The White House announced Monday that Sgt. Ryan Pitts will receive the Medal of Honor for his participation in the Battle of Wanat in Afghanistan, the highest award honor that a soldier can receive. Pitts will be the ninth living soldier from the Iraqi and Afghan wars, according to the Army Times, to be given the Medal of Honor. Seven other soldiers had received the award posthumously.
The Battle of Wanat occurred on July 13, 2008, when 200 enemy fighters attacked Pitts' post around 4 a.m. The Wall Street Journal reported that all of the paratroopers were injured at the scene and two died. Pitts was hit with shrapnel in his arm and leg. Despite suffering from a large wound on his thigh, he continued to fight, throwing grenades to hold back the insurgents. He soon found himself to be one of the only troops still able to fight. Staff Sgt. Sean Samaroo, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Spc. Michael Denton and Spc. Jacob Sones protected the post while Pitts fought and they only were able to find relief when backup helicopters arrived. Pitts was evacuated from the area due to medical reasons, along with Sgt. Samaroo, and Spcs. Sones and Denton.
According to the defense department's report of the battle, Pitts "allowed U.S. forces time to reinforce the [observation post] and bring-in airstrikes which turned the tide of the battle."
Col. Bill Ostlund, who served with Pitts at the time, gave Pitts credit for saving many of his fellow soldiers' lives and for preventing them all from being overrun by the enemy.
Pitts left the Army in 2009 for medical reasons. He currently is spending his life after service in Nashua, New Hampshire with his wife, Amy, and son, Lucas, working for a computer software company helping with business development.
"Everybody sacrificed a lot that day," Pitts said to the Army Times, describing how he felt about receiving the Medal of Honor. "I try to think about the guys we lost and try to do my best to honor them and the gift they gave me. I hate the word 'hero.' But I feel very fortunate when I look at the guys I served with. They're my heroes. It was the honor of my lifetime to serve with them."