Bravery Under Fire: U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Meil Shields Trainee from Grenade Blast, Receives Top Honor

Press Release:

U.S. Marine Corps Staff. Sgt. Brett D. Meil was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroic actions during a ceremony hosted by School of Infantry – West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sep. 24, 2024.

Staff Sgt. Brett Meil, a native of Texas, received the Department of the Navy’s highest non-combat award for exceptional bravery and composure during a training incident with a live fragmentation grenade, while serving as the position safety officer, on June 13, 2023.

While executing his responsibilities for a live grenade training, then, Sgt. Meil, instructed his assigned student to prepare an M67 fragmentation grenade for employment. At a critical moment, the student inadvertently released the safety lever while still maintaining control of the grenade, creating a potentially fatal situation. Recognizing the imminent danger, Meil remained calm and repeatedly instructed the young Marine to throw the grenade into the designated target area. Despite the Marine’s trepidation and inaction, he continued his efforts to guide and control the situation.

“My initial thought was how do I get this private out of the pit and leave the grenade in it” he said.

Due to inaction on the student’s part, Meil forcibly removed the grenade and quickly threw the Marine and himself outside the pit. Without warning, the grenade bounced off the interior wall and landed outside the pit, mere feet from him and his student lying on the ground.

“My secondary thought was the grenade’s outside the pit and pulling him [the student] as close and tight to me as possible” he said.

With complete disregard for his own safety, Meil positioned himself as a shield by wrapping his arms and body around the Marine, absorbing the blast and protecting the Marine from the lethal explosion. As a result, he absorbed hundreds of pieces of shrapnel across his body but successfully saved the life of his fellow Marine, who suffered only minor injuries. Despite the limited time and life-threatening circumstances, Meil maintained unwavering composure and situational awareness.

“Staff Sgt. Meil performed exactly the way that we ask combat instructors to,” said Col. Patrick B. Bryne, the commanding officer of SOI-West. “He identified that there was a dangerous situation, he assessed it and immediately acted exactly appropriately to address the danger and protect the student.”

Once the grenade had detonated within proximity of the Marines, Meil’s immediate actions were to assess the health and condition of the Marine he was responsible for and then immediately call for medical assistance. Only after being relieved by fellow combat instructors and medical personnel did Meil look to his own well-being.

For the lifesaving actions that occurred, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. The award signified that the awardee risked their own life during the course of an event and distinguished themselves in a non-combat environment.