Photos by Sharon Taylor Conway Pfc. Darrell Reid accepts his Purple Heart as his sister, Latisha, and father, Darrell look on.

They represented nine different states with one common bond of uncommon valor ó sacrifice for the nation, according to Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon, Jr., director of the Army Staff, who awarded the Soldiers with their medals.

The Purple Heart is awarded to servicemembers wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces.

ìI am truly honored to be here with you because you have taken up the call against terrorists and tyrants who want to destroy our way of life,î said Huntoon. ìThank you for your service ó thank you to the Families as wellÖyou have also served your nation.

ìI too have gotten that call from the United States Army, that someone was hurt,î Huntoon said. He explained that he went to visit Balad last November, ìnot as a Soldier, but as a father,î when his own son was injured.

Two of the nine Soldiers honored at Fridayís ceremony, Sgt. Francis Collins, III of Laurel, Md., and Pfc. David A. Knapp of Shelby Township, Mich., are assigned to units in Germany.

Collins is a squad leader assigned to 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany. While traveling in a March 7 convoy headed to Baghdad, an explosively formed projectile (EFP) left Collins with a traumatic brain injury, shrapnel under his left eye and a 20 percent hearing loss in his left ear.

Collins said he was grateful for his wife Garnisha, ìhis rib,î who was by his side to see him through six surgeries. With six months or more of rehab ahead of him, Collins counts on the support from his spouse, their 3-year-old son ìPJî, younger brother Thomas and parents Francis, Jr. and Rose, all present at Fridayís ceremony.

ìI want to thank anyone in the medical field ó you kept me alive,î said Collins, who also received the Combat Action Badge.

Knapp is a military police officer assigned to the 230th Military Police Company, Kaiserslautern, Germany. He lost both legs when the convoy he was riding was hit by multiple EFPís, on its way to Baghdad.

ìHeís coming along well,î said his mom, Jeanette. Knapp spends five hours a day in rehab at the Military Advance Training Center. ìThis quite possibly is the most focused individual you will ever meet. Very determined,î she said.

Seven of the nine Soldiers also receiving Purple Hearts at the ceremony are assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Capt. Andrew Lynch of Pennsylvania, a company commander, and Pfc. Darrell Reid of Miami, a gunner were injured in the same attack during a mounted patrol near Tuz, Iraq, April 14.

Lynch acknowledged Gulf Company, Pfc. Reid and Spec. Arturo Huerta-Cruz. Huerta-Cruz was the only Soldier riding in the vehicle with Lynch and Reid who did not survive the blast.

ìThanks to everyone who kept me alive,î said Lynch, who also received the Bronze Star. Reid received the Combat Action Badge.

Capt. Robert Hinchman, was injured May 11 by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast while conducting a night operation air assault mission northeast of Baghdad. In addition to the Purple Heart, Hinchman also received the Combat Infantrymanís Badge.

The rifle platoon leader explained that the Purple Heart was the one ribbon he never wanted to receive.

ìI have no regrets. I love the Army. I love my job. I got to be a rifle platoon leader for 22 months, and it was the best 22 months of my life,î said Hinchman, who received a rousing standing ovation.

Purple Heart recipient Spc. Hein Tran of Milpitas, Calif., echoed the same sentiments. ìNo matter where I go or what I do, I will always be a 10th Mountain Soldier.î

Three other 10th Mountain Division Soldiers received the Purple Heart. First Lt. David Woodard of Waynesboro, Va., is a platoon leader who was injured by an EFP in eastern Baghdad, April 28. Forrest, Miss. native Spc. Anthony Norris was on duty as a tower guard at his forward operating base in Rustamiyah, Iraq, when he was injured by a blast, April 9. Norris also received the Combat Action Badge for actively engaging the enemy in combat. Pfc. Frank Pierson of Cicero, Ill., was hurt in an EFP explosion in the West Rashid District of Baghdad, March 4.

Huntoon thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed and called the triad of care ìremarkable.î He said the day to day compassion shown by the Walter Reed staff was the underpinning of the military medical community.