WASHINGTON – Citing the long, proud tradition of sacrifice and valor of Americans in combat extending from Valley Forge to Baghdad, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson today awarded the Purple Heart Medal to four service men wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Our freedoms, democratic traditions and American way of life rest on the shoulders of heroes who were willing to face extraordinary challenges and make astonishing acts of self-sacrifice,” Nicholson said.
During a ceremony today at the National Press Club, Nicholson presented the Purple Heart Medal to Army Sgt. Tyrone Carelock from Washington, D.C.; Marine Sgt. Jeffrey Combs from White Plains, N.Y.; Army Pvt. Kevin Araujo from Houston; and Army Spec. Nicholas Helfferich from Latrobe, Pa.
Nicholson also encouraged all veterans to join with their comrades this Veterans Day by wearing their medals as they go about their daily activities, as a way of showing their pride in their military service. Called the “Veterans Pride Initiative,” Nicholson said he hopes the display of medals will become an annual tradition.
Joining the Secretary at the National Press Club was Tom Poulter, commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH). With 36,000 members, all recipients of the military’s unique award for combat injuries, MOPH is opening the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor at New Windsor, N.Y., on Nov. 10. The Hall of Honor is dedicated to the 1.7 million Americans wounded or killed in action while serving in the military since the Revolutionary War.
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