Jump to content

Leroy Petry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mark Heiden (talk | contribs) at 16:35, 1 June 2011. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Leroy Arthur Petry
Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry
Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of servicefrom 1999
RankSergeant First Class
Unit2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment[1]
Battles / warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan
AwardsMedal of Honor (to be awarded July 12)
Bronze Star Medal with Bronze Oak leaf cluster[2]
Purple Heart[2]

Leroy Arthur Petry is a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army and successful nominee of the Medal of Honor. Petry was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his actions during a firefight in Afghanistan as a Staff Sergeant in the 2nd Ranger Battalion.[1] He will be the second living recipient of the medal since Vietnam.[2]

Biography

Early life

Military service

Medal of Honor action

Petry picked up a live grenade that had landed near two of his fellow soldiers and threw it away from them.[3] As a consequence of the action, he lost his right arm.[4][5] Petry now uses a prosthetic in its place.[6][7]

Medal of Honor award

Petry is scheduled to receive the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama on July 12, 2011 in a ceremony at the White House.[8]

Awards and decorations

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Army News Service. "Army Ranger to be awarded Medal of Honor". Stars and Stripes.
  2. ^ a b c d e Brian Montopoli (31 May 2011). "Obama to award Medal of Honor to living soldier". CBS. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Army Ranger to be awarded Medal of Honor". Stars and Stripes. Washington, D.C. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011.
  4. ^ Oliver Brown (21 July 2009). "The Open 2009: Soldier's appreciation helps ease Tom Watson's Turnberry pain". Telegraph. Retrieved 31 May 2011. One email in particular stood out. Leroy Petry, a staff sergeant with the US Army's Ranger Regiment, saved several lives in Afghanistan when he attempted to throw away a grenade, only for it to detonate in his hand. He lost his right arm, and was later recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Petry remembers Watson well, from when he visited military hospitals in Maryland, and sent the 59 year-old a moving appreciation of what he had done across four momentous days on the Ayrshire coast.
  5. ^ David Feherty (11 February 2009). "America's wounded warriors risk life and limb -- and still don't miss a beat". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2011. Men like Kent Solheim, who led the team of Rangers who went in and rescued Marcus Luttrell, of Lone Survivor fame. These men don't cry easily. Also among my group was Leroy Petry, a selfless Ranger who lost his right arm in a Middle Eastern crap-hole by picking up a Taliban grenade and hurling it away from his team. Ranger Petry deserves one hell of a medal, for he is a King among these warrior princes (and, coincidentally, believed to be the first white man to be named Leroy since Korea).
  6. ^ Texas Senate Media Services (30 January 2009). "THIS WEEK IN PICTURES". Texas State Senate. State of Texas. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  7. ^ David Jimenez (12 December 2009). "Nowitzki lifts Mavericks past Bobcats 98-97 in OT". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved 31 May 2011. United States servicemen, from left to right, Cpl. Javier Rivera, PFC William Parker and Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry watch the Dallas Mavericks against the Charlotte Bobcats NBA basketball game from the front row on "Seats For Soldiers" nighton Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in Dallas, Texas.
  8. ^ Brian Montopoli. "Obama to award Medal of Honor to living soldier". CBS News.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leroy_Petry&oldid=432023400"