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An Army Ranger stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord has become the second living person to receive the Medal of Honor for action stemming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry, 31, lost his right hand in 2008 after throwing a grenade away from fellow soldiers during combat in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army said.
President Obama presented Petry with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest decoration, on Tuesday.
"Leroy, the Medal of Honor reflects the deepest gratitutde of our entire nation," Obama said at a presentation ceremony.
"Today, we honor a singular act of gallantry. Leroy Petry showed that true heroes still exist, and they're closer than you think."
Assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Company D, Petry had been taking part in a risky, daylight raid at a high-walled compound in Paktya, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2008. The building was said to contain a top Al Qaeda leader.
Petry and and fellow Ranger Pfc. Lucas Robinson quickly came under enemy fire. Petry was shot in both thighs. Robinson was hit in his ribs.
With the enemy continuing to shoot, Petry helped Robinson run for cover behind a nearby chicken coop. He threw a grenade at the enemy, giving cover so that Staff Sgt. Daniel Higgins could join the men and evaluate their wounds.
But an insurgent lobbed a grenade at the three Rangers. It landed about 30 feet away, exploded and wounded Higgins and Robinson.
A second grenade landed near the men, this time just a few feet away. Bleeding profusely and without hesitation, Petry grabbed the live explosive and threw it away from his squadmates.
"It was almost instinct - off training," Petry told the Army News Service.
"It was probably going to kill all three of us. I had time to visually see the hand grenade. And I figure it's got about a four-and-half second fuse, depending on how long it has been in the elements and the weather and everything and how long the pin has been pulled."
"I figure if you have time to see it, you have time to kick it, throw it, just get it out there."
As he released it, it detonated and severed his right hand. Petry, a seasoned Ranger who had already done seven deployments, wrapped a tourniquet around his arm and radioed for help.
"With that selfless act, Leroy saved his two Ranger brothers," Obama said.
"What leads a person to risk everything so that others might live? For answers, we don't need to look far, the roots of Leroy's valor is all around us," the president said, noting Petry's family and fellow Rangers in the room.
After Petry threw the grenade, gunfire continued between the insurgents and two more Rangers, one of whom was killed.
Now fitted with a prosthetic arm, Petry serves as a liaison officer for the U.S. Special Operations Command Care Coalition in the Northwest Region, where he supports other wounded soldiers. Originally from Santa Fe, he is studying business management at Pierce College.
"It's very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day, to nominate me for this," Petry said earlier this year.
Married with four kids, he is the ninth servicementber to receive the honor for valor in Afghanistan and Iraq.
