Elkins native receives Purple Heart following duty in Iraq
An Elkins native has received the U. S. military’s Purple Heart honor for injuries he received while on active duty in Iraq.
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded in combat, and it is awarded posthumously in honor of soldiers killed in action. Air Force Sgt. Michael Stewart Jr., a member of the 386 th Air Expeditionary Wing, was riding in the lead truck of a convoy in Iraq on July 20 when the truck ran over an improvised explosive device. The truck had was only a short dis- tance past an Iraqi police checkpoint when it hit the device.
Stewart, a 1997 graduate of Elkins High School, was hit by two pieces of shrapnel from the blast. One piece cut his earlobe and the other struck his helmet, he said.
No one was killed in the blast. The driver was the most seriously injured, and he is reportedly back in the states making a recovery, Stewart said.
Read the rest at Northwest Arkansas News
The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the armed forces who are wounded in combat, and it is awarded posthumously in honor of soldiers killed in action. Air Force Sgt. Michael Stewart Jr., a member of the 386 th Air Expeditionary Wing, was riding in the lead truck of a convoy in Iraq on July 20 when the truck ran over an improvised explosive device. The truck had was only a short dis- tance past an Iraqi police checkpoint when it hit the device.
Stewart, a 1997 graduate of Elkins High School, was hit by two pieces of shrapnel from the blast. One piece cut his earlobe and the other struck his helmet, he said.
No one was killed in the blast. The driver was the most seriously injured, and he is reportedly back in the states making a recovery, Stewart said.
Read the rest at Northwest Arkansas News
posted by iraqnam at 1:59 PM
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