Corpsman Receives Navy Cross

Chief Hospital Corpsman Justin A. Wilson received the Navy Cross medal at a Nov. 25 ceremony at Camp Pendleton, Calif., for heroism he displayed while serving in Afghanistan on Sept. 28, 2011. According to official records, Wilson was attached to the 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion as a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman at the time. He earned the medal during a patrol with Marine Special Operations Team 8113, when an improvised explosive device detonation severely wounded Marine Staff Sgt. Nicholas Sprovtsoff, an explosive ordnance technician. Despite being disoriented by the blast and the smoke it generated, Wilson entered harm’s way in search of the wounded Marine. A second IED blast hurt Wilson badly and killed Staff Sgt. Christopher Diaz, a comrade who was helping g him look for Sprovtsoff. Still, Wilson continued in vain to do what he could for his injured comrades. Like Diaz, Sprovtsoff died of his wounds. Wilson refused treatment for his own wounds only after realizing that neither of his comrades would live. Both fallen Marines were awarded posthumous Bronze Star medals with combat distinguishing devices.