U.S. Air Force medics, Staff Sgt. April Deluna -right-, from San Antonio, assigned to the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, and Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Rose, from Coleridge, Neb., assigned to the Nebraska Agribusiness Development Team, demonstrate proper arm-bracing techniques at the provincial women’s development center, Nov. 1. The medics taught basic first-aid skills to 13 women from the province. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Katherine Williams

Thirteen Afghan women received life-saving first aid training at a provincial women’s development center shura held in Paktya province, Nov. 1.

U.S. servicemembers assigned to the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team and the Nebraska Agribusiness Development Team, both located on Forward Operating Base Goode, taught the women how to treat burns, lacerations and abrasions.

U.S. Air Force medics Tech Sgt. Rebecca Rose, with the ADT from Coleridge, Neb., and Staff Sgt. April DeLuna, with the PRT from San Antonio, conducted an interactive training program for the women.

During the one-hour course, the medics emphasized proper hygiene techniques such as hand washing and the use of gloves while treating wounds.

“The women learned the ‘cold, clean’ method,” DeLuna said. “They’d never heard to clean with cold, clean water and were using alternative methods to treat wounds.”

The women shared stories about their previous home-medical treatments during the shura.

“I’ve used cold potatoes on my children’s wounds to stop the burning,” one student said. “Potatoes and egg yolk both help to prevent the burn from spreading.”

Along with l training, the group also received first-aid medical kits, stocked with bandages, a gauze compress, gloves, antibiotic ointment and other supplies.

The shura was coordinated through Khalema Khazan, the Paktya Director of Women’s Affairs and the Team Paktya Women’s Advocacy Group.

The DOWA is an Afghan ministry-appointed position, with the authority and obligation to raise awareness of concerns and advocate for Afghan women.

“I want a common understanding for every woman to know their rights and freedoms under Islam,” Khazan said. “We have shuras in the women’s development center for Paktya women to teach them important skills.”

In the past, Khazan has organized town meetings, or ‘shuras,’ health workshops and media engagements for women in Paktya.

“Education is very important,” she added. “Our center is focused on teaching the more than 40,000 women in Paktya.”

DVIDS

The White House announced May 31 that Staff Sgt. Leroy A. Petry, now serving as part of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga., will receive the Medal of Honor. Photo through U.S. Army

An Army Ranger who lost his right hand and suffered shrapnel wounds after throwing an armed grenade away from his fellow Soldiers will be the second living Medal of Honor Recipient from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On July 12th, President Barack Obama will award Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry, with the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Petry will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions during combat operations against an armed enemy in Paktya, Afghanistan, May 26, 2008.

Petry now serves as part of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.

“It’s very humbling to know that the guys thought that much of me and my actions that day, to nominate me for that,” said Petry, on learning he had been nominated for the medal.

At the time of his actions in Afghanistan, Petry was assigned to Company A, 2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Petry’s actions came as part of a rare daylight raid to capture a high-value target.

On the day of the actions that would earn Petry the Medal of Honor, he was to locate himself with the platoon headquarters in the target building once it was secured. Once there, he was to serve as the senior noncommissioned officer at the site for the remainder of the operation.

Recognizing one of the assault squads needed assistance clearing their assigned building, Petry relayed to the platoon leader that he was moving to that squad to provide additional supervision and guidance during the clearance of the building.

Once the residential portion of the building had been cleared, Petry took a fellow member of the assault squad, Pvt. 1st Class Lucas Robinson, to clear the outer courtyard. Petry knew that area had not been cleared during the initial clearance.

Petry and Robinson, both Rangers, moved into an area of the compound that contained at least three enemy fighters who were prepared to engage friendly forces from opposite ends of the outer courtyard.

The two Soldiers entered the courtyard. To their front was an opening followed by a chicken coop. As the two crossed the open area, an enemy insurgent fired on them. Petry was wounded by one round, which went through both of his legs. Robinson was also hit in his side plate by a separate round.

