Photo By Spc. Patrick Connery | U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. John P. McDwyer, command sergeant major of III Armored Corps, congratulates retired Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Wardale III following a Purple Heart ceremony on July 8, at III Armored Corps Headquarters at Fort Hood. Wardale received the Purple Heart for wounds sustained during the Good Friday Ambush on April 9, 2004, while serving as a squad leader with the 96th Transportation Company in Iraq. (Photo by Spc. Patrick M. Connery) see less
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Retired Soldier receives Purple Heart for actions during 2004 Good Friday Ambush
FORT HOOD, Texas More than 22 years has passed since then-Staff Sgt. Thomas Wardale III climbed into the lead vehicle of a convoy traveling along Main Supply Route Tampa in Iraq.
The events of April 9, 2004, became a defining moment in his Army career. On July 8, 2026, those actions were formally acknowledged as Wardale, now a retired sergeant first class, received the Purple Heart during a ceremony at Fort Hood.
The award recognizes wounds Wardale sustained during the Good Friday Ambush, where he continued leading Soldiers under fire despite being injured.
On April 9, 2004, Wardale was serving as a squad leader with the 96th Transportation Company, 49th Transportation Brigade, then-13th Corps Support Command (now 13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command), leading a convoy transporting M1 Abrams tanks along MSR Tampa when the convoy was struck by a complex enemy ambush involving mortar fire, improvised explosive devices and direct fire.
The lead vehicle absorbed the initial attack.
“I got hit with shrapnel on the head,” Wardale said. “My lieutenant and my other Soldiers got the brunt of it.”
Despite his injuries, Wardale immediately transitioned from reacting to the explosion to protecting his Soldiers.
During the ceremony, Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, commanding general of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, recounted how Wardale carried his wounded platoon leader to safety, returned fire, repeatedly checked on wounded Soldiers and helped organize the convoy’s defense until the threat had been eliminated.
Admiral said Wardale’s actions represented the very qualities Army leaders strive to instill in their Soldiers.
“You did not let the chaos of battle deter you,” Admiral said. “You stood as a shield for your team, and you brought them through the storm.”
Wardale credits his response that day to the training he received throughout his career.
“It was just a natural experience,” Wardale said. “All the training that I endured as a private, and all the training I received, it was just flowing.”
Among those attending the ceremony was Col. Pily Restrepo, deputy commanding officer of 13th Armored Sustainment Command, III Armored Corps, who served as the executive officer for 96th Trans. Co. during the harrowing Good Friday Ambush.
Restrepo said seeing Wardale receive the Purple Heart after more than two decades was meaningful.
“I’m just thankful that even after 22 years, we managed to recognize our Soldier,” Restrepo said.
She also remembered Wardale’s leadership during one of the company’s darkest moments.
Restrepo said Wardale repeatedly moved through the convoy while enemy fire continued, ensuring wounded Soldiers were cared for and the unit remained focused until the attack ended.
“We all prepare ourselves for things like that, but we don’t think it’s going to happen to us,” Restrepo said. “It was an honor to be there and witness everything that happened that day.”
Although the ambush became one of the defining moments of his military career, Wardale continued serving, deploying to Iraq four more times before retiring from an Army career that spanned 21 years. Following his military service, he worked as a truck driver for the City of College Station before retiring.
Looking back on his career, Wardale said the Army provided opportunities that shaped both his life and his leadership.
“I loved it,” Wardale said. “I got a chance to meet different people. I got a chance to train Soldiers. I got a chance to do the things that, as a civilian, I wouldn’t have been able to do.”
Even while receiving the Purple Heart, Wardale focused less on himself and more on the people who helped shape him.
He credited his family for preparing him long before he entered the Army and thanked the noncommissioned officers who mentored him throughout his career and pushed him to become the leader he was in combat and throughout more than two decades of service.
More than 22 years after the Good Friday Ambush, the Purple Heart became more than a medal recognizing wounds received in combat. It served as a long-awaited acknowledgment of the courage, leadership and sacrifice Wardale displayed on a day when bringing every Soldier home was the only mission that mattered.
“I’m thankful for my NCOs that trained me. They pushed me as a private to be who I am,” Wardale said. “The Army paved a way for me to be who I am.”
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