Wounded Soldier's Salute Goes Viral

Josh Hargis managed it from hospital bed while getting Purple Heart
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2013 6:11 PM CDT
Wounded Soldier's Salute Goes Viral
Josh Hargis manages a salute from his bed.   (Facebook)

They're calling it the "salute seen around the world," reports Cincinnati.com. Injured Army Ranger Josh Hargis delivered it from a hospital bed in Afghanistan after being severely wounded in a suicide bombing earlier this month. The salute came while the Cincinnati native was being awarded a Purple Heart, and wife Taylor Hargis posted a letter on Facebook from his team commander with the details. (It's also quoted in full at Guardian of Valor.) For starters, everyone in the room thought Hargis was unconscious during the ceremony. Then he surprised them:

  • "Despite his wounds, wrappings, tubes, and pain, Josh fought the doctor who was trying to restrain his right arm and rendered the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen."
(More Josh Hargis stories.)

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