MoH Recipient

On May 26, 2008, Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry, as a member of a Ranger helicopter assault force conducting a daylight rotary wing raid in the vicinity of Paktya, Afghanistan, distinguished himself conspicuously and with gallantry and intrepidness, by risking his life above and beyond the call of duty, during an extremely close and violent engagement with an extraordinarily determined and well armed enemy. During the initial engagement, Staff Sergeant Petry was shot through both legs and another Ranger was hit by enemy fire. Shortly thereafter, an enemy hand grenade landed amid Staff Sergeant Petry and two other Rangers; despite his serious leg wounds, Staff Sergeant Petry unhesitatingly moved to the grenade, grabbed it, and immediately threw the armed grenade away from his fellow Rangers. The grenade detonated shortly after Staff Sergeant Petry threw it away from his fellow Rangers resulting in a catastrophic amputation of his right hand and multiple shrapnel wounds penetrating his body. This deliberate individual act of heroism by Staff Sergeant Petry saved the lives of his fellow comrades and allowed the completion of the mission....


..."Staff Sergeant Petry's selfless and conspicuous gallantry during daylight hours of May 26, 2008 undeniably risked his life while saving the lives of two fellow Rangers and through great individual sacrifice and personal intrepidness enabled the assault force to accomplish its mission. His actions epitomize the Army's Warrior Spirit and have brought great credit to the 75th Ranger Regiment."

He did all of this after having been wounded in both legs. As with most of the other MOH citations - words fail me.
 
Picture on the front page of the Post tells the story:"Beyond the Call of Duty"

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Says it pretty well:
Wall Street JournalJuly 13, 2011
Pg. 16

Heroism Defined

Leroy Petry and the Medal of Honor.


Of all the words that modern English has debased, probably none rivals "hero" for promiscuous usage. To read about what an Army Ranger named Leroy Petry did in Afghanistan on May 26, 2008 is to understand what heroism in its truest sense denotes.Staff Sgt. Petry, who yesterday was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama, was taking part in a helicopter raid on a Taliban compound in Paktia province when a round from an AK-47 went through both of his legs. He remained in action, helping one fellow soldier move to safety and then returning to fight. He later grabbed a live grenade that had landed near two other Rangers. It detonated as he tried to throw it away, severing his right hand and riddling his body with shrapnel.

Staff Sgt. Petry survived the battle, and in winning the Medal of Honor he joins Staff Sgt. Salvatore Guinta among the nine recipients of the honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the only two living. There has been some controversy as to why the Medal has been bestowed so sparingly in our current wars -- 248 were awarded in Vietnam -- with some arguing that a risk-averse Pentagon brass fears giving it to soldiers who might have embarrassing blemishes on their service records. The likeliest explanation is that most casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have come about as a result of IED attacks.

Whatever the case, it detracts nothing from the honor, sacrifice and courage of our service members that the Medal of Honor remains rare and, therefore, precious. In an age in which it seems like every teacher, nurse and Little League coach gets to be called a "hero," it's important to have the likes of Staff Sgt. Petry to remind us of the real meaning of a word, no quote marks, full stop.


Picture on the front page of the Post tells the story:"Beyond the Call of Duty"

Ax1.jpg
 
My oldest is a CPT in the 101st ABN DIV. He bristles terribly at the blasé use of the word "hero" by most people. It does not help that he made and heard radio calls in Afghanistan in which the term "hero" was used to describe the KIA in his unit. Anyone who calls him a hero is likely to receive a very tight smile, and have him walk away as quickly as possible. SSGT Petry definitely qualifies for the title.
 
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