By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 6, 2011 - About 300 U.S. soldiers, most of them combat veterans themselves, joined their British, French and German counterparts in Normandy, France, to honor the sacrifices of World War II veterans who conducted the D-Day invasion 67 years ago today.
Throughout the visit, where they received briefings about the history of the sites and got a firsthand look at the tactical challenges Allied forces faced, the troops participated in D-Day commemorative ceremonies and met veterans of the invasion. Today, they took part in ceremonies at Ponte du Hoc, the formidable cliff-top perch west of Omaha Beach that U.S. Rangers assaulted; and Utah Beach, the westernmost of the five D-Day landing beaches. "Getting the chance to be here has been an amazing opportunity," Army Capt. Ted Jacobs, executive officer for the Army Reserve's 345th Tactical Psychological Operations Company in Dallas said by phone as he waited for the Utah Beach ceremony to begin. "Seeing what these veterans had to go up against -- the terrain, the weather situation, ... the wet, the cold, being in fear of their lives all the time -- it really does help you understand the challenges they had to deal with." Jacobs is among about 150 Army Reserve paratroopers with the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, with headquarters at Fort Bragg, N.C., participating in Operation Airborne Normandy, a mission that is bringing together U.S. and European forces for commemorations and interoperability training. Other U.S. participants include active-duty soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg; 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team at Vicenza, Italy; 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky.; and riggers from the Army Reserve's 824th, 421st and 861st Quartermaster Companies and U.S. Army Europe's 5th Quartermaster Detachment. One planned event, a combined jump involving more than 700 U.S., British, German and French paratroopers, has been canceled twice due to bad weather. Participants are hoping the event may take place tomorrow, conditions permitting, to enable every paratrooper who jumps with another country's jumpmaster to receive that country's jump wings. Meanwhile, the soldiers called the chance to meet with veterans of the D-Day invasion the highlight of the visit. "I feel honored to have the opportunity to come out here and meet them face to face and shake their hands and say thank you," said Army Sgt. Nathaniel Bier, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom serving with the 301st Psychological Operations Company from San Diego. "That is one of the best things I will always remember about this trip." With two combat deployments in Afghanistan under his belt, Jacobs said, he gained a new appreciation for the odds the Allied forces -- including his own father -- faced during Operation Overlord. Then-Sgt. Thomas Jacobs jumped into Normandy during the D-Day invasion, but has spoken little of the experience except to describe it as "godawful" until recent years. "We grew up basically with the understanding that we didn't ask questions about that," his son said. "He was one of those veterans who just wanted to forget." Bier shares Jacobs' personal connection to the D-Day visit: his great-grandfather, who died before Bier was born, took part in the invasion. "My father really looked up to him," Bier said of his great-grandfather. "So he was even more excited to hear that I was coming here than I was." Walking the beaches, seeing the formidable terrain and standing the ground his great-grandfather helped to liberate has given Bier a special appreciation of the magnitude of what happened in Normandy. Pausing to reflect on it, he admitted, "I had to stop myself from tearing up, because it's so powerful just to be here." Bier said he's been particularly struck by the courageous leadership the D-Day noncommissioned officers demonstrated in the face of adversity. "I don't know how some of those sergeants kept going, how they kept their people motivated as they were coming off the boats, and how they kept them moving forward," he said. "My hat is really off to those sergeants." Jacobs said he, too, stands in awe of what the D-Day veterans accomplished, and declined to compare it with anything he has experienced in combat. "I wouldn't even dare to hold a candle to what those guys did," he said. "Certainly, what we are doing in Afghanistan is at times very difficult and dangerous. But what these guys went through, there is no comparison. Ours is a counterterrorism fight, so there are brief moments of intensity, but nothing to even come close to the scale of events that happened here." Walking the hallowed grounds where many made the ultimate sacrifice "has given me a deeper appreciation for the legacy that has been left to us by the greatest generation by these soldiers who came over here and did what they did," Jacobs said. "It further solidifies the fact that I do not ever want to betray that kind of legacy, and want to continue to build it and maintain what they have carved out for us." A high school math teacher in the Dallas public schools in his civilian life, Jacobs said he intends to share the experiences he's gained at Normandy, like those from Afghanistan, with his students. "All these values from the military are just common core good-citizenship skills and behaviors that these children desperately need, particularly those from the inner city," he said. "So I incorporate everything I can from my experience in the military: what it means to serve instead of always looking out for yourself or putting yourself first, [and] thinking about putting others before yourself and service to the community and country," he said. "That is just a core theme in my classroom." | ||||||||
| Related Sites: U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) | ||||||||
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Friday, June 10, 2011
Paratroopers Commemorate D-Day Anniversary
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Navy Strives to Build on Expertise Gained Since 9/11
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 3, 2011 - Committed to preserving and building on expertise garnered during the past decade of conflict, the Navy is hard at work institutionalizing lessons learned as the military draws down in Iraq and looks toward a drawdown in Afghanistan as well, one of the fleet's top training officers reported.