While wounded and under enemy fire, Petry led Robinson to the cover of the chicken coop. The enemy continued to deliver fire at the two Soldiers.

As the senior Soldier, Petry assessed the situation and reported that contact was made and that there were two wounded Rangers in the courtyard of the primary target building.

Upon hearing the report of two wounded Rangers, Sgt. Daniel Higgins, a team leader, moved to the outer courtyard. As Higgins was moving to Petry and Robinson’s position, Petry threw a thermobaric grenade in the vicinity of the enemy position.

Shortly after that grenade exploded — which created a lull in the enemy fire — Higgins arrived at the chicken coop and assessed the wounds of the two Soldiers.

While Higgins evaluated their wounds, an insurgent threw a grenade over the chicken coop at the three Rangers. The grenade landed about 10 meters from the three Rangers, knocked them to the ground, and wounded Higgins and Robinson. 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.

Moments later, Sgt. 1st Class Jerod Staidle, the platoon sergeant, and Spc. Gary Depriest, the platoon medic, arrived in the outer courtyard. After directing Depriest to treat Gathercole, Staidle moved to Petry’ s position. Staidle and Higgins then assisted Petry as he moved to the casualty collection point.

Higgins later wrote in a statement, “if not for Staff Sergeant Petry’s actions, we would have been seriously wounded or killed.”

Petry is the ninth servicemember to have been named a recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of prior recipients, all but Petry and Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta were awarded the honor posthumously.

Included among those recipients are Spc. Ross A. McGinnis, Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, and Marine Corps Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, all for actions in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, Staff Sgt. Robert Miller, Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti and Navy Lt. Michael P. Murphy were awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan.

Petry currently serves as a liaison officer for the United States Special Operations Command Care Coalition-Northwest Region, and provides oversight to wounded warriors, ill and injured servicemembers and their families.

He enlisted in the United States Army from his hometown of Santa Fe, N.M. in September 1999. After completion of One Station Unit Training, the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program — all at Fort Benning, Ga. — Petry was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Petry has served as a grenadier, squad automatic rifleman, fire team leader, squad leader, operations sergeant, and weapons squad leader.

He has deployed eight times in support of the War on Terror with two tours to Iraq and six tours to Afghanistan.

Petry and his wife Ashley have four children, Brittany, Austin, Reagan and Landon.

U.S. Army

White House Press Release

On July 12th, President Barack Obama will award Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry.  Sergeant First Class Petry will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions during combat operations against an armed enemy in Paktya, Afghanistan in May, 2008.  He will be the second living, active duty service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Sergeant First Class Petry’s wife, Ashley, and other family members will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Leroy Arthur Petry was born on July 29, 1979.  He is a native of Santé Fe, New Mexico and enlisted in the United States Army in September 1999.  He attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia.  Sergeant First Class Petry is currently assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment and attached to Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with duty at Joint Base Lewis McChord as a liaison for the SOCOM Care Coalition where he tracks and monitors injured Rangers returning from the Theater of Operations to the initial place of care to home station care.

Sergeant First Class Petry has completed multiple combat tours to Afghanistan and Iraq totaling 28 months of deployment.

His military decorations include: two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, National Defense Service Medal, three Army Good Conduct Medals,  Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, to name a few.

Afghan and international security forces killed a large number of insurgents, including several key leaders for both the Haqqani network and Taliban, during an offensive operation in Jani Khel District of Paktiya province earlier this week.

The security force killed Hamiddullah, a Haqqani network commander for Sabari District in Khost province, who had direct ties to Haqqani senior leadership based in Pakistan. He was reportedly responsible for an ambush of an Afghan National Army unit which killed three Afghan national police in March.

According to intelligence information and local police, news of Hamiddullah’s death, who was well-known throughout the Haqqani network, is expected to have significant disruptive effects on the network throughout Khost and Paktiya provinces.

