Profiles of Valor: U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher Adlesperger
Lance Cpl. Christopher Adlesperger of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was on a “clearing mission” in Fallujah with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, when he and his team encountered heavy enemy fire. His point man was killed and two other Marines were injured. Despite shrapnel wounds, Adlesperger advanced the attack against the jihadis, while single-handedly clearing the stairs and moving the wounded to safety. According to the citation on his award, “On his own initiative, while deliberately exposing himself to heavy enemy fire…[Adlesperger] established a series of firing positions and attacked the enemy, forcing them to be destroyed in place or to move into an area where adjacent forces could engage them.”
A month after the Fallujah battle, the 20-year-old Adlesperger was on another clearing mission when he was killed by enemy gunfire.
For his courageous actions in Fallujah, Adlesperger was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest military medal for combat valor. His family was presented with the medal at a recent award ceremony. Adlesperger’s actions “destroyed the last strongpoint in the Jolan District of Al Fallujah and saved the lives of his fellow Marines…” the citation states. “By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire and utmost devotion to duty… Adlesperger reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”