Today, a Grateful Nation Presents Its Highest Military Honor

At a White House ceremony today, Army Ranger Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry will receive the Medal of Honor. He’ll be the fourth soldier to receive that recognition for heroism in the Afghanistan War from President Obama and the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Iraq and Afghan wars, following the award of the Medal to Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta last fall.

While, in my opinion, too few Medals of Honor have been awarded to our deserving heroes, both during the peak of our fighting in Iraq and during the entire first seven years of the Afghanistan War, today is a day to celebrate, honor and pay respect to Petry for:

…exemplifying “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of one’s own life above and beyond the call of duty” during a fire battle in Paktya, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008, as part of a rare daylight raid to capture a high-value target.

On that day, an already wounded Petry — a bullet had just gone through both his legs and a grenade had already exploded among his buddies — saw a second grenade land just a few feet from two wounded fellow Rangers, grabbed the grenade and threw it in the direction of the enemy, preventing the serious injury or death of his comrades. But, as he released the grenade, it detonated and catastrophically amputated his right hand.

According to the Army: “Petry — despite his own wounds and with complete disregard for his personal safety — consciously and deliberately risked his life to move to and secure the live enemy grenade and consciously throw the grenade away from his fellow Rangers…”

According to ABC News, Petry told the Army News Service:

It was almost instinct; off training…It was probably going to kill all three of us. I had time to visually see the hand grenade. And I figure it’s got about a four-and-half second fuse, depending on how long it has been in the elements and the weather and everything and how long the pin has been pulled. I figure if you have time to see it you have time to kick it, throw it, just get it out there.

ABC News continues:

But just as he did so, the grenade exploded in his right hand. “I actually didn’t think it was going to go off,” Petry said. “I didn’t really feel much pain. I didn’t know it had gone off and taken my hand until I sat back up and saw it was completely amputated at the wrist.”

Remarkably, Petry placed a tourniquet on his right arm then reported by radio that he and the other two Rangers had been wounded and were still under enemy fire.

Eventually, the Taliban fighters were killed by other soldiers, but not before one of them fatally shot Spc. Christopher Gathercole, who had arrived to help Petry, Higgins and Robinson.

Petry, now wearing a high-tech robotic artificial hand, continues to serve on active duty as a liaison officer with wounded warriors and even plays golf. Sgt Petry has deployed a total of eight times to Iraq and Afghanistan.

An American, a soldier, a hero, a father of four…