Earlier this month, Afghan and international forces killed a number of Haqqani network fighters including another Haqqani commander, Fazil Subhan, in Khost province.

In the recent two-day offensive operation on the largest insurgent camp in the area, assault forces also killed Qari Ismael, a Taliban leader for Jani Khel District, and Maulawi Sadiq, a known facilitator for foreign fighters.

“[Afghan National Security Forces] along with international security forces conducted two days [of] offensive operations in Jani Khel District of Paktya province. [Multiple] insurgents were killed, large amounts of ammo and weapons were discovered and many training camps were destroyed. ANSF conducted [the] operations to let people continue their lives in peace,” said Khost District Chief of Police, Brig. Gen. Nawab Khan.

Residents who were often threatened by the insurgents also joined the fight, and according to National Directorate of Security and ANA officials the residents were pleased with the operations. When Haqqani network fighters attempted to retreat from Jani Khel to Musa Khel, a neighboring district in Khost, villagers from Kotkai prevented the foreign fighters from moving through their village.

After the fighting stopped, officials and village elders reported that a large number of foreign fighters, including Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks and Chechens, were among those killed. Afghan and coalition forces also found dozens of automatic weapons, multiple rocket-propelled grenade launchers and rounds, and communication equipment.

“These foreign fighters abuse the poor, uneducated people,” said ANSF Soldier Said Karim. “They don’t care about Afghanistan; they don’t care about our people.”

The Haqqani network is attempting to establish strongholds in the Khost-Gardez Pass in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Paktiya and Khost provinces. Large numbers of foreign fighters remain interspersed in the ranks of the Taliban and Haqqani networks, and the area is used by insurgent groups to move supplies and foreign fighters into Afghanistan from Pakistan.

No coalition forces were injured or killed despite engagement by heavily-armed insurgents on four different occasions throughout the operation.

DVIDS

Twenty-four Afghan women were certified to deliver babies as they graduated from the Nurse Midwife Training Program during a ceremony in Gardez district, Oct. 3.

The ceremony marked the completion of the third iteration of the training program, which equips 24 students with basic midwifery skills to serve in Paktya’s developing maternity and women’s healthcare industry.

Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world; approximately 16 out of 1,000 new mothers die from birthing complications, The Paktya Department of Health, using programs such as the midwife training, aims to reduce the provincial rate by 50 percent.

According to U.S. Air Force Maj Anita Chapel, Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team Medical Officer, who attended the ceremony, the training is expected to benefit Afghan women throughout the province.

“The females who graduated will return to their respective districts and provide the much needed care to the females in the villages,” said Chapel, who is deployed out of San Antonio.

During the ceremony, speeches were given by several distinguished guests, including Paktya’s Governor, Juma Khan Hamdard, and the Deputy Minister of Public Health, Dr. Nadera Hayat, who flew from Kabul for the occasion.

Hayat, speaking as both a mother and a government official, congratulated the students and thanked their parents for allowing them to participate in the training. She stressed that health services are inseparable from human rights, and that they go hand-in-hand with security.

The midwifery school employs five instructors and is funded by Ibn Sina. Tuition for the 18-month program is free to the students, who return to their home districts to provide community-level care. Similar programs have also been established in Zabul and Helmand provinces, and, in the last year, the number of midwives in Afghanistan has nearly quadrupled.

As part of the ongoing partnership with the Department of Public Health to address medical concerns throughout the area, the Paktya PRT attended the graduation ceremony for the Midwife Training School in Gardez.

“The Midwife Training Program is another excellent example of the Paktya government’s commitment to improving provincial healthcare, specifically healthcare initiatives for women,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Carlos Halcomb, Paktya PRT commander.

“These new graduates, besides bringing a much-needed skill to Paktya’s largely rural communities,” Halcomb added, “will inspire young women across the Province to take advantage of new opportunities and work to make a difference.”

Following the ceremony, each graduate received a gift package, including blankets, thermometers and stethoscopes to them started in their new career.

ISAF