Posted on 01/28/2005 8:24:02 PM PST by Former Military Chick
FORT HOOD, Texas - The 1st Cavalry Division presented 17 Soldiers with the Purple Heart medal Jan. 25 in a ceremony honoring their sacrifice.
One of the Soldiers, Sgt. Jerone Johnson, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, received two awards for injuries received on two separate occasions while serving in Baghdad.
"I'm speechless being awarded two purple hearts at one time, knowing that it's rare," said Johnson.
His first injury, in the middle of July, was the result of shrapnel from an Improvised Explosive Device. The blast left him with a concussion and minor injuries around his eye.
The second injury happened in the end of September at a sewage plant, according to Johnson. A car bomb went off, killing 37 Iraqis, many of them children.
"We had to give a report if any soldiers were injured, if all our guys were taken care of," Johnson said. "We dismounted our Humvees. I went on my radio and told my platoon sergeant that every one was all right. I noticed we had some dead spots out there. In other words we had open areas nobody had eyes on, watching to make sure we didn't get ambushed or anything.
"I told some of my guys "You watch this area, just in case we get ambushed with [rocket-propelled grenades].' The minute I turned around, boom, a second car bomb went off like three feet away," Johnson recalled.
Johnson said he was later told the blast threw him about 10 feet. The blast broke both his legs and injured the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Johnson now has a rod in his left leg and a cast on his right leg. He is temporarily confined to a wheelchair because of these injuries, and expects to be medically retired.
"If I had a choice I would stay in and retire," he said. But he knows the decision is not his to make. "I've got to go with the docs."
Also receiving Purple Hearts at the ceremony were:
Spc. Troy Brown, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment
Spc. Kristopher Clinkscales, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment
Sgt. 1st Class Larry R. Daniels, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Sgt. 1st Class Rene A. Fournier, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment
Capt. Brian Garvey, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Spc. Michael Graybill, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
1st Lt. Timothy Hornik, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Pvt. Brian Howard, 20th Engineer Battalion
Spc. Wayne Howard, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment
Pfc. Kyle S. Kmetetz, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Cpl. Jody Macias, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment
Spc. Lynn Myers, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment
Sgt. Michael T. Norris, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Sgt. Jack E. Pearl, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Sgt. Maj. Jesse Santos, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
Sgt. Nathan Whaley, 20th Engineer Battalion
The ceremony also recognized 23 of the Commanding General's Volunteers of the Month and presented several individuals and organizations a special recognition award.
These are our finest, I hope they know we feel that about them while they serve our country.
He says he would stay in and retire, that says it all folks!
Purple Heart **ping**
First Cav is one of my faves!
God Bless all of them!
STUDS ALL .... and the women are great too!
May the Lord bless and keep all our brave soldiers in Iraq, esp. at this critical election time.
The line they never crossed .....
And the color (it must be Gold) is the reason why...
I'm sorry I could not help myself .... my brother did served in the 1st Cav and they are all great Americans! (even if I was making fun of their patch)
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HAL G. MOORE: The Legacy and Lessons of an American Warrior
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/page_left_column.php?content=show_curr_issue_0904a
http://war-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14752&page=1
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BTTT
ping
I sure hope you do not consider this bad news!
The 7th is a very famous REGIMENT. The 1st Cav is a Division (a larger unit). I've had the honor of listening to the real then LTC Moore (ret. LTG!). 7th Cav continues to kick ass in Operation Iraqi Freedom and even in Falluja. Yes, Gibson played Moore in a movie, but in real life Moore makes Gibson look like a wimp!
I agree that they are some of our finest. I also hope and pray that they know how highly they are regarded by the majority of Americans. But with dirtbags like Ted Kennedy making televised speeches like the one he made last week it is becoming doubtful. I sent an e-mail to both of my senators asking them to bring up ethics charges on the fat pig. Part of my e-mail reads as follows:
After hearing the anti U.S. speech given by Senator Kennedy yesterday I have reached the end of my patience. I am asking you to file an ethics complaint against Sen Kennedy for aiding and abetting the enemy in a time of war. I would prefer an indictment for treason but I realize that will never happen because then at least another couple dozen Senators and numerous Representatives could also be indicted on the same charges. The rhetoric that is coming from the far left and the main stream media is the exact same lies that were spewed forth during the Viet Nam war. The only thing that lost the war in Viet Nam was the concerted effort by the media in this country to undermine the efforts of our brave military. I lived through that period as a young wife of an Air Force member and I am sickened to see it happening again. The one consolation I have is that the people are more informed now than they were then and we have a lot of veterans from that war that are going to do everything in their power to make sure history does not repeat itself. But we cannot do it alone. Our elected officials have the power to voice our displeasure and I am asking you and the other Senators I am sending this to to stand up and be counted. Show the men and women of our military and their families that the majority of the country stand behind them and that the type of rhetoric coming from the left is unacceptable.
Maybe if more senators got e-mails of this type something will be done, then again I'm probably just whistling in the wind.
Read Hal Moore's "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", then you'll be up to speed on 1st Cav., at least during Vietnam. Garry Owen!
RB
(Dad of a former 1st Cav. Infantryman)
So that's six months ago. I guess - I don't know - these medals are awarded only every so often. ... which makes me think of John Kerry who supposedly earned three Purple Hearts within four months time (as I recall). Were these all awarded at one time for some sort of World Record or something?
ML/NJ
Ya gotta love the CAV, and I'm from the Corps.
One of the Soldiers, Sgt. Jerone Johnson, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, received two awards for injuries received on two separate occasions while serving in Baghdad.
"I'm speechless being awarded two purple hearts at one time, knowing that it's rare," said Johnson.
Bump!
God Bless them All. They got the job done. Iraqi's VOTED today.
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