Tough Marine Hero Fired Off 400 Rounds AFTER Losing Leg

As part of the deployment in the Global War on Terror, the Marines sent to Afghanistan were involved in many extraordinary actions against the Taliban and terrorist groups. These conflicts elicited individual moments of extreme bravery that are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It became an environment where the extraordinary began to seem ordinary, but there were still stand-out events that merit a special mention.

Lance Cpl. Brady A. (Goose) Gustafson was awarded the Navy Cross, which is the highest honor specific to the Naval services and the 2nd highest award in the U.S. military. This award was in recognition of his actions during an ambush in Shewan, Afghanistan on July 21, 2008. At the time, Gustafson was only 21 and an infantryman with 2nd Platoon, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.

Corporal Brady A. Gustafson, renders a salute to one of the many 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment officers on hand to witness the awarding of the Navy Cross to Gustafson during a ceremony

Soldiers on patrol know to trust their instincts when moving through territory that could become hostile at any moment. That day in Shewan was no different. Marines who were there recall seeing the same tells that something was about to happen: furtive behavior by local men, streets cleared of children and animals.

Experienced soldiers develop a feeling, and many remember experiencing a sense of expectancy as they rolled into the village.

A Marine Corporal and Lance Corporal of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines engaging the enemy during Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan

Although Gustafason’s transport was mine-resistant and armor-protected, a rocket-propelled grenade managed to pierce the outer shell of the vehicle almost immediately. The grenade severed Gustafson’s right leg while he was manning the gun turret, but he had the presence of mind to calmly locate flashes of enemy fire and bear down upon them with accurate machine gun fire.

“I looked down, and a lot of my right leg wasn’t there,” Gustafson told Time magazine in 2009. “I could see muscle and bone, and I was bleeding pretty hard.”

U.S. Marines dismounting from an Assault Amphibious Vehicle

While engaging with the enemy, Gustafson noticed that the following vehicle had been disabled by another RPG. He instructed his driver to push it out of the kill zone. As a result, his own vehicle became shrouded in flame. Through all this he continued to suppress the enemy fire, allowing his fellow Marines to engage with the insurgents.

Ambushes and improvised road-side devices had become regular events during routine patrols and maneuvers, despite efforts to win the hearts and minds of the local population. Operation Enduring Freedom has seen more than 20,000 casualties from hostile fire and 1,892 deaths in Afghanistan alone.

U.S. Marines from Alpha Co., Battalion Landing Team 1st Bn., 6th Marines, startle the owner of a compound who refused to open his door for a search during Operation EL DORADO. (Operation Enduring Freedom)

For a Marine to take a direct hit to the leg with an RPG and remain in post is remarkable enough. Despite the encroaching shock of injury Gustafson was able to reload his gun twice and managed to get off 400 rounds before finally allowing his injury to be treated.

“Sorry guys, I can’t keep going,” Gustafson was reported to have said as he was pulled from the turret by the emergency medic.

Petty Officer 3rd Class accompanies litter-bearers as they load an injured Marine into a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a medical evacuation in Garmsir, in Afghanistan

The officer in command, 1st Lieutenant Andrew S. Bohn, was able to assess the damage after the firefight and confirmed that not a single Marine had been lost during the ambush, even though they were outnumbered five to one. This outcome was thanks in large part to the efforts of Gustafson in the gun turret. Taking into consideration the much larger attacking force and the fact that there was only one (non-commissioned officer) in the platoon, this a particularly superb example of bravery. Gustafon’s actions are a testament to the high level of rigor involved in the training regime that the elite US Marine forces go through before being sent into conflict.

Gustafson, who left the Marines the same year, now walks with a titanium prosthetic leg. He has returned home to Eagan, Minnesota.

Lance Cpl. Brady Gustafson, a machine gunner with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, stands in from of the battalion at perfect parade rest, despite the amputation of his right leg below the knee. Gustafson received the Navy Cross and a meritorious promotion to corporal during a ceremony March 27 at Lance Cpl. Torrey Grey Field.

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He is from the fourth generation of a military family and received his medal at a ceremony in front of his very proud parents, older brother, and both sets of grandparents. “[The Navy Cross] is the icing on the cake for us, but we know that Brady didn’t do this for the awards,” said his father and Air Force veteran, Rick Gustafson. “We’re very thankful we have him here today. That’s our primary emotion.”