SFC Petry, assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment out of Ft. Lewis, Washington, was wounded twice in a firefight in Afghanistan – once when a bullet pierced both of his legs, and once when he grabbed and threw away a grenade that had landed near his team. His Soldiers were saved, but the grenade exploded close enough to his hand to blow it off. The team leader, SGT Daniel Higgins, later wrote, “if not for [then]Staff Sergeant Petry’s actions, we would have been seriously wounded or killed.” (army.mil)
Click on SFC Petry’s picture for a complete description of his actions.
Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry, U.S. Army (DOD)
President Obama will present the Medal of Honor to SFC Petry on July 12th.
Another Soldier died during the same engagement. His name was SPC Christopher Gathercole, from Santa Rosa, California. He had run to the aid of SFC Petry and was killed by small arms fire during the furious firefight. His story can be read by clicking on his image (below).
Specialist Christopher Gathercole (DOD)