"As the conflict draws down, clearly we may not be doing some of the same missions as we do today," said White, a rear admiral selectee. "So the question becomes, 'How do you keep that in reserve?' And essentially, we believe that is the legacy of our sailors" who will draw on experience they are gaining now to train the future fleet. Unlike garrison-based ground forces, the Navy always has been a forward-deployed organization, White noted. That requires constant vigilance and readiness to respond to conditions as they arise. "As our sailors are going through training and learning from their instructors, the end goal is to join a unit -- a ship or squadron or construction battalion, whatever that unit might be -- that will be forward-deployed and ready for any action that might come up," he said. And with plenty of examples of deployments that began in peacetime, then changed based on world situations, White said, there's clear recognition throughout the Navy of the need to be ready to execute the mission, regardless of its nature, on a moment's notice. "It's that forward-deployed mentality that will keep our folks sharp," he said. Facing the future, White said, the fleet is as combat-hardened as it's ever been, enriched by new capabilities developed during the past 10 years. The Navy's 15 learning centers, established several years ago as part of the Navy's "Revolution in Training" initiative, is ensuring the specialized career training provided remains aligned with activities being conducted within the fleet, White said. In addition, human performance requirements reviews routinely bring together the centers' learning specialists with subject matter experts from the fleet to keep their programs as current and relevant as possible. "Our goal is to make sure that as things evolve, we can continuously adapt and improve our training process," White said. Explosive ordnance disposal divers, for example, have incorporated counter-improvised explosive device tactics, techniques and procedures into their core curriculum. In addition to evaluating the threat, they have become expert in post-blast analysis and investigations, and continually evolve their training to reflect current operations, White said. Navy security forces have undergone a transformation, particularly within the master-at-arms and gunner's mate ratings. Rather than focusing on basic weapons training that emphasized weapons handling and employment in relatively benign training scenarios, the training has been amped up to incorporate the all-important decision-making process. "The Center for Security Forces has really stepped that up to include judgment and engagement in the base training," White said. "It's not only in how to employ a weapon, but what decision process do you use in determining when you should employ it." This includes not just static weapon employment, but also the ability to "shoot, move, communicate and survive," he said, whether the sailor is operating on the ground in Afghanistan, or protecting his ship from attack. The Navy also has refined its longstanding visit, board, search and seize, or VBSS, mission, particularly in light of increased piracy off the coast of Somalia. "The training for these teams has increased to not only include the basics of boarding a ship and searching it, but to do it in a more tactical manner, where you have perhaps a Navy boat crew and a Marine Corps team that might go aboard a ship," White said. "We are conducting the training today as part of the improvements in the adaptation to what we are seeing in the fleet." Other major changes have occurred within the Navy's Center for Information Dominance, where sailors are trained to use their computer systems and networks as more than just tools. "We are teaching our information technicians to protect networks [and] to exploit networks and really to do it on a level that we haven't done before," White said. He noted that many of the technicians are getting commercial certifications so they have the skills to employ commercial tools that have become critical to Navy systems and networks. Throughout the fleet, White reported a big emphasis on promoting language, cultural and regional expertise. "We recognized the gap that our sailors had, where they would go into a country to be part of the conflict or humanitarian operations ... and we hadn't really prepared them to be ambassadors, if you will, of the United States," he said. So the Navy stood up the Center for Language, Regional Expertise and Culture at Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center in Pensacola, Fla., in March 2006. This center helps to prepare sailors for the multiple and diverse cultures they will encounter while conducting the full spectrum of military operations across the globe, White explained. It has expanded to include courses covering about 182 countries, with special emphasis on subjects such as Islam, Afghan culture, Middle Eastern etiquette, and even the Taliban. "The idea is that as sailors deploy, we can give them a brief background on what they might be exposed to so they