Sgt. 1st Class Ty Henery was recognized Sunday with a bronze star for saving the life of a fellow soldier while under fire in Afghanistan.
On April 11, 2010, members of the Ohio National Guard's Operational Mentor and Liaison Team were on the ground in Afghanistan when they came under attack. Master Sergeant Doug Reed suffered a horrific injury when a rocket propelled grenade hit his face. Henery was the team medic and ran to Reed's side, 10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported.
"The force actually took off essentially everything, exposing all the vasculature of his neck, his airway," said Henery. "You just don't expect people to survive things like that."
Reed's injuries were too extensive to get him into a vehicle. So, Henery pinned Reed to the hood of a humvee for the six mile trip from the ambush site to the nearest medical unit. Reed survived and now serves as a fire chief in Jackson, Ohio.
On Sunday, Henery was honored for his actions and credited with saving Reed's life with a bronze star medal, McEntyre reported.
Henery said he did not see himself as a hero.
"Nothing that I did would have been accomplished without the team. So, it's definitely more for the team than it is for me," said Henery. "Nobody tries to get a valor award. You should never try to get a valor award. So, it's one of those things, the team earned the award."
Henery said the best reward was seeing this friend back on his feet and back home with his family.
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