Features

Wounded warriors revisit Ramstein, LRMC

by Senior Airman Elizabeth Baker
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
January 23, 2020
U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Lydia Byrom, left, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron readiness officer in charge, and Senior Airman Terry Kularski, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron hydraulic system specialist, look at a Medal of Honor at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 13. The medal was awarded to retired U.S. Army Master Sgt. Leroy Petry for his actions in Afghanistan in 2008. Operation Proper Exit and the Troops First Foundation brought Petry and several other wounded warriors to Ramstein to visit the 86th AES, the squadron that medically evacuated them from Iraq and Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
While assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment, Petry suffered combat wounds, including a gunshot to his thighs and an enemy grenade explosion in-hand. Petry is currently working as a military liaison for Troops First Foundation, is the vice president of the Medal of Honor Society, and an ambassador for the president of the United States executive order for suicide prevention.
U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps wounded warriors with Operation Proper Exit board a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 13. OPE returns wounded warriors to the places they experienced combat injury and recovery as an opportunity to gain closure. These visits provide service members the opportunity to see the commitment and resilience of U.S. wounded warriors.
U.S. Army retired Master Sgt. Christipher Corbin stands on a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft ramp at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 13. Corbin visited Ramstein and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center with Operation Proper Exit, an initiative developed by the Troops First Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit organization created to promote wellness, quality of life and events for post 9/11 combat-injured warriors. The Troops First Foundation aims to support to recognition for the veterans as well as their continued recovery.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Terry Kularski, right, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron hydraulic system specialist, explains the systems of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Rory Hamill, wounded warrior, at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 13.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Rory Hamill, a wounded warrior, explores a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft flight deck at Ramstein Air Base, Jan. 13. Hamill was part of a group of wounded warriors who returned to Ramstein and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center to visit the places where they were cared for recovering from combat injuries.
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