Lieutenant Col. Tim M. Bairstow, the commanding officer

Lieutenant Col. Tim M. Bairstow, the commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, awards the Bronze Star Medal with a Combat V to Cpl. Michael P. Toomey, a rifleman serving with 2nd Bn., 5th Marines, during an award ceremony here, April 18, 2013. Toomey, a native of San Francisco, was recognized for his heroic actions on May 8, 2012, while deployed to Musa Qal'ah district, Helmand province, Afghanistan. He led a fire team of Marines in a hasty ambush against an insurgent machine gun team hiding in a tree line. During the assault, Toomey shot an enemy fighter and threw a grenade at their position, causing the remaining insurgents to flee and abandon fighting the Marines for the remainder of the operation.