[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10824-10825]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING SERGEANT FIRST CLASS LEROY ARTHUR PETRY

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam President, I rise today as our Nation 
honors the bravery and sacrifice of Santa Fe native Leroy Arthur Petry, 
an Army Ranger who, in 2008, risked his life to save his fellow 
soldiers on the battlefields of Afghanistan.
  Today Sergeant First Class Petry will be honored for his 
``conspicuous gallantry'' with our Nation's highest military 
decoration: the Medal of Honor.
  I will be humbled to be at the White House along with Sergeant First 
Class Petry's family, friends, and fellow soldiers as President Obama 
honors him with the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  It will be a special day for Sergeant First Class Petry, for his wife 
and his children, and all his family, and for his fellow Americans, as 
he becomes only the second living active-duty servicemember to receive 
the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
  Sergeant First Class Petry's story is one of courage and sacrifice 
and immense love of country. It is a story that began years ago in 
Santa Fe with a young man who struggled in high school but refused to 
give up and, instead, buckled down, dug deep, and found the hero 
within--a hero to the men he saved on that fateful day in Afghanistan, 
and a hero to all Americans who owe their freedoms to our brave men and 
women in uniform. It is the story of that day in May of 2008 that I 
wish to tell you today.
  Sergeant First Class Petry was a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment 
when he and his fellow rangers were deployed to capture a high-value 
target in Afghanistan. During their raid, they were engaged in a 
firefight with the enemy when several in their regiment were pinned 
down by grenades.
  Petry had already been wounded by bullet fire, shot through both legs 
by a hidden enemy. But Petry did not allow his wounds to stop him as 
the battle raged on. Pinned inside a courtyard with a fellow ranger, he 
continued the fight, calling in support and creating a brief pause in 
enemy fire by throwing a grenade their way.
  One enemy grenade exploded within 10 yards of Petry and a group of 
rangers. The explosion knocked the rangers down and wounded two members 
of the team.
  Soon after the first grenade exploded, the insurgents threw a second. 
This time the grenade landed near two of Petry's comrades. With no 
thought to his personal safety, Ranger Petry grabbed the grenade and 
attempted to toss it away. The grenade exploded as he tossed it, taking 
Petry's hand with it, but saving the lives of those near him.
  Losing a hand would have been enough to break most people, but not 
Sergeant First Class Petry. Instead, he calmly inspected his wound, 
stemmed the flow of blood with a tourniquet, and continued the fight, 
helping to pin down the insurgents until they could be killed.
  It was this immense act of bravery that saved the lives of his 
brothers in arms. In fact, one of his fellow rangers, SGT Daniel 
Higgins, wrote in a statement about that day:

       If not for Staff Sergeant Petry's actions, we would have 
     been seriously wounded or killed.

  On that fateful day in 2008, then-Staff Sergeant Petry was no 
stranger to service to his country. He was on his eighth deployment--
let me repeat that: his eighth deployment--in support of U.S. 
operations overseas, his sixth in Afghanistan, after two tours in Iraq.
  Sergeant First Class Petry's life of heroic service was based in 
humble beginnings. A 1998 story in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper 
featured a then 18-year-old Petry. The young man was a senior at St. 
Catherine Indian school--the institution's final graduating class. He 
was also a recipient of the ``Bootstrap'' award, which honored area 
high school seniors who had committed to improving themselves and their 
community.
  Here is what the teacher who nominated him wrote:

       With a record of fights, suspensions, and ditching school, 
     Petry realized that he was on a path that led nowhere. He 
     tried harder in school and appreciated how it felt to make 
     his parents proud.

  From a path to nowhere to a path to history as a national hero, 
Sergeant First Class Petry is an inspiration for all young people who 
are struggling to find their place in the world. To young people who 
may be considering giving up and taking a more destructive path, he is 
a model.
  Three years after his heroic actions on the battlefield, Sergeant 
First Class Petry continues to give back to his

[[Page 10825]]

country and his fellow soldiers. As a liaison officer for the U.S. 
Special Operations Command Care Coalition in Washington State, Sergeant 
First Class Petry provides a helping hand and much needed resources to 
wounded soldiers, ill and injured servicemembers, and their families.
  Here is what Leroy's father Larry Petry said of his son in a recent 
interview with a local New Mexico television station:

       He's really overwhelmed by this. He keeps saying, ``Dad, I 
     was just doing my job. Any other soldier would have done 
     it.''

  I think we will all agree with what his father said in return:

       Well, son, you did something great, and they really want to 
     honor you for that.

  Despite all the attention and recognition brought by this award, 
Petry--like so many of those brave warriors before him--remains humble. 
A recent posting on his Facebook page reads:

       The award is bigger than the person . . . and I will always 
     remember that.

  New Mexico has a long and proud tradition of military service--
exemplified in the heroic actions of SFC Leroy Petry on the 
battlefields of Afghanistan.
  To Sergeant First Class Petry's wife Ashley and their four children, 
to his mother and father and siblings and extended family, I know I 
speak for the people of New Mexico and all of America when I offer the 
thanks of a grateful nation. You sacrificed time with your loved ones 
so he could bravely serve our country. Along with Sergeant First Class 
Petry, you are all heroes in our eyes.
  Sergeant First Class Petry is highly deserving of this honor, and New 
Mexico is honored to call him a native son.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from New York.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, first let me thank the Senator from New 
Mexico for his heartfelt remarks. I know how much he cares about his 
constituents and our country. We too at the opposite end of the country 
thank our soldiers for their sacrifice and also the families of those 
who make the highest sacrifice to our Nation.

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