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saltydad 07-12-2011 06:45 PM
Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Obama Awards Medal of Honor to Army Ranger [/font]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 - President Barack Obama today awarded the country's highest military honor to Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry, an Army Ranger who was shot in both legs and had his hand blown off while saving his fellow soldiers during a firefight in Afghanistan. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'][/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']
Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry received the Medal of Honor at a July 12, 2011, White House ceremony for conspicuous gallantry in combat. U.S. Army photo [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'](Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Petry became only the second living veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to receive the award, which Obama presented during a White House ceremony attended by Petry, his wife and four children, and more than a hundred of his family members, mostly from his native New Mexico. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, Army Secretary John M. McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Martin E. Dempsey also attended the ceremony, as did the members of the legendary Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, with which Petry served. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Calling Petry, 31, "a true hero," Obama recounted how the soldier was on his seventh combat deployment in Afghanistan on May 26, 2008, when he took part in a high-risk daytime operation to capture an insurgent leader in a compound in Paktia province, near the Pakistan border. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']As helicopters delivered Petry and the other Rangers into the area, they were met with heavy automatic weapons fire. Petry and Sgt. Lucas Robinson were wounded as they moved to secure a back courtyard. The two found cover behind a chicken coop and were joined by Sgt. Daniel Higgins, a team leader, who was assessing their wounds when an enemy grenade injured Robinson and Higgins. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Two more Rangers, Staff Sgt. James Roberts and Spc. Christopher Gathercole, came to help just as another grenade was lobbed at the unit. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"Every human impulse would tell a person to turn away," Obama said. "Every soldier is trained to seek cover. That's what Sergeant Petry could have done." Instead, he said, Petry did something extraordinary: he picked up the grenade to throw it back. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"What compels a person to risk everything so that others might live?" the president asked. He said the "roots of Leroy's valor are all around us" in the presence of his parents, four brothers, and other family members. Obama said Petry answered the question while meeting with him before the ceremony, saying that his fellow soldiers are his brothers, and he protected them just as he would his family. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"With that selfless act, Leroy saved two of his Ranger brothers, and they are with us today," he said. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Petry, shot in both legs by assault-rifle fire, picked up the grenade to throw it back at the enemy, and it detonated, amputating his right hand. Still, Obama said, Petry "remained calm, put on his own tourniquet, and continued to lead, even telling medics how to treat his wounds." [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Today, Petry has a small plaque attached to his prosthetic arm with names of the 75th Regiment's fallen, including Gathercole, who was killed in the operation for which Petry was honored. Obama paid tribute to Gathercole's family at today's ceremony. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"Leroy Petry shows us that true heroes still exist, and they are closer than you think," the president said. "There are heroes all around us. They are the millions in uniform who have served for the past 10 years." They are the force behind the force, the president added, citing Ashley Petry, who kept their family "Army strong" while her husband was deployed. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Petry, who enlisted in 1999 and also served two deployments in Iraq, could have retired with honors. Instead, Obama said, he chose to re-enlist indefinitely, and recently completed his eighth deployment in Afghanistan, despite continuing to struggle with his wounds. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']"His service speaks to the very essence of America: no matter how hard the journey, no matter how steep the climb, we don't give up," the president said.
[/font]

stumpy4700 07-13-2011 07:05 AM
Re: Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
No words could ever tell him "Thank You" enough.

For all the military past and present.

Thank You

Yug 07-13-2011 11:04 PM
Re: Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
What he did, he did out of love for his comrades. There are many that think like him, but thankfully there are few that are called to carry out such deeds.

I served 20 yrs, and never had to do something like that. I would hope I would have acted bravely. Today, though, I would have left the military even if not at retirement. We are asking our servicemembers to do so much for so little, and in the process be bound by rules of engagement that make no sense, and which seem to place far more value on the lives of our enemies than our own citizens. obama keeps our military in places where there is no clear mission, and where much of the country itself does not want us there, and are ungrateful for much of what we did. Libya poses no threat, and neither side is worthy of our aid, either militarily or financially, and our attacking them is currently in violation of the war powers act by someone who feels he is not bound by our Constitution. He had the gall to claim that by consulting with Congress, he satisfied the requirement to get their authorization. obama places our military at risk with no apparent concern for whether lives are risked for clear purposeful goals. He even took an unbelieveably long time to decide whether to move on Bin Ladin, one of our most desired targets for some time now. Is this man not capable of any small measure of leadershipe in even the most clear-cut cases? For me, to have served while obama is in the white house, and have him pin a medal on would feel like a slap in the face, and a mockery of all honorable things our nation has done up to now. Good for Sgt Petry, and all our honorable servicemembers, but shame shame shame on obama.

saltydad 07-14-2011 10:04 AM
Re: Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
Hi Yug. I salute you for your 20 years; I was only 5. I While I hear what you are saying, I respectfully must disagree. I don't want this thread to be a place for argument, but for reflection on SFC. Leroy Petry, so I'll just leave it at that. We are united in our thanks to him and as to why he did it. In Nam it was only your buddies, your brothers, and your loved ones, not our government or President, that kept us going. Thank you again Yug, and thank you SFC. Petry.

saltydad 07-14-2011 10:07 AM
Re: Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
Chief, is there a way to keep the font info, etc. from copying over to here? Thanks.

laserlight 07-17-2011 10:25 PM
Re: Thank G-d America Still Has People Like This!
 
SFC. Petry is way cool. that was really a scary thing and he did it anyway and saved people. I say Thank You to him too cause thats really brave.


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