Spc. Anthony Sullivan, left, Pfc. David Holmes and Sgt. Andrew Fix congratulated each other yesterday after receiving their Purple Heart medals from Lt. Gen. James Campbell in a ceremony at Schofield Barracks.
Trio awarded
Purple HeartsSo far, 90 Schofield soldiers
have received the honor
Ninety Schofield Barracks soldiers have either been awarded or recommended to receive the Purple Heart for wounds they received in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Yesterday, three of these 25th Infantry Division soldiers had the oldest military decoration pinned on their uniforms by Lt. Gen. James L. Campbell, commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific, at a Schofield Barracks ceremony.
Eighty-five of the 90 Purple Hearts have gone to soldiers wounded in Iraq.
But even after being heaped with leis and praises and photographed by news photographers, they indicated their thoughts were with their comrades still fighting in Afghanistan or in Iraq.
Sgt. Andrew J. Fix, a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry (Wolfhounds), said he would rather be in Iraq.
Fix, 24, was wounded April 7 while providing security for a city council meeting. Fix, a six-year Army veteran, was shot in the left foot when his quick-reaction force responded to rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire.
Asked about his wound, Fix said: "It's healing pretty good."
Spc. Anthony Sullivan -- a member of Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 27th Infantry (Wolfhounds) -- was wounded in his right cheek in a firefight April 7 near Kirkuk.
Sullivan, 24, would only say after yesterday's brief awards ceremony at Sills Field that he was "glad to be back."
The third recipient, Pfc. David Holmes -- who was with the 25th Transportation Company on April 20 when he was wounded -- is in a wheelchair.
Holmes, 21, was wounded when an improvised explosive device blew up his vehicle in a convoy. Holmes, who has been in the Army a little more than a year, sustained shrapnel wounds in both legs and a broken left leg.
Campbell called the trio "heroes."
He added: "With total disregard for their personal safety, they have answered the call and paid the price in blood, limb and tears to give people who had known fear and despair in their lives a chance to be free.
"They have looked the enemy in the eye and they did not blink; they fought valiantly, and they gave their blood and flesh to protect others."
Lynn Leith, wife of Lt. Col. Scott Leith, who commands the Wolfhounds, spent the afternoon photographing the awards ceremony.
Lynn Leith said: "Andrew's (Fix) mom wanted to be here today, but since she can't, I told her I would e-mail her pictures."
Also videotaping the ceremony was Jandi Cummings, whose husband, Spc. Charles Cummings, is in Afghanistan.
"I plan to send it to our guys over there so they can see it," Cummings said.
"I think this is pretty great," she added. "We're really proud."
The Purple Heart was created as the Badge of Military Merit by George Washington in 1782. The War Department (now called the Department of Defense) revived the Purple Heart medal on Feb. 22, 1932.
