Army Ranger believed to be unconscious salutes during Purple Heart ceremony -
Josh Hargis, an Army Ranger severely injured in Afghanistan last week, was thought to be unconscious during his Purple Heart ceremony. He lost both legs and was hooked to a breathing tube at a military hospital in Afghanistan.
The bedside ceremony began and, while he still presumed to be unconscious, the Ranger struggled with an attending doctor to raise his heavily bandaged hand to salute a commanding officer presenting him with the medal.
"I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day," the commander wrote to the Ranger's wife. "Grown men began to weep, and we were speechless at a gesture that speak volumes about Josh's courage and character."
There were about 50 fellow Rangers, doctors and nurses in the hospital room. The commanding officer said the salute was the “most beautiful” and person in the room had ever seen.
"I'm overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed that that’s my boy, the he could come from me. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed," Jim Hargis, the 24-year-old's father told Fox 19.
Hargis, who is expecting a baby with his wife, was injured in an explosion while his unit, the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was searching for a high-value target in Panjwaj, Afghanistan, the Fox 19 report said. Four other soldiers died in the attack.
His father told the station that the troops had just inspected a man for bombs, and then a woman came by and exploded. While the troops were responding to the explosion, other IEDs planted in the area detonated, including one Hargis stepped on.
Hargis will be moved to a military hospital in San Antonio for further treatment.
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Josh Hargis, an Army Ranger severely injured in Afghanistan last week, was thought to be unconscious during his Purple Heart ceremony. He lost both legs and was hooked to a breathing tube at a military hospital in Afghanistan.
The bedside ceremony began and, while he still presumed to be unconscious, the Ranger struggled with an attending doctor to raise his heavily bandaged hand to salute a commanding officer presenting him with the medal.
"I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day," the commander wrote to the Ranger's wife. "Grown men began to weep, and we were speechless at a gesture that speak volumes about Josh's courage and character."
There were about 50 fellow Rangers, doctors and nurses in the hospital room. The commanding officer said the salute was the “most beautiful” and person in the room had ever seen.
"I'm overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed that that’s my boy, the he could come from me. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed," Jim Hargis, the 24-year-old's father told Fox 19.
Hargis, who is expecting a baby with his wife, was injured in an explosion while his unit, the 3rd Ranger Battalion, was searching for a high-value target in Panjwaj, Afghanistan, the Fox 19 report said. Four other soldiers died in the attack.
His father told the station that the troops had just inspected a man for bombs, and then a woman came by and exploded. While the troops were responding to the explosion, other IEDs planted in the area detonated, including one Hargis stepped on.
Hargis will be moved to a military hospital in San Antonio for further treatment.
Read more -
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