1st Marine Division’s new "Iron Mike" - Blue Diamond sergeant major takes title after 31 years in Corps

One of the most unique ornaments in the office of Sgt. Maj. Michael L. Kufchak, 1st Marine Division sergeant major, is a statue of a screaming horse. The horse represents the "Dark Horse" battalion, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Kufchak deployed to Iraq as the battalion sergeant major in December of 2005. On May 21, 2006, an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle, sending shrapnel across Kufchak's face, blinding him in his right eye. The statue is one of two ever produced. The second statue was given to Col. Patrick G. Looney, who now serves as the commanding officer of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.