 Leroy Arthur Petry ( born 29 July 1979 ) is a career United States Army soldier , now retired . He received the U.S. military 's highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in Afghanistan in 2008 during Operation Enduring Freedom . Born in Santa Fe , New Mexico , Petry had an active youth , and joined the Army in 2002 . After training at Fort Benning , Georgia , he deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 with the 2nd Ranger Battalion . During combat operations in the Arghandab River Valley , Petry was struck by enemy fire and suffered severe wounds to his right hand and