Lindsey and Trey Humphrey
The morning fog hung heavy in the northernmost section of Camp Pendleton, home to the 5th Marine Regiment. The Marines from Kilo Company stood at attention as Lieutenant Colonel Christeon C. Griffin pinned the Bronze Star with Combat V for valor on Marine Corps Sergeant Thomas B. Humphrey III, known to his friends as Trey. The actions for which Trey was being honored took place sixteen months earlier and many in the formation were new to the unit, not even part of the Marine Corps when 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines last deployed to Afghanistan. All, however, knew they were in the presence of American heroes, members of 3/5 who distinguished themselves in combat, paying a tremendous price in the name of freedom.
Trey Humphrey after being awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V for valor. Bob Hamer
Trey stood shoulder to shoulder with those who fought with him in Iraq and Afghanistan. There was the cane and a slight limp but few knew he was missing his right leg and fighting to save his left. Nor did they know he had “died” twice while being medically evacuated from the battlefield. They just knew he exhibited extraordinary heroism half a world away.
Being in the company of the men with whom he served made the morning very special, but the nagging uncertainty about his future clouded the event. It was more than the missing limb; the IED had ruptured his identity. He loved being a Marine and he would never again lead men into battle.
In essence the Bronze Star, the same medal his grandfather was awarded for actions in World War II, marked the end of the Marine Corps career he valued. The sacrifices he made to wear the title “Marine” would now be stories for a backyard barbecue sometime in the future, somewhere beyond the confines of a military base.
If you saw her sitting at an outdoor café in Beverly Hills you would assume she’s a Tinseltown starlet, but Lindsey Humphrey is no celebrity; she’s a hero. There’s a difference, even if too few people understand the distinction. Like the Marines who carried Trey’s fractured body to safety, she remained by his side through the surgeries and rehabilitation even when he wasn’t so easy to love.
Sergeant Trey Humphrey and Lindsey at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. Lindsey Humphrey
Although they both attended Foothill High School in Henderson, Nevada, just south of Las Vegas, and she admits to having a schoolgirl crush on the popular senior three-sport athlete, Trey paid little attention to the skinny blond freshman. In a few years that would change but not before Trey left for the University of Nevada, Reno, with plans to pursue a degree in business and gaming management. Though he stayed several years his heart was never in his studies. He was treading water. Aimlessly flapping his arms staying afloat made little sense. Without telling anyone of his decision until after he signed the enlistment papers, he joined the Marine Corps.