Wounded Troops

Donation to Gunnery Sergeant Daryl Noonan

On 14 September 2015, .ORG Foundation made a $5000 donation to Gunnery Sergeant Daryl Noonan, a retired U.S. Marine who got injured while serving on deployment in Iraq. This video clip sums up the event. Gunnery Noonan's bio is also provided below.

Daryl Noonan
GySgt USMC Retired

After completing Marine Corps basic training and Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school, GySgt Noonan was assigned to 1st Battalion, 11th Marines onboard Camp Pendleton, CA where he served as a 0844 Artillery Fire Direction Control Man until 1997. Soon after his promotion to the rank of Sergeant in May 1998, he was attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and deployed for 6 months in the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Anchorage as part of Battalion Landing Team 3/1. In June 2001, GySgt Noonan was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant, 0848 Artillery Operations Chief. He received an assignment as Artillery Instructor and was moved to Fort Sill, OK where he trained over 300 Marines Fire Control Man over the 4 years that followed.

In 2005, he augmented a United States Military Advisor Team and deployed to Iraq in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. During the deployment, he served as the Artillery Fires and Effects Staff Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO), performing numerous patrol operations around the Jazeira Peninsula and Al Taqaddum and training soldiers from the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the 1st Iraqi Division. GySgt Noonan’s unit also experienced numerous improvised explosive device (IED) attacks from the Iraqi insurgency, including one in June 2005 that killed one friendly Iraqi soldier and seriously wounded many others, including himself and some of his fellow Marines. Due to his injuries, GySgt Noonan was medically evacuated to Landstuhl Germany, where he underwent emergency surgery prior to be transferred to Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bathesda, MD for additional care. He was later flown back to Fort Sill, OK where he was reunited with his family.

In November 2006, GySgt reported to Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines as the new 81 MM Mortars’ Platoon Sergeant and immediately started training for his second deployment to Iraq. His unit departed for Iraq in July 2007, shortly after his selection to the rank of Gunnery Sergeant. They served their tour without a single casualty and returned to the United States in February 2008. Later assignments included an additional deployment onboard the USS Boxer with the 13th MEU and a Training Chief function for the Advisor Training Group (ATG) in 29 Palms, CA that he completed from June 2010 to May 2013. During this last assignment, GySgt Noonan educated countless teams preparing to deploy to Afghanistan in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM.

GySgt Noonan retired from the United States Marine Corps on 30 June 2013 after 20 years and 9 days of active service. His awards include a Purple Heart, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Navy Commendation Medal with a Combat V, a Combat Action Ribbon and an OIF service Medal. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in addition to the injuries he sustained during the 2005 IED blast he survived. He is currently undergoing treatment with the VA hospital. He lives in Yucca Valley, CA with his wife and 3 daughters. We honor his family’s service and thank you for helping us support them.