U.S. ARMY DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah -- More than six years after being wounded in Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Michael Caruso received a Purple Heart medal Sept. 30, pinned to his chest by his Colorado commander.
Caruso, a Medic Squad Leader posted from Fort Carson, Colo., to the Dugway Health Clinic, was wounded May 10, 2009 in Iraq. Then a sergeant, Caruso was in a Humvee patrolling Mosul with Troop B, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 20th Brigade Combat Team. An insurgent threw an improvised grenade at Caruso's Humvee. The vehicle's machine gunner collapsed with wounds from the blast. Momentarily knocked unconscious, the wounded Caruso came to and manned the Humvee's .50-caliber machine gun.
"He took the fight to the enemy. That's a day at the office, right? I would say it's not," Col. Dennis LeMaster, commander of Evans Army Community Hospital at Fort Carson, Colo., said with an admiring grin. After suppressing enemy fire, Caruso began treating six Soldiers and himself.
All Soldiers at Dugway Health Clinic are a tenant unit from Fort Carson, commanded by LeMaster. The colonel came to Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) specifically "To recognize the personal bravery, sacrifice and tenacity of Staff Sergeant Caruso. It is an honor to serve with Soldiers of his caliber. To be in their midst is a great source of personal satisfaction every day." Caruso's awarding of the Purple Heart was delayed six years by changes in jurisdiction after reassignment and misplaced documents, he said. Ironically, he received the award a few days before leaving Utah for reassignment to Alaska.
"It's not necessarily a medal we pursue or hope to get, because if you get it, there's usually a piece of metal in you or something's hurt," LeMaster said.
Approximately 50 Soldiers and civilians witnessed the ceremony. It could not be recalled if a Purple Heart had been awarded on DPG since it was created in 1942. The Purple Heart, presented to U.S. Armed Forces members who are wounded or killed in combat by the enemy, is the nation's oldest military award. Created by Gen. George Washington in 1782 to honor wounded Soldiers, it began as a cloth purple heart called the Badge of Military Merit. Since antiquity, purple has denoted royalty or holiness because its dye is so expensive -- made from a mollusk found only in a small area of the Mediterranean Sea. Since the mid-1800s, purple dye has been synthesized.
After receiving the Purple Heart, Caruso displayed humility typical of combat Soldiers and spoke little. "Thanks to all who attended," he said. "This is a bit bigger thing than I thought it would be." The 29-year-old staff sergeant plans to make a career of the Army, LeMaster noted.
After the ceremony, Soldiers and civilians congratulated Caruso. One woman hugged him, touching her cheek to his, leaving the combat Veteran surprised and nearly speechless -- a touching moment six years in the making.
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