Park Rapids Silver Star recipient has valor in his veins

U.S. Army

Capt. John M. Tate received the Silver Star for his actions while conducting combat operations in the Malaab district of Ramadi, Iraq. Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno awarded the medal during a Dec. 4 ceremony at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq.

His grandfather earned a Silver Star, too. His father served in Vietnam. Now a Park Rapids native has his own medal.

By Paul Walsh, Star Tribune

Last update: December 6, 2007 - 12:42 AM

For six hours, Army Capt. John Tate methodically led his forces through a small section of Ramadi, Iraq, flushing out insurgents and establishing security that Tate says remains in the Malaab district 10 months later.

This military accomplishment earned Tate, 36, a native of Park Rapids, Minn., one of the nation's highest military honors: the Silver Star.

Tate was awarded his Silver Star by Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, second in command in Iraq, during a ceremony at Al Taqaddum Air Base in Iraq Tuesday.

It also continues a family tradition -- his grandfather, Robert H. Tate, also received a Silver Star. The elder Tate, who died in 2004, served a total of 23 years in the Army, including tours in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, John Tate said in a telephone interview from Iraq.

Early in the morning of Feb. 24 in Ramadi, one of Tate's platoons hit a roadside bomb. Several Americans were injured.

In the six hours that followed, Tate said, he moved two other platoons into position along with Bradley armored vehicles.

"There were engagements every 30 minutes as we moved from block to block," Tate said. "It took six hours to cover 500 meters of the city.

Tate made sure to note that "we kept the casualties [among the Americans] to a minimum. A few of his soldiers lost limbs, he said, but "the only way to ensure that we didn't have more casualties was to push forward and remove the insurgents from the neighborhood."

Before the morning was over, the insurgents were forced out and the area was under the control of the Iraqi police and U.S. forces, and it remains so to this day, Tate said.

Thirteen of his soldiers were injured in the conflict, he said, "but luckily, all of them received medical care immediately and are still with us today."

Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, is a city of 400,000. It is 70 miles west of Baghdad, along the main highway running to Jordan and Syria.

In addition to his grandfather, Tate's father also was in the military. Michael Tate, of Osage, Minn., served in the Marines in Vietnam. He has a brother in the Army in Alaska and two cousins who are officers in the Navy.

Tate attended Park Rapids High School for a year, moved to Japan with his family, and then returned stateside and got his diploma at a high school in Jacksonville, N.C.

Along with the Silver Star, he has earned two Bronze Stars in Iraq.

Tate expects to serve "another seven years, at least."

The Silver Star is the fourth-highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the U.S. armed services.

In September, Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg of St. Paul was the first Minnesota National Guard member to be awarded the Silver Star since World War II. Malmberg was commanding a convoy escort team that was attacked by 30 or more insurgents. Malmberg led the fierce 50-minute firefight that left no one in his crew injured or dead.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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