Navy Chaplain Receives Purple Heart For OIF Wounds
by Javier Orona, U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps
October 31, 2023

Chaplain Bennett Sandford, now a Captain in the United States Navy and serving as Director of Strategic Communications for the Chief of Chaplains Office, received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in action on August 18, 2007, while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Fallujah, Iraq.

Sandford, assigned to 2d battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at the time, was traveling with a personal security detail when his convoy came under attack and his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.

United States Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Brian W. Cavanaugh, Commanding General of Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, Marine Forces Command, Marine Forces Northern Command awarded him the medal during a ceremony at Camp Elmore, Norfolk, Virginia.

The Purple Heart was established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War. It is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under component authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Services, has been wounded or killed.

“It was quite a night,” said Sandford. “We had just passed what we referred to as the Blue Mosque when an IED exploded just to the right of our vehicle.”

Sandford says the force from the explosion was so powerful that it launched his truck to the other side of the road. He also says the explosion blew out all four tires and shattered the glass on his side of the vehicle.

Lance Corporal John Chance, vehicle gunner, says he didn’t have any time to react due to the blast knocking him unconscious almost immediately. He also says he recalls trying to return to his weapon, but he kept fading in and out of consciousness.

“I remember seeing all of the blood and thought our driver got hit,” said Chance. “At one point I looked over and saw Chaplain Sandford knocked out and hunched over.”

Nonmedical service members, who encounter an unconscious or injured service member, must evaluate the casualty. They are required to determine the first aid measures needed to prevent the casualty from sustaining further injury or dying.

Sandford says, once he regained consciousness, he noticed all of the blood in the vehicle and quickly realized that Chance had been badly injured.

“The Marine located in the left rear seat assessed the gunner and identified the location of his wounds,” said Sandford. “The vehicle commander and I began handing him bandages from the medical packs located on our flak jackets.”

A Navy Hospital Corpsman was able to reach the vehicle and finish bandaging Chance’s arm, which had been hit by several pieces of shrapnel, after enemy fire had subsided.

Corpsmen administer emergency medical care to injured SEALs, Seabees, Marines, and other military personnel in the field, along with providing aid to Sailors aboard ships or aircraft.

Once Chance’s wound was treated, Chaplain Sandford pulled him from the disabled vehicle and carried him to another vehicle for transportation to Fallujah Surgical.

“He passed out in my arms halfway there,” said Sandford. “Some other Marines saw me struggling and came to help me load him into the other vehicle.”

Dr. Matt Swain, Battalion Surgeon, 2d battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at the time, says he was there when the convoy returned and that he didn’t realize how badly Sandford was injured until the next day.

“He couldn’t even open his eyes,” said Swain. “Yet he bugged me for days to get back to duty…he wanted get out to the Marines and minister to them.”

Sandford sustained head trauma from the impact of the blast and suffered from headaches for about two weeks.

 The majority of service members who experience a mild TBI resume full duty around 10 to 14 days from the incident. They achieve this by following a process which gradually reintegrates them into regular activities. If symptoms persist beyond the prescribed rest period, additional treatment options are available.

Chance says he returned to duty approximately 30 days after sustaining his injuries. He also says Sandford is one of the only people from the attack who he still speaks to.

“He was there, he’s been where I’ve been, so it helps,” said Chance. “He still reaches out to me, and it means a lot…I’m glad I’ve got him in my life.”

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