Marine officer from Hartsville awarded Legion of Merit for service in Afghanistan
Posted by jimfaile on 01/14 at 05:43 PM
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Approximately 40 service members and civilians gathered at the Special Operations Forces Memorial on Dec. 3, 2010 to watch Lt. Col. David L. Odom of the U.S. Marine Corps receive the Legion of Merit medal during a ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base.
Odom, a native of Hartsville, is an operations planner for U.S. Special Operations Command headquarters at MacDill. He received the medal for his service as commanding officer, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan from October, 2008 to June, 2009. During that time, Odom was responsible for approximately 1,300 service members who conducted more than 1,500 partnered missions across two provinces in southern Afghanistan.
Brig. Gen. Mark A. Clark, director of operations for USSOCOM, presented the medal with a combat distinguishing device for valor to Odom. Clark said Odom, an exceptional leader, truly earned the Legion of Merit, the sixth most prestigious military decoration.
“From day one, he was thrown into some very heavy, very complicated planning that took a leader,” Clark said. “He stepped right in and took charge. He led from the front, and that’s indicative of his character.”
Clark also mentioned how rare it is for a lieutenant colonel to receive the Legion of Merit, which is usually presented to senior colonels or general officers, and is especially rare to be given with a combat distinguishing device.
Odom humbly accepted the medal, giving much credit to the hard work and determination of his entire battalion.
“It was challenging, but the Marines were well-trained for it,” Odom said. “They knew success would always be by, with and through the Afghan people, and the Marines trained and prepared them to operate in an austere environment and do it very well.”
His battalion’s missions focused on counterinsurgency, bridging community centers and fostering safe travel, regularly engaging with local and regional government leaders, and training Afghan National Army and police forces.
He said the missions were challenging due to the vast area covered — nearly 40,000 square kilometers with nine forward operating bases — and frequent troop movement, but their work paid off through increased local governance, which empowered the Afghan National Police to gain control of turbulent areas.
“We knew that we were part of something bigger than us,” he said. “Our Marines gave great sacrifices for great success, and we still are part of the success today. But it wasn’t about us; it was about the Afghans and about setting conditions for a better future.”
Odom and his Marines were able to see some of the fruits of their labor over the course of his battalion’s eight-month deployment. Local schools and bazaars remained open during their missions, allowing infrastructure development to commence and continue. According to his medal citation, “Lieutenant Colonel Odom’s dynamic direction, keen judgment, and inspiring devotion to duty reflected great credit upon him and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”
Odom also acknowledged how tremendous nation and family support helped him and his members get through the challenging deployment. He specifically was thankful for the support he received from his wife and fellow Marine Lt. Col. Michelle Trusso.
“She’s a Marine, so she understands a lot of the things that I went through, but she’s also a wife and a mother,” he said of his wife. “She was fantastic; she was part of a wonderful wives network, and it was just amazing… To have that support, knowing that what we’re doing is making a difference, knowing that our families are so proud, enabled us to do what we had to do.”
Although Odom said he appreciated receiving the Legion of Merit, he said it was special not because of him, but because of his great team members from all over the world who accomplished their missions every day and gave up a lot, or in some cases, everything.
“We lost twelve young men, and we had many others wounded,” Odom said. “We honor that sacrifice. This award reflects on them; it’s what they did, it’s their valor, it’s their success, and to have been a part of that and have a chance to lead that organization was humbling and an honor.”
I went to school with David. He’s an amazing person with a huge heart and a sharp mind. His wife is also a Marine and they both believe in lives of service. Congratulations, David!