JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – The 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central commander presented a 532nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron quick-reaction force Airman with the oldest American military decoration March 28.
Lt. Gen. Gary North presented Senior Airman Luis Bermudez with the Purple Heart during a ceremony attended by base leadership, JBB members and many of his fellow 532nd ESFS "Lions."
Established in 1782 by Gen. George Washington, the Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to any Armed Forces member who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. armed services, has been wounded or killed. There are several criteria for awarding the medal, including injury caused by enemy action.
Bermudez was injured March 9 when a stray bullet impacted the left side of his chest as he made his way across the 532nd ESFS Humvee yard to meet with his squad for a mission, only a few hours into his first day of duty on his deployment.
During the ceremony, North said he felt privileged to present the medal and shared a message with those in attendance.
"It is an honor and a pleasure to be here at Balad, and to be able to stand in front of a young Airman who has answered his nation's call, and to be able to spend a moment to talk to you about the justness of our battle because the enemy on the ninth of March chose, inside the lion's yard, to send a message," he said.
"The message was: they think they own the battlespace and they think that at wanton will, they can deliver a message, and, in this case, they chose a warrior who had been in battle before," North continued. "[An Airman] who had been inside and outside the wire at Bucca, who had been deployed and done an exceptional job, and for whatever reason war goes -- timing is everything -- walking across this very battlespace, inside your own yard, the enemy chose to send that message."
North left the defenders with words of appreciation before presenting Bermudez with the Purple Heart.
"Whether it's inside the wire, whether it's outside the wire, whether it's on the ground, whether it's air assault, you're doing incredible work," said the general. "I will tell you as your commander, we could not be prouder of each and every one of you."
For his part, Bermudez said he felt privileged to be presented with the medal by North and shared his feelings on what happened the eventful day that led to its presentation.
"I'd never thought I'd get to meet Gen. North, it's an honor," said Bermudez, who is currently deployed here from Buckley Air Force Base, Colo. "It is overwhelming to have my medal presented in front of everyone because I'm not used to being the center of attention. But overall, these guys are my family, and it was great to have them here.
"I feel blessed to be standing here alive ... I was fortunate enough to survive through it and still be with my squad," continued the Chicago native. "I have a mission to do and as much as this was an unfortunate setback, I still have to press on. I have a family out there, Squad 3; they are the people who look out for me and I have to look out for them, and [my wife] understands.
"I plan to heal back up in a week and get back out there," added Bermudez. "I still want to go out there; I want to be with my squad. There was talk about sending me home, but I immediately squashed it. I came out here with my squad; I will leave with my squad. I went through 45 days of training, and I am not just going to get up and go."
A fellow team member and the first of the medical personnel to respond to Bermudez's need for medical care the day he was injured was Capt. Laura Dart, a physician's assistant assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, deployed here from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.
"I wasn't surprised a bit when he decided to stay," said Dart, who works hand in hand with the 532nd ESFS. "He wanted the bullet out of him, but even more so he wanted to stay. Whatever it took, he wanted to stay."
On the day of the event, Dart, who's from Beaumont, Texas, kept Bermudez stable until the ambulance arrived.
"I palpated the area and you could feel the outline of the round," she recalled. "It was that superficial. We just kept him stable, [the ambulance] was already on its way. Everyone was very calm and just waiting to be instructed. [How everyone responded] was really impressive."
Bermudez was transported to the hospital, where he was treated and later released to return to his unit after a few weeks of bed rest.
Overall, Bermudez's leadership said they look forward to his full recovery and are very proud of him.
"I think it's a well-deserved honor," said Chief Master Sgt. Simon Cesareo, 532nd ESFS security forces manager. "He was very brave throughout the [incident]. His first initial feeling about the whole thing was 'what do I need to do to get back to work?' We never got to the point [of sending him home] because he wanted to stay. The medical staff said that his wounds would heal to where he was operational again, so we never explored that avenue. He didn't want to go home."
"He is a great example to all those who are here and those who have heard his story," the chief continued. "It's a motivator for them to stay vigilant and to know that anything can happen."
"He's a tremendous role model," Lt. Col. Brian Greenroad, 532nd ESFS commander concurred. "He represents all that is great about our Airmen serving in-country and worldwide."
On the mend, Bermudez said he is appreciative of all the care, concern and support he has been shown.
"I'd like to thank Capt. Dart and the medical unit here because they were great," he said. "I trust Capt. Dart with my life. I'd like to thank the first sergeant, my chief and commander; they all really took good care of me. They all knew I wanted to get back out there."