Fallen Twentynine Palms Marine Lance Cpl. Jason Barfield was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Combat Valor March 7, 2013, on what would've been his 24th birthday.
Home Post readers may remember Barfield as the Marine who surprised his sister at school before Christmas 2010, less than a year prior to his death in Afghanistan on October 24, 2011. That heartwarming - and ultimately heartbreaking - reunion was captured on video (courtesy of the Dothan Eagle).
Barfield's mother, Kelli, wrote to me about her son's heroic actions that earned him the Bronze Star:
"Jason saved 5 Marines' lives that day. Had it not been for his actions, they would have most definitely died with him. He made sure they stayed back, before proceeding forward. He took the full impact if 2 IED'S. Both were meant to kill a squad or more."
Barfield was from Ashford, Alabama, and was one of seven children. He was assigned to 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
