Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry was awarded the Medal of Honor after he picked up and threw a live grenade away from his fellow soldiers in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. The incident in May 2008 cost him his right hand, which was later replaced by a gray robotic hand that helped the soldier remain active in the service and even redeploy.
“This is the stuff of which heroes are made,” Obama said before awarding Petry the nation’s highest military honor in a ceremony at the White House last month.
On the day of the ceremony, Petry told reporters outside the White House, “To be singled out is very humbling.” He contined, “I consider every one of our men and women in uniform serving here, abroad, to be our heroes. They sacrifice every day and deserve your continued support and recognition.”
