He want to join the Marines, but I'm 5'4 and 16. Has there been a short Marine?

He want to join the Marines, but I'm 5'4 and 16. Has there been a short Marine?

Dude.

This guy, Sergeant James Conner, was 5′3. The other Marines called him “The Leprechaun” (never to his face), because he was Irish and because of his height. He fought in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, then fought in the Second Battle of Fallujah in 2004. During one firefight, Conner’s squad pushed into a house, and two of his Marines, 19 year old Nathan Wood and 20 year old Scott Larson, were cut down by a PKM machine gun. Both bodies and another Marine were still trapped in the house, so Conner ran inside and engaged the machine gun head on, firing his M-16 and tossing two grenades to cover the retreat of his squadmates.

During another firefight, he charged into a house alone and killed three insurgents in a matter of seconds. Near the end of the battle, Conner’s squad was engaged in a heated firefight against Chechen foreign fighters. Conner walked up to a window, M-16 at the ready, when he came face to face with an insurgent. He couldn't get an angle on the man because of his height, and a bullet went through Conner's shoulder.

Undeterred, the Leprechaun emptied a magazine from his M-16 into the window. Conner’s best friend, Michael Hanks, was shot in the face by a machine gun. Enraged, Conner ordered everyone to pull back, except him. As an M1 tank was brought up to destroy the house, Conner continued firing as he pulled back, engaging the Chechens in a personal duel. He directed the tank’s fire until the entire building came down. Conner would survive the battle and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions in Fallujah.

So yes, there has been a short Marine, and you can definitely join the Marines at 5′4.

Video about the firefight.

We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah: Patrick K. O'Donnell: 9780306815737: Amazon.com: Books

We Were One is a book by Patrick O’Donnell, a combat historian who embedded with Conner’s platoon during the fighting of the Second Battle of Fallujah. You really connect with each member of the platoon as they endure some of the most brutal fighting of the Iraq War. Conner is one of the main characters of the book. Great read that I highly recommended.

Picture Source Wikipedia

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