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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 21 , 2008 No. 08-021 MEDICS TO BE REUNITED WITH WOUNDED KANSAS GUARDSMEN FEBRUARY 22 Four Army National Guard medics will be reunited with eight Kansas National Guard soldiers they treated for battle injuries in Iraq during a special event on Friday, Feb. 22 at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. The Kansas soldiers were injured in two attacks in Iraq on Feb. 22, 2007. Sgt. 1st Class David Russell Berry was killed in action and eight other soldiers were injured by the explosion of an improvised explosive device and mortar rounds. Attending the ceremony will be Katherine Berry, widow of Sgt. David Berry; Sgt. Jarrod Hays, Sgt. Peter Richert and Spc. Johnny Jones. All are members of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery. They will be reunited with Sgt. Allison Justice, Sgt. Moe Parker, Spc. Billy J. Bush and Spc. Amanda Kistler, who were serving with the Minnesota National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery at the time of the incident. “It’s not often that these courageous soldiers get the chance to follow up on the lives they’ve helped to save,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, the adjutant general. “We wanted to give them an opportunity to see how much of a difference they have made in the lives of these soldiers.” Also, at the ceremony will be several soldiers of the 1-161st who were also wounded in a separate incident the same day involving a rocket and mortar attack. They are 1st Lt. Todd Miller, Sgt. 1st Class Lloyde Mattix, Spc. Simon Makovec, Sgt. Michael Miller and Spc. Curtis Turpin. The reunion came about after Bunting learned of a newspaper article on Justice and called her, offering to fly her to Kansas to meet with the soldiers. “The past year has been extremely challenging for the soldiers and
the families of the 161st Field Artillery, and we hope this reunion will
be helpful to the healing process," Bunting said. “We will continue
to keep them in our thoughts and prayers and thank them for the many sacrifices
they have made.” -30- |
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