the back of the head when he was captured in action by enemy Cuban forces. The reason he was captured is one of pure heroism and self-sacrifice for his brother-in-arms.

Seagle, who hailed from Lincoln County, North Carolina and was a 1976 graduate of Appalachian State University, was flying in the front seat of his Cobra gunship with Captain Tim Howard as the pilot in the rear. Generally speaking, the role of the front seater is to operate the aircraft’s weapons systems while the rear seat is actually piloting the airframe.

When the invasion started at dawn on 25 October, Seagle and Howard took to the air as part of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (HMM-261). They were a part of a flight of two Cobra gunships. Flying with them that day were Major John Guigerre and 1st Lt. Jeff Sharver in the other Cobra.

At some point the two Cobras wandered into a area heavily defended by enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA, aka “Triple A”) while answering a call for aerial fire support from a US Army unit. Seagle and Howard’s aircraft was hit several times and immediately shot down. They crashed behind enemy lines and were surrounded by enemy troops and AAA.

Guigerre and Sharver knew that the crash site would soon be swarmed by enemy troops, and despite their wingman having just succumbed to the heavy AAA fire, remained on station to provide covering fire for Howard and Seagle. They repeatedly attacked the encroaching enemy until they expended all their ammunition. They then began making dummy, fake attacks in an attempt to scare and slow down the approach.

Seagle was knocked unconscious in the crash. When he came to, he got out of his seat and exited the aircraft. While he was uninjured, Howard was trapped in his seat and had already had a hand cut off. The helicopter was on fire, and soon the ordnance attached to it would start to explode.

With no regard for his own safety, Seagle returned to the burning airframe, and pulled Howard out of his seat. Dragging the man clear of the crash site, with the aircraft’s weaponry now cooking off and exploding violently and unpredictably around him as he did so, he got Howard to a position of relative safety. With enemy ground troops closing in from all sides, Seagle ignored the danger to render aid to Howard by putting a tourniquet on his grievously wounded arm.

They gave out their location to other units, and a CH-46 rescue helicopter was dispatched to retrieve them. With hostile forces closing in fast, Howard knew that he was a burden to Seagle’s chances of surviving by evading capture. Howard pulled his sidearm out, and moved to shoot himself. Before pulling the trigger he told Seagle to get clear and save himself. Jeb Seagle wasn’t about to lose the man he just saved, so he grabbed the pistol out of his pilot’s remaining hand.

Seagle knew that the crash site was completely surrounded by AAA. An air rescue was unlikely to succeed. He also knew that there were nearby US Army troops. Once more with no regard for his personal safety Seagle left Howard to both distract the enemy from Howard’s location and, if he could make it, to connect with the friendly ground troops. For his part, Howard was similarly trying to distract the enemy, so that Seagle could escape through the enemy line.

While Seagle was successful in diverting the enemy’s attention, he didn’t survive the attempt. He was shot twice in the back of the head by Cuban forces. When his body was recovered, there were no signs of torture, and his dog tags and ID were still on his body. He was just 30 years old.

Seagle’s heroism in the face of insurmountable odds, to his own sacrifice so that his friend could live, was rewarded with a posthumous Navy Cross, the second highest award for combat gallantry. More importantly to Seagle though is that his efforts were not in vain. Howard was rescued by that CH-46.

Guigerre and Sharver, who had knowingly and willingly remained behind to engage the enemy forces to allow Seagle and Howard to survive, were unfortunately also struck by enemy fire. When it started to disable their aircraft they made for the safety of the sea, where they crashed, fatally so for both aviators.

The USMC rescue chopper, also a part of HMM-261, was piloted by Major Melvin Demars, Crew Chief Simon Gore, and door gunner Staff Sergeant Kelly Neidigh. They flew into the crash site, surrounded by AAA that had already shot down two smaller and more nimble attack helicopters, in an ultimate show of bravery and brotherhood.

Demars landed the twin rotor helicopter near Howard’s location, with enemy troops directing heavy small arms and machine gun fire at them, Neidigh saw the critically injured Howard crawling through the grass to get to them. Neidigh left the relative safety of his aircraft to run out among the enemy fire to Howard. He grabbed the battered and weakened aviator, and rushed him back to the helicopter, where they were all able to escape.

Howard would receive the Silver Star, as would Neidigh, Demars (CH-46 pilot), Guigerre, and Sharver for their actions that day. There were only seven Silver Stars awarded to all the men involved in the Invasion of Grenada, and these are five of them. They account for all of the USMC awards (one other was to a Navy SEAL and another to an Army Ranger medic).

Howard would be fitted with a prosthetic and would be the first Marine officer to serve on active duty with one. He would rise to the rank of colonel before retiring. Demars also would retire as a colonel, having served for nearly 30 years, in 2000. Neidigh would eventually retire as a master sergeant.

Seagle was the only recipient of the Navy Cross (or its equivalent Army award, the Distinguished Service Cross) for Grenada. Since no Medals of Honor (the only higher award) were made during the conflict, Seagle is the most decorated man of the invasion.

Category: Grenada, Historical, Marines, Navy Cross, Valor, We Remember