Army Ranger Awarded Medal of Honor
Photo Credit: Army Times
Tuesday, I watched as President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry. Petry is only the second living soldier to receive the honor since the Vietnam War.
The other soldier to receive the honor, former Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta, was also in attendance, along with other members of the Medal of Honor Society.
The East Room was filled with 100 of Petry's family and friends, members of Congress, military leaders, and fellow Army Rangers.
President Obama shared the story of Sgt. Petry's bravery, for which he earned the medal.
"It’s May 26, 2008, in the remote east of Afghanistan, near the mountainous border of Pakistan. Helicopters carrying dozens of elite Army Rangers race over the rugged landscape. And their target is an insurgent compound. The mission is high risk. It’s broad daylight. The insurgents are heavily armed. But it’s considered a risk worth taking because intelligence indicates that a top al Qaeda commander is in that compound.
Soon, the helicopters touch down, and our Rangers immediately come under fire. Within minutes, Leroy -- then a Staff Sergeant -- and another soldier are pushing ahead into a courtyard, surrounded by high mud walls. And that’s when the enemy opens up with their AK-47s. Leroy is hit in both legs. He’s bleeding badly, but he summons the strength to lead the other Ranger to cover, behind a chicken coop. He radios for support. He hurls a grenade at the enemy, giving cover to a third Ranger who rushes to their aid. An enemy grenade explodes nearby, wounding Leroy’s two comrades. And then a second grenade lands -- this time, only a few feet away.
Every human impulse would tell someone to turn away. Every soldier is trained to seek cover. That’s what Sergeant Leroy Petry could have done. Instead, this wounded Ranger, this 28-year-old man with his whole life ahead of him, this husband and father of four, did something extraordinary. He lunged forward, toward the live grenade. He picked it up. He cocked his arm to throw it back."
Petry lost his right arm in the blast. He shook the President's hand with his prosthetic limb. That limb has engraved on it the names of Rangers who lost their lives in battle.
He is still in the Army, after eight tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. In his current assignment, Sgt. Petry helps other wounded warriors.