Army Ranger Leroy Petry Awarded Medal of Honor

Sergeant lost hand throwing live grenade away from comrades
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 13, 2011 4:17 AM CDT
Army Ranger Leroy Petry Awarded Medal of Honor
President Obama shakes the prosthetic hand of US Army Sgt. First Class Leroy Arthur Petry.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

An Army Ranger from New Mexico who lost his right hand saving the lives of two fellow soldiers in Afghanistan has become only the second living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Sgt. First Class Leroy Petry had already been shot in both legs during a firefight in 2008 when a grenade landed nearby. He picked it up and threw it as it detonated, saving two comrades. President Obama shook Petry's prosthetic right hand and hailed his courage, the New York Times reports.

"This is the stuff of which heroes are made. This is the strength, the devotion that makes our troops the pride of every American," Obama said. "And this is the reason that—like a soldier named Leroy Petry—America doesn't simply endure, we emerge from our trials stronger, more confident, with our eyes fixed on the future." Petry, a father of four, re-enlisted after his act of heroism, and completed his eighth tour of duty in a war zone this year. (More Leroy Petry stories.)

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