Matt Abbate

USMC Sergeant Matthew T. Abbate enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006, and was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. He deployed for the third time in September 2010, to Afghanistan, as a scout sniper with the 3rd Batallion, 5th Marines Division. In the first 90 days of their deployment fighting the Taliban, the 3/5 lost 24 Marines, the highest number of any casualties of any unit since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan. He was a member of the Darkhorse battalion, and on June 14, 2012, He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism during battle. The Marine Corps Times reports Abbate took command when his scout-sniper section was ambushed by the Taliban while patrolling what turned out to be a minefield on October 14, 2010. Abbate's Navy Cross citation reads, in part: "With total disregard for his own life, he sprinted forward through the minefield to draw enemy fire and rallied the dazed survivors. While fearlessly firing at the enemy from his exposed position, he directed fires of his Marines until they effectively suppressed the enemy, allowing life-saving aid to be rendered to the casualties."