.N.H. guardsman honored for heroism in Iraq
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Beneath a giant American flag hanging from the rafters of the New Hampshire State Armory, Specialist Richard A. Ghent Jr. yesterday became the first New Hampshire Army National Guardsman to earn the Silver Star since the start of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During a March 1 attack in Ramadi, Iraq, Ghent, then a 20-year-old Humvee gunner, charged at enemy insurgents with his 9mm pistol despite having been thrown from his Humvee by a grenade explosion, according to Major Greg Heilshorn, spokesman for the New Hampshire National Guard. The blast killed the driver and severely wounded the truck commander.
The Silver Star, yesterday pinned beneath Ghent's left collar, is the third highest military honor for valor. More than 200 guests, including Ghent's family, friends, and fellow soldiers, attended the half-hour ceremony.
Ghent, who had volunteered to fight in Iraq, returned to his hometown of Rochester, N.H., in March while recovering from his wounds from the episode, with a gunshot wound to the back and laceration above his upper lip.
``I just wanted to be able to do something for my country and have an accomplishment that I can say I did on my own," he said yesterday.
Ghent, who enlisted in the National Guard at 17 during his junior year in high school and was deployed a year after graduation, does not talk much about his year in Iraq, said friends and family who attended yesterday's ceremony. He said he only learned Wednesday that he would be honored for his bravery.
``I wasn't thinking at all during the attack," said Ghent, who turned 21 in July. ``I was just reacting."
A rocket-propelled grenade fired by insurgents killed Specialist Christopher Merchant, a Vermont National Guardsman, and seriously wounded National Guard Staff Sergeant Jose Pequeno, a police chief from New Hampshire and one of Ghent's closest friends. Pequeno, who suffered major head injuries, is in rehabilitation in Florida after being in a coma for several months, Ghent said.
Ghent had been injured once before and has two Purple Hearts. Last October, he was injured when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee. He lost some hearing in both ears but went back to duty the following day.
``He's an unassuming, quiet kid," said Gerard Lambert, Ghent's grandfather. ``He's seen a lot in a short time, but it seems like he found his niche in the Army."
Since Ghent's return to New Hampshire, where he lives with his mother, he has worked at a lumberyard delivering doors, windows, and cabinets, and works occasionally as a bouncer.
Ghent, who wants to become a firefighter, is still enlisted and was drilling with his unit yesterday immediately after the ceremony, but said he is not sure whether he would return to Iraq.
``I hope he doesn't have to go back to Iraq," said Crystal Williams, Ghent's sister. ``He is definitely lucky. He really is."
Boston
During a March 1 attack in Ramadi, Iraq, Ghent, then a 20-year-old Humvee gunner, charged at enemy insurgents with his 9mm pistol despite having been thrown from his Humvee by a grenade explosion, according to Major Greg Heilshorn, spokesman for the New Hampshire National Guard. The blast killed the driver and severely wounded the truck commander.
The Silver Star, yesterday pinned beneath Ghent's left collar, is the third highest military honor for valor. More than 200 guests, including Ghent's family, friends, and fellow soldiers, attended the half-hour ceremony.
Ghent, who had volunteered to fight in Iraq, returned to his hometown of Rochester, N.H., in March while recovering from his wounds from the episode, with a gunshot wound to the back and laceration above his upper lip.
``I just wanted to be able to do something for my country and have an accomplishment that I can say I did on my own," he said yesterday.
Ghent, who enlisted in the National Guard at 17 during his junior year in high school and was deployed a year after graduation, does not talk much about his year in Iraq, said friends and family who attended yesterday's ceremony. He said he only learned Wednesday that he would be honored for his bravery.
``I wasn't thinking at all during the attack," said Ghent, who turned 21 in July. ``I was just reacting."
A rocket-propelled grenade fired by insurgents killed Specialist Christopher Merchant, a Vermont National Guardsman, and seriously wounded National Guard Staff Sergeant Jose Pequeno, a police chief from New Hampshire and one of Ghent's closest friends. Pequeno, who suffered major head injuries, is in rehabilitation in Florida after being in a coma for several months, Ghent said.
Ghent had been injured once before and has two Purple Hearts. Last October, he was injured when a roadside bomb exploded near his Humvee. He lost some hearing in both ears but went back to duty the following day.
``He's an unassuming, quiet kid," said Gerard Lambert, Ghent's grandfather. ``He's seen a lot in a short time, but it seems like he found his niche in the Army."
Since Ghent's return to New Hampshire, where he lives with his mother, he has worked at a lumberyard delivering doors, windows, and cabinets, and works occasionally as a bouncer.
Ghent, who wants to become a firefighter, is still enlisted and was drilling with his unit yesterday immediately after the ceremony, but said he is not sure whether he would return to Iraq.
``I hope he doesn't have to go back to Iraq," said Crystal Williams, Ghent's sister. ``He is definitely lucky. He really is."
Boston
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