Photo By Sgt. Maj. Andrew Porch | Drew Dix and Jim Taylor, Medal of Honor recipients, unveil a portrait of Staff Sgt....... read more read more
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PUEBLO, Colo. – “This medal is not for me, it is for the soldiers that did not come back,” a quote under the portrait of Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry, recent Medal of Honor recipient, and the latest service member to have his portrait unveiled in Pueblo, Colo., May 9.
Soldiers of Fort Carson and local residents who attended the ceremony at the Center for American Values interacted with Medal of Honor recipients, toured the facility that features more than 140 portraits of service members who earned the MOH and saw the unveiling of the newest portrait.
“For me what this portrait represents is that I was just a plain old guy, a normal guy,” said Petry. “It was having those good American values and then the Army values which helped build my character and that’s what the portrait represents.”
Perty distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. It was in action, with an armed enemy in the vicinity of the Paktia province, Afghanistan, May 26, 2008. While wounded from enemy fire, Petry, with complete disregard for his own safety, picked up an enemy grenade that landed feet from him and his soldiers. As he released the grenade it detonated, amputating his right hand at the wrist. Despite the severity of his wounds he placed a tourniquet on his wrist and continued to communicate for support via radio.
Petry, who was not able to attend the unveiling due to a back surgery, is currently stationed in Fort Lewis, Wash., and has taken on the task of helping wounded warriors and their families.
Perty said if he can’t go to the fight then he can help the men and their families who are wounded, ill or injured.
Soldiers said they felt honored to attend the event.
“It was a pretty emotional event with three Medal of Honor recipients there,” said Capt. Adam Fullerton, rear detachment commander, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. “You could just tell what it meant to those guys and what it meant to the community. I was fortunate to be a part of it.”
Drew Dix, Medal of Honor recipient, spoke to the crowd on the importance of the center.
“When (children) leave here, we know that a few of them are going to take something away from this,” said Dix. “When they spread out to the community and they grow up they are going to help carry the message that we’re trying to create here and encourage.”
Soldiers said they appreciated the support of the community.
“It’s awesome,” said Capt. Matt Anderson, Fort Carson Warrior Transition Battalion. “It depends where you live, but it’s not always as prevalent as you would like it to be. It’s always awesome to have the local community on your side.”
To learn more about the portraits of more than 140 MOH recipients visit the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk in downtown Pueblo.
| Date Taken: | 05.09.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.23.2013 09:58 |
| Story ID: | 107445 |
| Location: | PUEBLO, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Honoring a hero, by SGM Andrew Porch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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