August 17, 2004
To many, Spc. Joseph F. Herndon II may have seemed indestructible. Twice this dedicated Soldier, assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, looked into the face of death and survived.
On April 7 an RPG hit his chest and failed to detonate during a battle in Hawijah, Iraq. Despite being wounded, he risked his life to aid two other injured Soldiers on his fire team, and helped carry them to safety. On June 27 he was again wounded while on patrol in the city of Huwayjah, when an improvised explosive device hit his vehicle. For his selfless service, Herndon received two Purple Hearts and an Army Commendation Medal with Valor.
Then, some might say, when it seemed like the hard part was over and things were winding down, tragedy struck. After returning to Iraq from seeing his high school sweetheart, wife Melaine, on Rest and Recuperation leave, Herndon, 21, was mortally wounded during a sniper attack July 29 while pulling security during a patrol north of Hawijah.
Herdon’s fellow soldiers remembered him during a memorial service at the Kirkuk Regional Airbase. Known for being the one man his squad could count on, his friends shared the contributions Herndon made to the bond all fellow soldiers share.
"He bought a pick-up truck for the Soldiers to use, that did not have transportation," said Sgt. Christopher Mayberry of Company A, 1-27 Inf. "He didn't even need it, that is just the kind of guy Joe was."
"He put himself on the line everyday and gave his life for his country," a tearful Soldier said after the ceremony. "We all take that risk when you're in a combat zone, but the hurt is so great when you lose one of your own."
Herndon was posthumously awarded a third Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal which is the nation's fourth highest award for valor in combat.
