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| -Land of the Free |
| Paralyzed Marine with robotic exoskeleton receives Bronze Star with V |
| 2016-09-26 |
| [Stars and Stripes] CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - When Capt. Derek Herrera was called to stand in the place of honor Friday at his retirement ceremony, he pressed buttons on what appeared to be a wristwatch as a fellow Marine came to his aid. After another push of a button and three short beeps, Herrera rose, legs shaking, and walked deliberately toward his commander. With each step, the exoskeleton he wore emitted a robotic whirring noise, as though it were Iron Man striding through the cordoned off parking lot in digital camouflage. Herrera was paralyzed from the chest down in June 2012, when he was shot in the spine while leading a team of special operations Marines on a patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. But Herrera, a 2006 graduate of the Naval Academy and the type of Marine who always ran to the sound of the gun, did not let the devastating injury end his career, said Lt. Col. John Lynch, commander of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion. "I’m not one that normally gets emotional, but I’ve got to tell you, your drive, determination and dedication ... it’s got me moved today," he said. "If a human being with your injury can walk again without the exoskeleton, it’s going to be you." Herrera retired from the Marine Corps on Friday afternoon, in a ceremony in which he also received a Bronze Star with V for combat valor and a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 All honour to him. And recognition to his wonderful wife! They are on a long and rocky trail. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-09-26 16:33 |
| #4 I'm delighted he got the V device as well as the exoskeleton. The Green Beret Foundation is assisting a couple of wounded warriors whom I am told are having difficulty gaining approval for the exoskeleton. News of Capt. Herrera being issued this equipment may assist those cases. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-09-26 16:16 |
| #3 Here come the cap troopers. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-09-26 16:14 |
| #2 All honour to him. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-09-26 16:07 |
| #1 Semper Fi |
| Posted by: Warthog 2016-09-26 09:55 |