Sgt. (Ret.) Cleber Ferreira was awarded the Purple Heart at a ceremony held in the Fort Belvoir USO Warrior and Family Center Feb. 10.

Maj. Gen. M. Ted Wong, Commanding General, Northern Regional Medical Command, presided over the ceremony. He told the audience that today?'s force shows a special spirit of volunteerism because they willingly serve during a period of conflict. Wong noted that another special circumstance of Ferreira?'s service is that he is a naturalized citizen.

?"He was born in Brazil," Wong said. ?"And yet he decided to join the Army during a period of tremendous risk to himself because he believed in what this country stands for."

Ferreira was wounded Aug. 23, 2010 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom while deployed to Kandahar Provence, Afghanistan. He suffered a severe back injury, mild traumatic brain injury and left knee injuries from an improvised explosive device attack while serving with Comanche Troop, 1st Squadron 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Witnesses to the attack said Ferreira, although wounded, helped rally the passengers of his Stryker vehicle and organized security and medical care for other injured Soldiers.

Ferreira arrived at Fort Belvoir in July of 2013, where he received medical treatment at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and was assigned to the Warrior Transition Brigade -- National Capital Region (WTB-NCR). He retired from service in October. After receiving the award, Ferreira told his battle buddies of the WTB that he decided not to receive the award in his home town of Boston. ?"I wanted to have the ceremony here, with family, because I belong to the biggest, best family in the world -- the United States Army."

He said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of his heroes and he paraphrased the words of the civil rights icon.

?"I had a dream to become a Soldier," Ferreira said. ?"I had a dream to become an American citizen. I have a dream today to be the last Soldier to receive this award."