Lance Cpl. Nathaniel S. Tracy (right), machine gun squad leader, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, shakes hands with Medal of Honor recipient, retired Col. Jay R. Vargas, after being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Foster, Paul and Barker Awards for excellence during a ceremony at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Feb. 21, 2014. Vargas, who earned distinction while serving with 2nd Bn., 4th Marines in Vietnam, returned to his old battalion to congratulate the top performers. Tracy, a 22-year-old native of Auburn, Calif., and a 2009 graduate of Arrows Christian Academy, is currently serving in a position usually filled by a higher-ranking sergeant. As a squad leader, Tracy supervises twelve Marines and leads them in complex fires and maneuvers. He deployed to Okinawa, Japan, for eight months in 2013 as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Tracy also deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, and he is the recipient of the Combat Action Ribbon, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and to Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jacob H. Harrer / cleared for release)