July
2011 > Army Ranger Petry Awarded Medal of Honor
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(Source: US Department of Defense) |
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Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry received the Medal of
Honor from President Barack Obama during a ceremony at
the White House on July
12th, 2011. Petry is
only the second active-duty servicemember since Vietnam
to live to accept the nation's highest military honor.
Petry was honored for his actions during combat in 2008
in Afghanistan while serving with the 75th Ranger
Regiment. His unit was tasked with raiding an insurgent
compound. During close combat with enemy insurgents
armed with grenades and AK-47s, Petry was shot in both
legs. Despite bleeding badly, he was able to lead two
Rangers to cover, but a grenade hit his comrades,
wounding both. Another grenade landed near Petry, but
instead of taking cover, Petry picked up the grenade to
throw it away from his wounded buddies. The grenade went
off in Petry's hand. Despite losing his hand, Petry was
able to apply a tourniquet with his other hand and
continue the mission. Since the incident, Petry has been
fitted with a prosthetic hand and has re-enlisted in the
Army. |
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Staff Sgt. Petry during his re-enlistment ceremony at Fort
Lewis, Washingon in May, 2010. |
The 2nd Ranger Battalion during the 2008 deployment to
Afghanistan. (Staff Sgt. Petry 2nd row, 3rd from left) |
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