Hero #14 1LT Christopher Dean

In 2004, a patrol from the 1st Cavalry Division was ambushed in Sadr City and 19 Soldiers were isolated and surrounded. 1LT Christopher Dean rolled out immediately with his quick reaction force of four M1A1 tanks.

According to the narrative that accompanied his Silver Star, First Lieutenant Dean fought two separate but continuous actions over the period of four hours in densely populated and constricted Sadr City with no dismounted support.

First Lieutenant Dean led an initial platoon attack to relieve the patrol which had suffered one killed and four wounded. Dean's attack inflicted grievous casualties on Mahdi Army elements in the center of the city in an intense action during which First Lieutenant Dean's platoon lost one soldier and two wounded. Dean himself was one of the wounded.

Despite wounds to his neck and left arm and after the tank's .50 caliber machine gun had been destroyed by enemy fire, Dean fought with his M4 from the tank's open hatch, personally destroying enemy troops within 15 meters of his tank. He then consolidated his platoon with arriving elements of the patrol and prepared the company for an attack 7 kilometers through urban terrain.

First Lieutenant Dean fought the entire subsequent attack out of the hatch in the forward-most tank during more than three hours of constant fighting. He assisted the company commander with recommendations relative to tactical employment of tanks and weapons systems while fighting and as his tank was hit by a large volume of small arms fire and several RPGs, two of which detonated.

First Lieutenant Dean organized a defense upon arrival at the isolated patrol's location. He dismounted his tank without regards for his personal safety in defense of the casualty evacuation and ensured accountability of all personnel from both his unit and the infantry platoon that his group was evacuating.

First Lieutenant Dean's leadership ensured the success of the company mission to evacuate 19 infantrymen who were isolated and surrounded by the enemy. First Lieutenant Dean's exceptional bravery while under intense fire during a four-hour attack despite wounds is in the highest traditions the United States Army. [Source]