don't make those common mistakes that we wouldn't perceive in our American culture that might be very offensive to our partners," White said. At the high end of this training continuum, the Navy is an active participant in Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's Afghanistan-Pakistan Hands program. This program, launched in 2009, provides a core cadre of mostly mid-career officers with specialized language and cultural skills. Looking ahead to the end of the current conflicts, White said, the Navy plans to make wide use of simulation to present sailors with realistic, demanding training scenarios. "To truly replicate the challenge of a wartime environment is tough, so what we are training to do at Naval Education and Training Command is to use technology to help us," White said. Bridge simulators, for example, train bridge teams to enter a threatened port or react to an attack at sea. A mock village at the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal School at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., teaches EOD technicians to identify, defuse and dispose of IEDs and other ordnance. Simulators transform traditional classrooms into settings that challenge students to make judgments about the best way to respond to a particular threat. "It is absolutely amazing, within a few minutes of the scenario starting, how quickly you become immersed in it and forget your surroundings as your brain tries to work through these complicated things," White said. "It is not real combat, but we believe we can certainly induce some stress. I can tell you from personal experience that you feel it. The perspiration begins, and it really is challenging." As it strives to introduce the emotional, intellectual and physical rigors of combat into its training, the Navy is applying another lesson of the current conflicts and is helping to give sailors the tools to cope with those demands. "We want to build better resilience into our sailors through the stresses of combat and deployment," White said. "We are learning a lot from subject-matter experts in industry and other militaries, and really trying to build that into an effective training tool to help our sailors cope with these stresses so they can be resilient and ready to deploy whenever and wherever they are needed." (This is the fourth article in a series about how the Defense Department and the military services, as well as NATO, plan to maintain combat effectiveness and readiness as the current operational tempo begins to decline.) | ||||||||||||||
| Biographies: Navy Capt. Michael White Related Sites: Naval Education and Training Command | ||||||||||||||
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Tuesday, June 07, 2011
They will be bundled out--Indian Americans
Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 7:09 AM
Narain Kataria from New York: Indian Americans are deeply disturbed and shocked at the forceful eviction/arrest of Baba Ram Dev and attack by 5000 policemen on thousands of peaceful Indian citizens in Delhi. They consider it a dangerous attack on democratic setup in India.
Narain Kataria from New York: Indian Americans are deeply disturbed and shocked at the forceful eviction/arrest of Baba Ram Dev and attack by 5000 policemen on thousands of peaceful Indian citizens in Delhi. They consider it a dangerous attack on democratic setup in India.Baba Ramdev’s intent behind this movement is to bring back approximately 9 trillion dollars stolen from poor Indians and stashed in foreign countries; and he is determined to reverse this awful trajectory.
The petulant arguments advanced by the corrupt Government for its diabolical action against peaceful volunteers that Baba Ram Dev’s campaign against corruption would have caused a law and order problem does not hold water, and is an insidious attempt to cover up its hidden agenda to crush the movement.
That thousands of people from all over India should respond to the call of Baba Ramdev for removal of corruption from India, and come to Delhi and fast, is symptomatic of a deeper malice afflicting 1.2 billion Indians.
Baba Ramdev’s allegation that there was a sinister conspiracy to kill him has to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The reign of repression let lose against thousands of peaceful men, women and children by 5,000 Delhi policemen should be vehemently condemned with the contempt it deserves. It is a naked fascism as practiced by dictators in Middle Eastern countries.
Recently, India’s home minister, P. Chidambaram, said that more than 900 people, including almost 600 civilians were killed in Maoist-related incidents in 2009.
Since 2005, Islamic terrorist attacks have killed 780 people in India. (http://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/islamic-terrorist-attacks-have-killed-780-in-india-since-2005/)
It is a matter of great regret and shame that deadly Islamist-Leftist combine carrying on a corrosive covert war to destabilize and deracinate India is treated with kid gloves, and peaceful nationalists like Baba Ramdev are treated like a criminal!
