U S Army Ranger Wounded Warrior

Army Ranger Will Receive Medal of Honor

A U.S. Army Ranger who lost a hand while protecting his fellow soldiers from an enemy grenade in Afghanistan will receive the Medal of Honor in a July 12 White House ceremony. The White House announced that Sergeant 1st Class Leroy Petry (left), a native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, will be the second living, active-duty soldier to receive the nation’s highest military honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Petry was serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment when he was wounded during a mission in Afghanistan. UPI News ,

During a daytime raid in Paktia province on May 26, 2008, Petry and another Ranger entered a courtyard where enemy fighters shot them. Three other Rangers came to their aid, and when a grenade landed, the already-wounded Petry tossed it away. His right hand was destroyed, and he applied a tourniquet to his own arm before medics arrived.

Petry is the ninth soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the present Afghanistan/Iraq conflict, with all but Petry and Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta receiving the honor posthumously. Now stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, Petry works with other wounded service personnel and their families. The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who “distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” In its statement announcing Petry’s nomination, the White House noted that in order to be eligible for the Medal, “the meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life.” As reported by the Army Times :

Shortly after the grenade exploded, Staff Sgt. James Roberts and Spc. Christopher Gathercole entered the courtyard, and moved toward the chicken coop. With three soldiers taking cover in the chicken coop, an enemy fighter threw another grenade at them. This time, the grenade landed just a few feet from Higgins and Robinson.

Recognizing the threat that the enemy grenade posed to his fellow Rangers, Petry — despite his own wounds and with complete disregard for his personal safety — consciously and deliberately risked his life to move to and secure the live enemy grenade and consciously throw the grenade away from his fellow Rangers, according to battlefield reports. As Petry released the grenade in the direction of the enemy, preventing the serious injury or death of Higgins and Robinson, it detonated and catastrophically amputated his right hand. With a clear mind, Petry assessed his wound and placed a tourniquet on his right arm. Once this was complete, he reported that he was still in contact with the enemy and that he had been wounded again. After the blast that amputated Petry’s hand, Roberts began to engage the enemy behind the chicken coop with small arms fire and a grenade. His actions suppressed the insurgents behind the chicken coop. Shortly after, another enemy on the east end of the courtyard began firing, fatally wounding Gathercole. Higgins and Robinson returned fire and killed the enemy.

Who To Know: Blake Hall | Publicyte

Blake Hall first got our attention when he spoke at the Gov 2.0 Summit in Washington, DC a while back. Since then, he’s been making waves with his startup, hiring people, raising financing, and doing public good. Editor-in-Chief Mark Drapeau caught up with Blake over cocktails in Georgetown to talk about what’s happening with Troopswap (“Because a life of service should have its perks”) and what to expect in the future. His unique approach to entrepreneurship due largely to his time serving in the U.S. Army really shines through in this conversation.

What’s Troopswap?

Troopswap.com is the first military only e-commerce platform. At the moment, we partner with merchants to provide great deals for veterans, service members, and their families. Our business model is similar to LivingSocial with a few important distinctions. First, we limit eligibility to veterans, service members, and immediate family. Second, we only employ military spouses. Third, we donate 10% of our profits to the Wounded Warrior Project . Our mission is to reward a life of service. We have designed our business model and our operations so that every touch point creates value for the military community.

Where did the original idea come from, and how did you arrive at where you are today?

TroopSwap started with a phone call to my co-founder, Matthew Thompson, while we were both classmates at Harvard Business School. Matt and I were both Army Rangers so we understood the lifestyle and were familiar with the social and financial challenges of military life. Originally, we planned on launching a military only classified site along the lines of Craigslist, but we needed massive distribution to make that idea work. We pivoted into the deals space and that has proved to be a winning move for us.

Can you tell us a little about your personal background, and how you came to be an entrepreneur?

I’m a third generation soldier, and because of that I’ve seen the community from a number of different angles; as a dependent growing up on bases around the world; as a soldier; and, finally, as a veteran. I led a scout platoon that hunted high value targets in Iraq back in 2006 – 2007 when things were pretty crazy. That leadership experience instilled lessons that have been highly valuable as an entrepreneur. While in Iraq, my platoon performed a mind-boggling spectrum of missions: from night-time raids on Al-Qaida suicide coordinators, to “days off” where we escorted provincial reconstruction teams  to rebuild and refinance local businesses, to important meetings with local sheiks and civic leaders. The only constant was that nothing went to plan — ever.

Weapons of the U.S. Army Rangers

The Wounded Warrior, A Survival Guide for When You're Beat Up, Burned Out, Or Battle Weary

Shadow warriors, a history of the US Army Rangers

Us Special Operations Forces Handbook

Rangers, Lead the Way