Dirk Bryant, of Rochelle, receives the Purple Heart on Sunday in Sycamore. (Photo courtesy of Curtis Clegg)

Dirk Bryant receives Army

Commendation Medal and Purple Heart



IT was Jan. 30, 2009, the second day of a three-day mission to disrupt Taliban activity in Afghanistan. Sgt. Dirk Bryant was part of a dismount team and was pulling security in the area of operations when a suspicious vehicle pulled up.The six-man team of Soldiers stopped the vehicle and ultimately did not let it pass through. Seconds after the vehicle turned around, shots were fired approximately 400 yards away.

“I think they used that car to lure us out,” said Bryant, of Rochelle, who was deployed to Afghanistan with the Illinois National Guard’s 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). “They know we won’t let the car just drive through.”

When Bryant realized his team was receiving fire, he decided to move his position. He ran across the street to a ditch behind a crumbled wall.“That’s when I got hit in the hip,” he said. “It felt like someone took a baseball bat or a brick (and) kept hitting me.”

For the complete article see the 10-20-2009 issue.

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