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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII (1/28/2013) - The smell of fresh morning
air permeated throughout the empty hallways of the 3rd Marine
Regiment headquarters building here. Around 6:30 a.m., Sgt. Maj.
Justin D. LeHew, regiment sergeant major, arrived at his office to
prepare for the oncoming day of work that wouldn't end until about
6:30 that evening.
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Sgt. Maj. Justin D. LeHew, 3rd Marine
Regiment sergeant major, stands with Ohio Department of Veterans
Services Assistant Director Jason Dominguez after being inducted
into the hall of fame, May 4, 2012. LeHew is a recipient of the Navy
Cross. Photo by
by USMC Cpl. James Sauter
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On the walls of his office hang numerous decorations and
each tells a story from his 24 years in the Marine Corps.
Among these include several photos of him and other Marines,
a campaign cover from the drill field at Marine Corps
Recruit Depot San Diego, a framed guidon from 1st
Reconnaissance Battalion, a mounted Ka-Bar knife and time
zone clocks for Hawaii, Okinawa and Afghanistan. But
discreetly sitting in a corner of his office is a chest,
filled with various items including plastic toy soldiers,
unit patches and even a 19th century bayonet. But barely
visible to an eye's quick glance is a Navy Cross, sitting
precariously among the items.
In the course of his
career, LeHew has been a highly inspiring Marine to his
peers and has received recognition for his outstanding
service, including being accepted into the Ohio Military
Hall of Fame for Valor on May 4.
Responding to a
comment that there was a lot to look at in his office, LeHew
humorously said his office is organized this way for two
reasons - because his wife and daughter like to decorate his
office when he checks into a new unit and both of them don't
want to have these things in the house. A self-proclaimed
family man, LeHew said the majority of his character is
based on his early life experiences while growing up in
Columbus Grove, Ohio.
“The town that I grew up in was
a small, farm town where everyone knew everyone, all the way
from kindergarten through high school,” Lehew said. “It was
a very work ethic place to grow up and that work ethic is a
big piece of who I am today.”
For Lehew, his life in
high school was almost like the movie “Hoosiers” except he
played baseball instead of basketball. A joy that stood out
in LeHew's memory was that he kept his childhood friendships
from the time he was young to the time he graduated
Columbus Grove High School, who's mascot is coincidentally a
bulldog. Another factor that influenced LeHew's upbringing
was the strong family bond that he had, especially with his
father. His father served in the Army and was a D-Day
survivor of the initial landing on the beaches of Normandy.
He later joined the Air Force and finished out his career.
LeHew's father met his mother in Columbus Grove and despite
their 15-year age difference, married in 1949.
“Along
with growing up in Ohio, my relationship with my father is
also a huge part of who I am,” LeHew said. “Even though my
time with him was cut short, since he died when I was 13, I
credit him with the work-ethic I have. I worked ever since I
was in single digits and all the way through high school. I
remember my father saying, ‘I'm responsible for you boys
until you're 18 years old and then you don't get to come
back to the house, except to visit. At that point, you need
to make a life for yourself and for someone else.'”
Knowing at the age of 18 he would be moving out of the
house, LeHew knew he was going to join the military. His
father cautiously advised him not to enlist in the Army and
to try the Air Force. During his enlistment swear-in, LeHew
was pulled aside and told that he only qualified for two
jobs in the Air Force because of his color-blindness.
Feeling sorry for himself, Lehew was approached by a gunnery
sergeant who said, “what the hell are you doing?” and when
LeHew was about to answer, the gunnery sergeant said, “get
on your feet when you talk to me.”
“No one ever
talked to me like that before,” LeHew said, reciting that
exact moment as if it just happened. “The way he carried
himself, the way he talked and the way he looked was
completely different from all of the armed services. That
experience led me to the Marine recruiting office and I
joined the Marine Corps.”
As a young Marine fresh
from Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and a new
amphibious assault crewman, LeHew said every platoon
sergeant he came in contact with was always the person that
set the example for him and his fellow Marines. Despite
rarely ever seeing any officers or company first sergeants
and sergeants major, LeHew strived to emulate his platoon
sergeants and he learned, “you're always there and you're
always available for your Marines.”
LeHew carried
the responsibility of taking other Marines with him into the
deserts of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Operations Desert
Shield and Desert Storm. When the war started, LeHew
remembered a lot of Marines worried that they were going to
miss the war. But after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11,
2001, LeHew knew war was approaching again and he soon led
his own platoon during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On
March 23 and 24, 2003, LeHew's amphibious assault platoon
pushed north toward An Nasiriyah to rescue soldiers of the
507th Maintenance Company. LeHew led his platoon through
heavy enemy fire to assist in the evacuation of four
soldiers. During the evacuation, LeHew climbed back into his
vehicle and suppressed enemy infantry advancements. Later
during an attack on an eastern bridge on the Euphrates
River, LeHew's courageous battlefield presence inspired his
fellow Marines to continue fighting a determined enemy and
allowed him time to position his platoon's machine guns to
repel waves of enemy attackers. During the battle, an
amphibious assault vehicle was destroyed and LeHew worked
for an hour to rescue Marines from the wreckage while still
under fire. For his actions, LeHew was awarded the Navy
Cross.
When asked about his experience in combat,
LeHew humbly said, “Marines will do what they're trained to
do, regardless of what anyone may think of them or any
issues they have. If you train your people properly, then
your Marines will continue to amaze you with very courageous
acts. A lot of those acts aren't recognized because they
happen so fast. I'm a firm believer that some of the
greatest actions in military history have never been
captured on paper.”
LeHew was promoted to sergeant
major in the fall of 2007 and assumed the post of battalion
sergeant major for 1st Reconnaissance Battalion whom he
deployed with to Iraq. After later serving as the Amphibious
Assault School sergeant major, he assumed the post of the
3rd Marine Regiment sergeant major in April 2011.
“Looking back now as a sergeant major, I still view the
Marine Corps as the best that it has been,” LeHew said. “I
still view, as some of my greater accomplishments; being a
crew chief at the age of 19; being a drill instructor, which
Sergeant's Course and the instructors prepared me for; also
being the platoon sergeant for the platoon that I went into
Nasiriyah with. I just enjoy the camaraderie of working
every day with Marines.”
His wife routinely notices
her husband's dedication and attentive care he provides for
her and their daughter.
“I can't begin to describe
the amount of joy I feel for all that he's accomplished, I'm
very proud of him,” his wife said. “There aren't enough
words that can really describe it all. What he's done for
his Marines and for us is wonderful — he's my hero.”
In addition to his many duties, LeHew still invests time to
be with his family.
“For me, the idea of family
always comes first,” LeHew said. “My family knows that, and
when it comes to time being with them, there's nothing more
in this world that I love more than being a husband and a
father.”
LeHew, who enjoys boating and skydiving,
said that despite his numerous recognitions, he was proud to
say none of them changed his principals as to who he is as a
person but was really surprised to have been accepted into
the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor.
“When they
told me that I was being inducted into the hall of fame, I
was so happy because I haven't been back to Ohio in years,
and I found my hometown to be [the same] as I remember.
During the ceremony, there were 16 other service members
from World War II, Korea and Vietnam being inducted with me.
These guys are my heroes and from a young age I knew the
military and the Marine Corps was the way for me.”
By USMC Cpl. James Sauter
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2013
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