If there was any doubt in the minds of the four Purple Heart Medal recipients honored in a ceremony in Joel Auditorium March 28 about the quality of their service, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston was there to dispel it. The Army's senior noncommissioned officer said that each of the four had rendered service that epitomized the Army's Warrior Ethos.
"When I looked at their bios and saw the units in which they served, I wanted to talk a little about each of them."
Preston called the mission Staff Sgt. Kristopher T. Mitchell and his unit, Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery, was performing in Kirkuk, Iraq, an exceptional challenge. "You've got the Turks and the Turkomen, all the ethnicities - not just Sunni and Shi'a - serving on the city councils and in their local government," Preston said. "It's helping all those people learn to work together and get along. What Staff Sgt. Mitchell and his Soldiers accomplished is very unique."
Mitchell was injured Dec. 4 in Kirkuk while conducting convoy operations. His vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion. He was also awarded a Combat Action Badge, given as special recognition to Soldiers who personally engage the enemy, or are engaged by the enemy during combat operations.
Cpl. Taylor Harter was injured Jan. 9 in an IED blast while conducting a route clearance in Arabjabour, Southern Baghdad, Preston remarked. Harter's unit, E Company, 130th Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division led the invasion and then went back to Iraq to help push insurgents into wider areas, away from the Iraqi capital. Harter was also awarded the Combat Action Badge.
Maj. Gen. Carla G. Hawley-Bowland, commanding general, North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, congratulations Cpl. Taylor Harter after the Purple Heart ceremony March 28 in Joel Auditorium. (Photo by Louis Bass, DOIM)
"South of Baghdad was an area we really never had an opportunity to expand into until this past year, when the five-brigade surge went into Iraq," Preston said.
Spc. Jesse Murphree was injured Dec. 27 during a combat patrol while serving in Afghanistan's Kornegal Valley. Preston described the location's peaks of 12,000 to 14,000 feet, with valleys so narrow, "you can throw a rock from one side to the other." Murphree thanked everyone for the care he has received at Walter Reed. He said, after initial reluctance, he enjoyed the ceremony. "It was actually worth it," he said. "I was surprised to see how many people came. The whole auditorium was packed."
Pvt. Justin Kalentis was also with the 173rd and was also in the Kornegal Valley of Afghanistan when he was injured Nov. 9. Kalentis said that the care he received was "really awesome. It's nice that everyone was there to make sure you're doing well. No matter what the circumstance, even if you're really disgruntled because you're hurt, they stay by you and help you fix things. Our unit is really taking care of us."
The Purple Heart, the oldest American military award, was established by Gen. George Washington, then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
By Craig Coleman, Stripe Assistant Editor