{"id":257873,"date":"2017-08-10T06:06:38","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T20:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=257873"},"modified":"2017-08-10T06:06:38","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T20:06:38","slug":"sablan-reflects-purple-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/sablan-reflects-purple-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Sablan reflects on Purple Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hospital<\/a>
Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Edward Brice Sablan is ceremoniously frocked on July 14, 2017, under the Meritoriously Advancement Program, to his current rate. Add the Fleet Marine Force qualification pin he received on the same deployment that he was cited for the Purple Heart and his uniform shows accomplishments that speak volumes. (MCS1 GRETCHEN M. ALBRECHT\/NAVAL HOSPITAL BREMERTON)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Dec. 16, 2012, the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Helmand province, Afghanistan, came crashing into Hospital Corpsman First Class Edward Brice Sablan.<\/p>\n

Riding in a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle as part of an escort patrol in the war-torn Marjah region, his immediate world and that of the Marines with him was suddenly transformed. A sudden blast tore into the undercarriage, sending an estimated 200-lb homemade improvised explosive device into members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.<\/p>\n

Sablan, sitting directly behind the auxiliary driver, was knocked momentarily unconscious by the force of the explosion. When he came to amidst the aftermath of swirling smoke, choking dust, and minimal visibility, his thoughts immediately went to the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy concern was for my Marines. I was worried about everyone else. We all got knocked out, including the driver, gunner, and other passengers. I instantly started assessing the others,\u201d said Sablan.<\/p>\n

Everyone had cuts, minor lacerations, and bruises from debris and shrapnel, except the auxiliary driver. The explosion had severely injured his lower torso.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to get him out right away. I pulled him out and stabilized his wounds as much as possible. We had set up a defensive posture\u2014there were potshots coming at us\u2014and I protected and cared for him until the helo [helicopter] landed and transported him on to Camp Leatherneck,\u201d related Sablan.<\/p>\n

It was upon returning to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California after the seven-month deployment that Sablan discovered he would be a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds sustained during combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt very undeserving compared to what others have gone through and then been presented the Purple Heart,\u201d Sablan said, adding that it was a senior hospital corpsman who shared with him the real significance of being presented the Purple Heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said that that \u2018you\u2019re not wearing it for yourself. You\u2019re wearing it for all those who never made it back.\u2019 To have it explained like that meant a lot,\u201d said Sablan.<\/p>\n

That specific meaning was also a driving force behind commemorating Aug. 7, 2017, as Purple Heart Day to remember 1782 when Gen. George Washington created the Purple Heart Medal\u2014then known as the Badge of Military Merit\u2014as a military decoration that is presented to those wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

Sablan, from Saipan, has been assigned to Naval Hospital Bremerton for the last two and a half of his eight and a half years in the Navy. He is currently the assistant leading petty officer of Family Practice. He was also recently ceremoniously frocked under the Meritoriously Advancement Program to his current rate. Add the Fleet Marine Force qualification pin he received on the same deployment that he was cited for the Purple Heart and his uniform shows accomplishments that speak volumes even when he remains soft-spoken. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very humbling to be recognized not just for the Purple Heart. There are others just as worthy for the MAP. There are others who have been on a combat deployment and earned their FMF. There are others who have been in the thick of it,\u201d Sablan said.<\/p>\n

That fateful patrol was part of yet another long day near Marjah, the epicenter of a continuous battle by the Marines with Taliban. Sablan and the rest of his platoon had just wrapped up an eight-hour foot patrol before heading back to Patrol Base Boldak. Word was then passed that an escort platoon was needed for helping with route clearance with a U.S. Air Force contingent.<\/p>\n

Two vehicles in the convoy passed over the IED with no detonation. The third was nowhere near as lucky.<\/p>\n

\u201cMRAPs are made to take a punch, but that blast blew a hole into it, right where Corporal Cody Jones was sitting,\u201d Sablan said.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 injuries resulted in the amputation of his left leg, below the knee and right, mid-foot amputation.<\/p>\n

Sablan attests that his training kicked in. Concern for his own wellbeing was a distant thought to caring for those he was assigned to as their corpsman and \u2018doc.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all of us who go on the \u2018green side\u2019 with the Marines, being motivated is good. Being smart is great. But be prepared and be humble. We are there to take care of our Marines. That\u2019s our job, that\u2019s our sole purpose. That\u2019s why we are who we are. Our job is to make sure that they all get back home, and we got to do everything we can to make that happen,\u201d said Sablan.<\/p>\n

The Purple Heart is the oldest military award still being given in the name of the President of the United States. Historical notes show that after the end of the American War of Independence, no medals were awarded until 1932, when the Purple Heart was revived on the bicentennial anniversary of George Washington’s birth. According to a circular dated Feb. 22, 1932, Purple Heart Medal(s) were to be awarded to those wounded or killed while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces as a result of enemy action on or after April 5, 1917. The United States officially joined World War I on April 6, 1917. Since then, approximately 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been presented, including to the initial three Revolutionary soldiers in 1783.<\/p>\n

Sablan is the son of Margaret B. Mu\u00f1a and Edward R. Sablan of Saipan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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