Jim Lanham

6/9/2006 By Sgt. Roe F. Seigle
1st Marine Division
Gunnery Sgt. Jim Lanham, a 36-year-old from Clarksville, Tenn., is the company gunnery sergeant for the Hawaii-based Company K, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and is currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lanham fought off an insurgent attack against his company s compound in Barwana, Iraq, several weeks ago. Lt. Col. Norman L. Cooling, commanding officer of the battalion, said Lanham s aggressive action against the insurgents that day was highly commendable. The aggressive action of this staff non-commissioned officer of Marines epitomizes everything we expect of leaders in this type of combat environment, said Cooling. It was a focused and immediate attack. Lanham seized the opportunity at hand while precisely destroying the enemy without collateral damage and keeping the Marines honor clean. Lanham said he was just doing what any of the noncommissioned officers in his company would have done. I did what I had to do and I know if any of the other Marines in Kilo Company were in that situation, the outcome would have been the same, said Lanham.