Vice Joint Chiefs Chairman Presents Purple Heart to Recipients of 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom Grenade Attack

Marine Corps Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the Purple Heart to six service members — four of them retired, one on active duty and one receiving it posthumously — during a ceremony today in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes. 

Mahoney pinned the medal on Army Brig. Gen. Gregory Holden, retired Army Sgt. 1st Class LaRitza Hamby, retired Army Maj. Tony Jones, retired Army Lt. Col. Mario Roberts, and retired Air Force Col. Mark Wisher; while Joshua Stone accepted the medal on behalf of his father, the late Maj. Gregory Stone of the Idaho Air National Guard.

At the start of his remarks, before the pinning of the decorations, Mahoney told the recipients that he was honored and humbled to appear before them in uniform. 

“And that’s not just locker-room talk or Pentagon pleasantries, because today we will recognize six Americans who paid the very real price in service to this country; a price in the hardest currency that our profession knows — that currency is blood,” Mahoney said. 

All the recipients were wounded during a grenade attack by a fellow service member at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait, March 23, 2003, which resulted in Stone succumbing to his injuries two days later. 

“On that fateful day, during the initial days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the recipients recognized the magnitude of their assignment; they understood the reality of the threat; [and] they understood that war takes its payment in blood,” Mahoney said, adding that the six service members didn’t choose that moment in time to have to sacrifice. Still, they answered the moment it came.  

“And their answer, both then and now, stands as a testament to the character of the American warrior; the character that recognizes that freedom has always demanded sacrifice, and the character that represents the very best of our armed forces,” Mahoney continued. 

During his remarks, Mahoney also took time to recognize retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bart Womack, who was at Camp Pennsylvania during the 2003 attack, and who was the driving force behind getting the six service members the Purple Heart. 

“[He] made this recognition a reality, [and] he has worked tirelessly over time to uphold the sacred promise. Thank you, sergeant major,” Mahoney said, eliciting a passionate round of applause from those in attendance.   

The Purple Heart recipients all expressed gratitude for being awarded the medal. 

“It means a lot; it’s a complete honor that they finally recognize this. … huge thanks to [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] for really making this happen; it’s truly an honor,” Holden said following the ceremony. 

“I’m kind of emotional right now, and at a loss for words. But I’m just happy for all of us, and I’m happy for those who came before us, and all those who are going to come after us,” Roberts said, regarding his thoughts on receiving the Purple Heart. 

Stone, who was just 7 years old when his father was killed in the attack, said receiving the Purple Heart on his dad’s behalf felt very meaningful. 

“It means a lot coming out here, receiving this on his behalf and getting to meet everyone [my father] served with for those three weeks in Kuwait,” Stone said. 

Stone added that he’s sure his father would have been happy to show him what life was like while mobilized during Operation Iraqi Freedom, though he often wasn’t authorized to talk too much about it. 

The Purple Heart has its roots in the Badge of Military Merit, which was established in 1782 by Continental Army general — and future president — George Washington and awarded to soldiers for singular acts of meritorious action. 

Some 150 years later, the badge was redesigned and renamed as the Purple Heart. An estimated 1.8 to 1.9 million medals have been awarded since the decoration’s reestablishment in 1932.