It is not only unbecoming but also below the dignity of some politicians, who, in their eagerness to please their Queen, are using unparliamentary, dirty, disgusting and foul language against Baba Ram Dev who is adored by millions in India. These politicians have been marked by Janata (people) and will have to pay heavily in the next elections for their misdemeanor against a Saint.
Sonia Gandhi and her cronies will rue the day they chose to heap the brutalities on hapless and peaceful Indian citizens who were exercising their fundamental right to express their legitimate opinion against their rulers who have indulged in the massive plunder of India since Independence. Sonia Gandhi should also remember that India is not the fiefdom of her family.
If, by inflicting savageries on peaceful but united Indians, Sonia Gandhi Government believes that it can demoralize and consequently terrorize Indian citizens into submission, she is sadly mistaken.
We know that Sonia Gandhi is a devout Catholic. She rules India through remote control and with an iron hand. Indian tradition and culture enjoins on Indians to respect her religion. At the same time, it is incumbent on her not to misuse her political authority to crush peaceful Indians who demand accountability for billions of dollars stolen from them! Sonia Gandhi has been completely exposed by now. According to Rocky Saggoo’s blog - posted on February 22, 2011, Wikipedia says that Sonia Gandhi has $18.66 billion in Swiss Bank accounts. She should see the writing on the wall otherwise she may have to quit India.
The Indians are determined to take back Government of India from their corrupt rulers. Make no mistake; they are waking up silently, slowly but surely. And they are not going to stop till the goal is reached.
The Dharm Yuddh (the battle for righteousness) started by Baba Ramdev on June 4th, will result in the decimation and doom of corrupt Dynasty in the next general elections. The world will soon witness the spectacle of rapid and inexorable rout of Sonia Gandhi and its cronies. The corrupt ruling politicians and their buddies will suffer cataclysmic consequences for their egregious violations of Human Rights against humanity. They will be bundled out and thrown in the dust bin of History like other tyrants who unleashed unprecedented atrocities on Indians.
The petulant arguments advanced by the corrupt Government for its diabolical action against peaceful volunteers that Baba Ram Dev’s campaign against corruption would have caused a law and order problem does not hold water, and is an insidious attempt to cover up its hidden agenda to crush the movement.
That thousands of people from all over India should respond to the call of Baba Ramdev for removal of corruption from India, and come to Delhi and fast, is symptomatic of a deeper malice afflicting 1.2 billion Indians.
Baba Ramdev’s allegation that there was a sinister conspiracy to kill him has to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The reign of repression let lose against thousands of peaceful men, women and children by 5,000 Delhi policemen should be vehemently condemned with the contempt it deserves. It is a naked fascism as practiced by dictators in Middle Eastern countries.
Recently, India’s home minister, P. Chidambaram, said that more than 900 people, including almost 600 civilians were killed in Maoist-related incidents in 2009.
Since 2005, Islamic terrorist attacks have killed 780 people in India. (http://islamicterrorism.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/islamic-terrorist-attacks-have-killed-780-in-india-since-2005/)
It is a matter of great regret and shame that deadly Islamist-Leftist combine carrying on a corrosive covert war to destabilize and deracinate India is treated with kid gloves, and peaceful nationalists like Baba Ramdev are treated like a criminal!
It is not only unbecoming but also below the dignity of some politicians, who, in their eagerness to please their Queen, are using unparliamentary, dirty, disgusting and foul language against Baba Ram Dev who is adored by millions in India. These politicians have been marked by Janata (people) and will have to pay heavily in the next elections for their misdemeanor against a Saint.
Sonia Gandhi and her cronies will rue the day they chose to heap the brutalities on hapless and peaceful Indian citizens who were exercising their fundamental right to express their legitimate opinion against their rulers who have indulged in the massive plunder of India since Independence. Sonia Gandhi should also remember that India is not the fiefdom of her family.
If, by inflicting savageries on peaceful but united Indians, Sonia Gandhi Government believes that it can demoralize and consequently terrorize Indian citizens into submission, she is sadly mistaken.
