New Medal of Honor recipient

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Some of you may remember how Sal Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor — the highest military decoration available — for his actions during a deployment to the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. A month from now Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry will receive the same decoration.

Petry was assigned to Company A, 2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Regiment while in Afghanistan. During a rare day-time raid, Petry and another Ranger were clearing a courtyard in a mission to capture a high value target. They were both wounded (Petry was shot through both legs), took cover in a chicken coop, and were joined by a third Ranger. After surviving a grenade blast from ten feet away, another grenade was thrown into the chicken coop several feet from the soldiers.

Recognizing the threat that the enemy grenade posed to his fellow Rangers, 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 battlefield reports.

As Petry released the grenade in the direction of the enemy, preventing the serious injury or death of Higgins and Robinson, it detonated and catastrophically amputated his right hand.

With a clear mind, Petry assessed his wound and placed a tourniquet on his right arm. Once this was complete, he reported that he was still in contact with the enemy and that he had been wounded again.

I think that this deserves repeating. Petry saw a live grenade a few feet from his soldiers, moved towards it, picked the fucking thing up, and chucked it away as it blew his hand off. Then what did he do? He fucking put a tourniquet on his own arm, and then fucking reported what happened.
“You, this is me, I was wounded again, don’t have a hand, situation normal, over.”
Yes, this is real life.

I can’t talk about lifting or even think about people bitching at each other online about training when a story like this needs to be told. Everything else is just so fucking irrelevant.

18 thoughts on “New Medal of Honor recipient”

  2. Dang. Picking up a live grenade, tossing it, having your arm amputated, assessing the situation, applying a tourniquet, and then reporting back in as if things are still going according to plan goes beyond the realm of comprehension for most of us.

    Some men have what it takes to make the unthinkable seem normal. Hopefully when we encounter our own personal ‘live grenades’ in our lives, we handle ourselves with as much fortitude, class, and selflessness as Petry did.

  4. I haven’t posted in a while because I have been travelling, busy at work, and not training….but I had to comment on this one. This story is absolutely amazing. It is beyond comprehension how brave this man is!

  6. I’m glad to see more soldiers being recognized for their valor in the wars.

    http://www.superhumanradio.com/super-human-radio-show/743-strategies-for-strengthening-tendons-and-ligaments-plus-when-body-weight-is-all-you-have-to-work-with-calisthenics-kingz.html

    I just came across this site for the first time. They’re a little annoying and the commercials are obnoxious but these guys seem knowledgable and in this episode they discuss how to strengthen one’s ligaments and tendons.

  7. Great job to that Ranger. Talk about intestinal fortitude and letting nothing stop him.

    Justin you obviously have much respect for the military and those that serve and have served. Have you ever though about serving yourself, possibly in the special operations arena?

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