![]() ![]() I tossed my wounded Marine down the stairs in an attempt to get him out of the kill radius of the hand grenade. ![]() As I cautiously made my way up the stairs and got to my Marine, a grenade was thrown at us. ![]() The smoke was thick and dense, and all I could hear was the insurgents speaking among themselves in Arabic and my comrade screaming. 12, 2004, while going, under enemy machine gun and rocket fire, into a burning building to retrieve a fallen Marine. My unit was tasked with the invasion of Fallujah, Iraq’s last enemy-held city. It is, to date, the bloodiest battle of the War on Terror. I served as a sergeant and fought during Operation Phantom Fury, aka the Battle of Fallujah, in 2004. Please describe what happened when you were wounded. Seeing the poverty and the struggles most people around the world deal with daily gives you a new outlook on life, one that America’s youth today needs. Serving your country is something that should be required. You also get the opportunity to travel and make friends from all over the place. In the military, you learn skills you won’t learn in the civilian sector. One month later, while I was at Parris Island, South Carolina, for boot camp, the attacks on 9/11 happened and war became a reality. At 17, I entered through the delayed entry program, and spent my senior year in high school, attending monthly meetings until I graduated and shipped off on August 19, 2001. What made you decide to become a Marine, and why would you recommend it to others? I wanted to be a Marine for as long as I can remember as they were all generally a pretty gung ho group. It is filled with good people and good patriotic Americans. After dating for a while, we got serious, and I moved up here because this is where she is from and where she now works. She was a student at SUNY/New Paltz but was originally from East Greenbush. When I returned from the war, I met a really sweet girl who worked at a family friend’s business, and we started seeing each other. Where are you from originally, and how did you end up in East Greenbush? I was born and raised in New Paltz. Cuney, who now lives in East Greenbush, agreed to answer some questions about his life, the dangers he went through and his plans for the future. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon and half a dozen more decorations, including the NYS Conspicuous Service Star and Conspicuous Service Cross. He was soon in the middle of the war in the Middle East, was wounded and came home. Story by James Breig * photo contributed One month after Jonathan Cuney of New Paltz entered the Marine Corps, 9/11 occurred. ![]()
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