27 Sep 2004

Guam army guardsman receives Purple Heart award

1:29 pm on 27 September 2004

Specialist John Cruz Jnr from the Guam Army National Guard has been awarded the Purple Heart.

In May, just one month after arriving in Iraq, Specialist Cruz Jnr was hurt while on a mission to secure a building. A grenade was thrown by militants and landed a short distance from the National Guardsman.

While trying to jump out of harm's way he was struck with a piece of shrapnel from the grenade, but continued his mission.

It was not until the mission had ended that he realised he had been injured.