NH veteran Ryan Pitts receives Medal of Honor

WASHINGTON (MyFoxBoston.com) — Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts, who grew up in Lowell and now lives in Nashua, N.H., was awarded the military's highest honor on Monday, the Medal of Honor.

His recognition was more than six years in the making. It was June, 2008 in Wanat, Afghanistan when Pitt's post was attacked by 200 Taliban insurgents. They taking on gunfire and rockets from all angles.

"This was an enemy that outnumbered us, had us surrounded, element of surprise, high ground, and we held our ground," Pitts said.

His fellow soldiers were dying. Pitts was hit by shrapnel in his arms and legs, and he was bleeding badly.

Still, he picked up several grenades, and began tossing one after the other.

"Unable to stand, he pulled himself up and manned a machine gun," President Obama described at the ceremony on Monday.

But the enemy was moving in. So close, in fact, that he could hear their voices.

"Bleeding and barely conscious, Ryan  threw his last grenades," Obama said. "He grabbed a grenade launcher and shot straight up so it would land on the enemy just yards away."

Nine soldiers were killed and 27, including Pitts, were injured in the battle.

"I thought it was my time," Pitts said. "But the other guys, you know, a lot of guys have already give their lives. They fought to their last breaths and so I owed it to them to do the same.

In addition to his day at the White House, Monday was also Pitt's wedding anniversary.

"As Ryan put it, it's going to be tough to beat this one, as anniversaries go," Obama said during the ceremony.

Pitts now joins an elite group of military Medal of Honor recipients. He says he'll proudly wear it for the nine platoon comrades he'll never forget.

He named each of them outside the White House's West Wing after the ceremony.

"Corporal Gunnar Zwilling, Corporal Matt Phillips, First Lieutenant Jonathan Ayers, Sergeant Israel Garcia, and Specialist Sergio Abad.  Valor was everywhere that day. I didn't do anything greater than anybody."

President Obama says that when Pitts was in kindergarten, he had to draw a picture of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He drew a picture of a soldier.

Cox Media Group