page_title: Leroy Petry
section_title: Military career
hierarchical_section_title: Leroy Petry / Military career
caption_attribution_description: English: unveiling of statue of Sgt. FC Leroy Petry (pictures) June 24, 2013, Santa Fe , New Mexico, USA. Also pictured, seated to his left, Santa Fe mayor David Coss, New Mexico Governor Suzanna Martinez, and sculptor and governor of Pojoaque Pueblo, George Rivera.
context_page_description: Leroy Arthur Petry is a career United States Army soldier, now retired. He received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Afghanistan in 2008 during Operation Enduring Freedom.
  Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Petry had an active youth, and joined the Army after high school. Completing the Ranger Indoctrination Program, he was deployed several times to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. On 26 May 2008, during his seventh deployment, Petry was a member of a team on a mission to capture a Taliban target in Paktia Province. Despite being wounded in both legs by gunfire, Petry continued to fight and give orders. When a grenade landed between him and two other soldiers, Petry grabbed it and attempted to throw it away from them. He saved the soldiers' lives but the grenade exploded, severing his right hand.
  Petry became the second recent living recipient of the medal for the war in Afghanistan in 2011 when he received the award from U.S. President Barack Obama. Opting to reenlist in spite of his injury, Petry remained on active duty in the U.S. Army until his retirement on 29 July 2014.
context_section_description: Influenced by a cousin who joined the United States Army Rangers, Petry enlisted in the Army in Santa Fe in September 1999. He also became a Ranger. He attended Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. At the time of the September 11th attacks, he was training to become a Ranger.
  Upon completion of his training, Petry was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington state. Petry had a total of eight deployments: two supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and six supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. In all, Petry spent a total of 28 months deployed. During his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, Petry served in a number of positions, including as a grenadier, squad automatic rifleman, fireteam leader, squad leader, operations sergeant, and a weapons squad leader.
caption: Petry – seated to his left, Santa Fe mayor David Coss, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and sculptor and governor of Pojoaque Pueblo, George Rivera.
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