They Were Heroes: A Sergeant Major's Tribute to Combat Marines of Iraq and Afghanistan

David Devaney

feb 2015 · Naval Institute Press

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Sergeant Major Devaney’s They Were Heroes presents moving portraits of warriors who have not been fully celebrated. His stories recognize the heroism of those who fought in these deadly conflicts and placed their lives at risk to assure the safety of their fellow Marines. For these Marines, no Medal of Honor is enough for their bravery. Nonetheless, though not his main purpose, Devaney calls attention to the practice of awarding medals itself, that often these warriors received awards that were below what their deeds merited. No less disturbing is the revelation that medals were often awarded by rank, and not always by action. The lives presented in Devaney’s book call attention to the fact that many heroes of these deadly conflicts have gone unrecognized.

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David K. Devaney joined the Marine Corps as an infantry rifleman in 1983. After two deployments overseas he was selected to the Surveillance and Target Acquisition (STA) platoon for duty as a scout sniper. He deployed ten times with Marine Corps units and five times with Army Special Forces elements, serving as a sniper. He retired in 2014 as the Command Sergeant Major for Weapons Training Battalion, Quantico, Virginia.