BC grad earns Navy honor

Lieutenant Commander Michael Cura, BC '82, earned the Bronze Star in a ceremony held in January. Cura, a Navy SEAL, led Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cura's Bronze Star citation, signed by Admiral Vern Clark, chief of Naval Operations, read: "Hand-selected by the commander to lead the combined planning group, Lt. Cmdr. Cura provided expert leadership and sage guidance during high-stress planning sessions and produced an overarching azimuth for special operations in the War on Terrorism."

Cura, who volunteered to support the War on Terrorism after the events of September 11, was assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group Four (NSWG-4) in Norwalk, VA. NSWG-4 is responsible for, among other things, infiltration and extraction of SEALs and other SOF fighters.

One mission for which Cura was commended was the seizing and securing of an airfield that would serve as a staging area for future operations in January 2002. Cura and his group of SOF commandos and Marines held the airfield for two weeks before being relieved by the US Army 101st Airborne Division. They faced enemy fire on several occasions, but were unable to fire back due to their proximity to an Afghan village.

Cura was a member of Task Force K-Bar, a group that consisted of SOF from the U.S. Navy, Army, and Air Force, as well as soldiers from seven other countries. Task Force K-Bar was primarily re

sponsible for destroying al- Qaeda infrastructure and disrupting terrorist operations. They also gathered intelligence and captured Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners during the course of their combat operations.

Cura was originally assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Task Group, but his orders were changed upon his arrival in Afghanistan by his commanding officer, Captain Robert Harward. He assigned Cura to the Task Force K-Bar Joint Planning Group. This group was responsible for evaluating intelligence on future missions and determining the feasibility of conducting operations on specific targets.

"I'll do anything you want me to do," said Cura in a press release, in reference to his volunteering to fight in Afghanistan. "That was my attitude and that's what I ended up doing."

Another of Cura's assignments was to de-conflict operations between Task Force K-Bar and other SOF units, and to coordinate intelligence between all coalition forces in Afghanistan.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be living in a tent in a remote airfield in eastern Afghanistan," said Cura. "I was just thrilled to get over there and be part of Naval Special Warfare team."

Before his deployment to Afghanistan, Cura was the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Center in Toledo. There, he trained doctors, nurses, and construction personnel.

"Just the way SEALs are, we are always ready to go," said Cura. "Navy SEALs are all about teamwork. We went over there to do a job we had to do, as well as, a job we had been training to do for since we became SEALs. This was the pinnacle of my career."

A Waltham native, Cura majored in geophysics at Boston College. He was a member of the swim and water polo teams, eventually earning team captain positions.

Cura gave the medal to his father for his 70th birthday.