Former Twentynine Palms Marine awarded Navy Cross

Sgt. Clifford Wooldridge is now a member of an elite group of Marines.

For his courageous and fearless actions in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Navy Cross — a combat-only award for valor — second only to the Medal of Honor.

“No one goes out there and tries to get a medal. Just go out there and do your job and watch out for your Marines,” said Sgt. Wooldridge.

In front of hundreds of Marines, including his former unit at the Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Sgt. Wooldridge accepted the honor from the Undersecretary of the Navy.

“I read all citations of Marines awarded medals for valor. This particular action, the things Sgt. Wooldridge did just send chills down my spine,” said Undersecretary Robert O. Work.

On June 18, 2010, then-Cpl. Wooldridge and his patrol were in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province when they were ambushed and got pinned down.

He led a small team that out-flanked 15 attacking insurgents — killing or wounding most of them and scattering the rest.

But as his team withdrew, the Wooldridge heard voices, rushed around a corner and came face-to-face with two more Taliban fighters.

He shot and killed them. But then, out of ammo, Wooldridge saw the barrel of a machine gun, grabbed it away from another enemy fighter and beat him to death with his own weapon.

“Nothing can really prepare you for everything you’re going to see. But it definitely helped — all this training,” said Wooldridge.

The 24-year old sergeant is humble about his life-saving heroics. His parents say they are very proud.

“I could go out in the middle of the street and scream ‘that’s my son!’ I’m very proud of him. He just acts like it’s no big deal,” said Wooldridge’s father, Guy Wooldridge.

“I’m just so happy he came home alive. Because I know his buddies over there — some of them didn’t,” said Tammy Wooldridge, his mother.

Sgt. Wooldridge will return to his current base in Virginia where he’s a combat weapons instructor.