Army Ranger receives Medal of Honor

A U.S. Army Ranger who was deployed eight times before losing his hand in a 2008 firefight in Afghanistan received the Medal of Honor Tuesday. Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Petry, 31, is the fifth person to receive the highest U.S. military honor for service in Afghanistan, the Defense Department said. President Obama, giving him the medal in a White House ceremony, said his actions were "the stuff out of which heroes are made." "We honor a singular act of gallantry," he said. "Yet as we near the 10th anniversary of the attacks that thrust our nation into war, this is also a time to pay tribute to a soldier -- and a generation -- that has borne the burden of security in a hard decade." Three of the Medals of Honor for actions in Afghanistan have been awarded posthumously. Petry was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart during two deployments in Iraq and six in Afghanistan. In 2008, Petry was with a helicopter assault force when he was hit in the legs. He led a more seriously wounded soldier to shelter and began firing again. He lost his hand while throwing a grenade back towards the enemy. He field-dressed his own wound, applying a tourniquet. Petry, a Santa Fe, N.M., native, is now stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state.