Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Churchill marine awarded Bronze Star, honored by USO
It isn’t just Marine Sgt. Lucas Chaffins’ bravery that yielded him the Bronze Star medal. It isn’t simply his courageousness. It is Chaffins’ no-quit, positive attitude that prompted his commanding officers to nominate the 23-year-old raised in Churchill for the distinction.
“Luke is the most talented and most positive Marine I’ve ever worked with,” said Capt. John Collins, who served with Chaffins in Afghanistan. “He’s a solid guy, unshakable.”
There’re some guys with little talent but you love them because they work hard, Collins said. Then there are the talented guys who are lazy because they don’t have to work hard.
But Chaffins is both talented and a hard worker, Collins said.
“He’s an absolute beast in the face of stressful and high-risk situations,” Collins added. “He always has a smile on his face and is the first to volunteer, not just for the dangerous and risky stuff, but also for the non-sexy tasks like taking out the trash.”
Yet there was a specific incident cited when Chaffins was awarded the medal earlier this year.
When Chaffins and a fellow solider got caught on a rooftop with no cover during a firefight in Afghanistan in August, Chaffins did what he could to stay safe.