We know that Sonia Gandhi is a devout Catholic. She rules India through remote control and with an iron hand. Indian tradition and culture enjoins on Indians to respect her religion. At the same time, it is incumbent on her not to misuse her political authority to crush peaceful Indians who demand accountability for billions of dollars stolen from them! Sonia Gandhi has been completely exposed by now. According to Rocky Saggoo’s blog - posted on February 22, 2011, Wikipedia says that Sonia Gandhi has $18.66 billion in Swiss Bank accounts. She should see the writing on the wall otherwise she may have to quit India.
The Indians are determined to take back Government of India from their corrupt rulers. Make no mistake; they are waking up silently, slowly but surely. And they are not going to stop till the goal is reached.
The Dharm Yuddh (the battle for righteousness) started by Baba Ramdev on June 4th, will result in the decimation and doom of corrupt Dynasty in the next general elections. The world will soon witness the spectacle of rapid and inexorable rout of Sonia Gandhi and its cronies. The corrupt ruling politicians and their buddies will suffer cataclysmic consequences for their egregious violations of Human Rights against humanity. They will be bundled out and thrown in the dust bin of History like other tyrants who unleashed unprecedented atrocities on Indians.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Combined Force Captures al-Qaida Operative
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release  The Pakistan-based attack planner is a close associate of senior al-Qaida insurgents, officials said, and is believed to have been with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 2001. In other operations in Afghanistan yesterday: -- Based on intelligence tips, a combined force detained numerous suspected insurgents in the city of Mazar-e Sharif in Balkh province while searching for a Taliban leader who coordinates and conducts bombing attacks against Afghan government officials and security forces. -- A combined force acting on intelligence information captured a Taliban leader who directs about 45 enemy fighters and one of his associates in Kandahar province's Panjwai district. -- An International Security Assistance Force patrol found and destroyed 99 pounds of marijuana in Kandahar's Panjwai district. -- In Khost province's Sabari district, a combined force captured a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator and two of his associates. The facilitator is responsible for transport of homemade bombs targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force found and confiscated an assault rifle with ammunition and a chest rack. -- In Logar province's Baraki Barak district, an Afghan-led combined force detained two suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for planning attacks targeting Afghan forces and moving weapons and ammunition to other insurgents. -- An Afghan-led combined force in Ghazni province's Gelan district detained numerous suspected insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader who plans bombing attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces along Highway 1 in Zabul province's Shah Joy district. -- A combined force in Nuristan province's Do Ab district found and confiscated six rocket-propelled grenade rounds, 200 7.62 mm machine-gun rounds, an 82 mm mortar base plate and an assault rifle magazine. |
| Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force |
Labor Department Grants to Provide Veterans Job Training
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A new life to Mohinder Kaur by Dr. H. S.Bedi
Mohinder Kaur of Dharamshala was admitted to the Christian Medical College & Hospital Ludhiana in a critical condition. She was seen by Dr Mary John – Head of Medicine.
She had severe stenosis of her valve which had earlier been operated upon 20 years back. Due to the valve disease her lungs were full of water and were not able to exchange oxygen. Consultation with Dr Harinder Singh Bedi–Head of Cardio Vascular & Thoracic Surgery – was done and a high risk emergency operation planned. A redo ie 2nd time surgery was required. Dr Bedi told that redo surgeries carry a slightly higher risk than first time ones but the risk was compounded by the fact that the patient was so unwell. Surgery could not be delayed as this would have worsened the lungs. The CTVS department of CMC has a large experience of such cases. A marathon surgery was conducted. Dr Bedi said that the valve was grossly calcified and stuck with only a small pinhole opening for the flow of blood. The valve was excised and replaced with the latest generation tissue valve as this gives the best results in such ill patients.
Mrs Mohinder Kaur made a remarkable recovery and celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary the next day with her son, husband and the whole team (pic) with a special cake.
The other members of the team are Dr A Joseph, Dr A Gupta, Dr V Abraham, Dr Amit, Dr Anuj and Dr Richa, Dr Mary John and Dr Bedi said that Mrs Mohinder Kaur should now have a normal life. As her new valve is a special one – she will not have to take lifelong medications as with the other metallic valves.
Dr Abraham G Thomas – Director of CMC & H – said that the CMC was committed to give the best care to patients of this region with the availability of superspecialists round the clock.
