Lansing, MI – Sgt. 1st Class Leonard P. Adams, a Michigan National Guard flight medic, was awarded the Purple Heart on May 5th, 2020 in a small ceremony at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His family and friends watched a live feed of the event from their homes in Michigan.
Adams was injured on January 8th, 2020 while serving as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the MEDEVAC site at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq.
He was medically evacuated to Germany and then Fort Campbell to recover. He is expected to return to his wife and daughter at their home in Fenton to continue his recovery.
“I want to thank my unit that is still downrange, I wish I could be there with you,” said Sgt. 1st Class Adams. “Most of all, I want to thank my wife and daughter.”
Adams serves in a key leadership role for Detachment 1, Company C, 3-238th General Support Aviation Battalion in Grand Ledge, Michigan. He is an experienced flight medic, and was previously awarded an Air Medal for prior combat deployments. The Company mobilized in October 2019 and is expected to return home in early fall of 2020.
“I am incredibly proud of Sgt. 1st Class Adams’ leadership and bravery while serving in Al Asad,” said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “I am grateful for his sacrifice, and we look forward to supporting this Soldier and his family as they recover together.”
“I am thankful for the sacrifices Sgt. 1st Class Adams has made, and I am proud of his honorable service,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “Both abroad and here at home, the men and women of the Michigan National Guard are an example of exceptional service to state and nation.”
A total of twenty-nine U.S. Soldiers were approved to receive Purple Hearts resulting from injuries sustained in the attack on January 8th, 2020.
