MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Leondro F. Baptista says any of the 25 men in his platoon would have done what he did last spring in Iraq.

Nonetheless, his exploits were anything but ordinary -- even to a man who's heard plenty of firsthand accounts about what heroes have done.

"What this Marine did brings chills down my spine," said Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general for 1st Marine Division, who on June 3 handed Baptista a Silver Star -- the nation's third-highest award for bravery in combat.

"Actions like this truly made a difference in Iraq," Natonski added.

A resident of Miami and a former team leader with Company B, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion here, Baptista recalls in vivid detail the sounds of the enemy's machine-gun fire directed at his platoon that day in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq more than a year ago.

He also remembers the six Marines who were wounded in the firefight.

It happened April 7, 2004. Sixty enemy combatants in fortified positions assaulted the platoon. Baptista, a sergeant at the time, immediately dismounted his vehicle and led a "hit team" to flank the enemy positions, according to the award citation.

After sprinting across a shallow canal and climbing a 10-foot berm, he charged toward the enemy fighters. While drawing fire from enemy machine guns, he silenced one gunner, then continued to press the enemy by hastily forming a three-man assault team, the citation stated.

He then scaled another berm under heavy enemy fire. He disarmed an improvised explosive device and charged forward, surprising 11 enemy combatants. He eliminated four of them, then directed the fire team of three Marines against the remaining seven insurgents, the citation stated.

As he came under fire from different enemy positions, Baptista then provided cover for his team for a withdrawal to safety.

After the award ceremony, Baptista spent the afternoon with several of his Operation Iraqi Freedom comrades. He talked briefly about the firefight and detailed what he remembered.

"Everything happened so quickly out there that it seemed to have only lasted a few minutes, but in actuality, the entire ambush lasted 30 minutes. Time gets distorted when things are happening so fast," Baptista said.

"I am thankful for the recognition, but I also feel somewhat unworthy of it, because all of us that were out there that day made sacrifices. I think all of these Marines here today deserve recognition. I was just put into a position that put me in charge, and I had to make some split-second decisions."

Baptista, who was born in Rio De Janiero, Brazil, and became a naturalized American citizen, has studied criminal justice since he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in September 2004. He plans to move back to California to become a police officer locally.

"He was a fearless and natural leader," said Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Griego, operations chief for Company B. "He was one of those Marines you always had to hold back, and if you let him go at the right time, he would win the race. He never questioned what he was told to do."

"It was good to see some familiar faces again," Baptista said. "I am just glad to still be here today and that all my brothers came home safely."