ALLEGAN, Mich. – A parade was held in Allegan this Memorial Day, like the thousands of other parades that took place across the country.
At the forefront of the Allegan parade, however, was a man who fought both abroad and after he arrived back home.
“I survived a rocket hitting my truck and flipping us, like, 15 times,” said Sgt. Jason Wright. It was one of three events that nearly took his life in combat, he said.
When Sgt. Wright arrived home from Iraq, the ten medals he had earned in service both as a Marine and a soldier in the Army were found in an envelope stuffed into the front door.
When we spoke with the veteran back in February, he told FOX 17 it was like he was spit in the face.
Congressman Fred Upton got wind of what happened and worked to get him a proper ceremony.
“It’s been four long years since he had the opportunity to have not one, but two purple hearts,” said the Republican congressman from St. Joseph.
Friends and family had gathered at a cemetery in Allegan County for a medal pinning ceremony as well as a service for the men and women who died in service of their country.
During the ceremony, Sgt. Wright went on one knee so his daughter could pin one of the medals on his uniform. His wife pinned the other.
“That was more special than getting it in front of my unit,” said Sgt. Wright. “To actually have my wife pin my medals on me, and my daughter. That kind of gets you in the heart a little bit more.”
The Wright family hopes that by bringing attention to the wait they endured for recognition, it will save others from going through the same process.