Photo: Mrs Mohinder Kaur with her family and Dr Mary John and Dr Harinder Singh Bedi a day after her major open heart surgery. --Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Wounded Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor
Army News Service
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2011 - An Army Ranger who lost his right hand and suffered shrapnel wounds after throwing an armed grenade away from his fellow soldiers will be the second living Medal of Honor recipient from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Petry now serves as part of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Benning, Ga.
"It's very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day to nominate me for that," said Petry, on learning he had been nominated for the medal.
At the time of his actions in Afghanistan, Petry was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. His actions came as part of a rare daylight raid to capture a high-value target.
Petry was to locate himself with the platoon headquarters in the targeted building once it was secured. Once there, he was to serve as the senior noncommissioned officer at the site for the remainder of the operation.
Recognizing one of the assault squads needed help clearing their assigned building, Petry relayed to the platoon leader that he was moving to that squad to provide additional supervision and guidance. Once the residential portion of the building had been cleared, Petry took a fellow member of the assault squad, Pfc. Lucas Robinson, to clear the outer courtyard. Petry knew that area had not been cleared during the initial clearance.
Petry and Robinson, both Rangers, moved into an area of the compound that contained at least three enemy fighters who were prepared to engage friendly forces from opposite ends of the outer courtyard.
As the two soldiers entered the courtyard, to their front was an opening, followed by a chicken coop. As they crossed the open area, an enemy insurgent fired on them. Petry was wounded by one round, which went through both of his legs. Robinson was also hit in his side plate by a separate round.
While wounded and under enemy fire, Petry led Robinson to the cover of the chicken coop as the enemy fighters continued to fire at them.
As the senior soldier, Petry assessed the situation. He reported that contact was made and that two wounded Rangers were in the courtyard of the primary target building. Upon hearing the report, Sgt. Daniel Higgins, a team leader, moved to the outer courtyard.
As Higgins was moving to Petry and Robinson's position, Petry threw a thermobaric grenade near the enemy position. Shortly after that grenade exploded and created a lull in the enemy fire, Higgins arrived at the chicken coop and was assessing his comrades' wounds when an insurgent threw a grenade over the chicken coop at the three Rangers. The grenade landed about 10 yards from the soldiers, knocking them to the ground and wounding Higgins and Robinson.
Shortly after the grenade exploded, Staff Sgt. James Roberts and Spc. Christopher Gathercole entered the courtyard and moved toward the chicken coop.
With three soldiers taking cover in the chicken coop, an enemy fighter threw another grenade at them. This time, the grenade landed just a few feet from Higgins and Robinson. 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 throw it 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 amputated his right hand.
Petry assessed his wound and placed a tourniquet on his right arm. He then reported that he was still in contact with the enemy and that he had been wounded again.
After the blast that amputated Petry's hand, Roberts began to engage the enemy behind the chicken coop with small-arms fire and a grenade. His actions suppressed the insurgents behind the chicken coop. Shortly after, another enemy fighter on the east end of the courtyard began firing, fatally wounding Gathercole.
Higgins and Robinson returned fire and killed the enemy.
Moments later, Sgt. 1st Class Jerod Staidle, the platoon sergeant, and Spc. Gary Depriest, the platoon medic, arrived in the outer courtyard. After directing Depriest to treat Gathercole, Staidle moved to Petry's position. Staidle and Higgins then assisted Petry as he moved to the casualty collection point.
Higgins later wrote in a statement, "If not for Staff Sergeant Petry's actions, we would have been seriously wounded or killed."
Petry is the ninth servicemember to have been named a recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. All but Petry and Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta were awarded the honor posthumously.
Army Spc. Ross A. McGinnis, Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor and Marine Corps Cpl. Jason L. Dunham all received the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq. Giunta, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti and Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan.
Petry currently serves as a liaison officer for the U.S. Special Operations Command Care Coalition Northwest Region, and provides oversight to wounded warriors, ill and injured servicemembers and their families.
He enlisted in the Army from his hometown of Santa Fe, N.M., in September 1999. After completion of One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program -- all at Fort Benning -- he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.
Petry has served as a grenadier, squad automatic rifleman, fire team leader, squad leader, operations sergeant and weapons squad leader. He has deployed eight times, with two tours to Iraq and six tours to Afghanistan.
Petry and his wife, Ashley, have four children: Brittany, Austin, Reagan and Landon
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