Local Army National Guard soldier receives Purple Heart

NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A soldier from the Massachusetts Army National Guard received a Purple Heart award Sunday for a combat wound he received while in Afghanistan.

Specialist Carl Alves received thunderous applause from his fellow soldiers during a ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Whitinsville Armory. The award, instituted by George Washington, is a combat decoration given to members of the armed forces who have been wounded or killed "by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy."

While he was on a combat mission in May 2011, Alves, a Providence, R.I. native, was wounded by a roadside bomb set off under the truck he was traveling in. He was returning from a three-day mission when the bomb exploded. No one was killed, but he suffered a traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized.

Alves was serving with the 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment, in the Massachusetts National Guard. According to the National Guard, that unit provided security for a reconstruction team in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.

"I was in the hospital for two weeks with a TBI brain injury, and I have a nice remembrance scar on my forehead," Alves said.

Now he has a nice medal in addition to that scar that will also serve as a reminder.
One by one members of his company came up to congratulate and thank Alves. His proud mother was on hand as well.

Cox Media Group