PUL-E ALAM, Afghanistan – Army Sgt. Barry W. Castro of Nashville, Tenn., was awarded the Purple Heart medal, which is one of the Army’s oldest and most respected honors, on Oct. 13 for a combat injury he received on Sept. 4.
Castro, who is assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Forward Operating Base Shank, was involved in a ground convoy in the northeastern region of the country on the day he was injured.
At one point, the convoy of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles stopped and Castro stepped out of his rig. Insurgents attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and Castro suffered a concussion as a result of the blasts.
“It’s a pretty significant event that happened out there,” said Col. Christopher W. Martin, commander of Afghanistan Engineer District-North.
“It’s not an award that I ever want to have to present to anybody, but it’s an award that I when I do have the opportunity, I’ve very proud and honored and humbled to present,” Martin said during the ceremony attended by military personnel and civilians alike at Shank.
“I feel privileged,” Castro said after the ceremony. He has remained at the base and he said he hopes to resume his full scope of duties soon.