LA PINE, Ore. (AP) — A U.S. Marine corporal from La Pine who lost his left eye in an explosion while fighting in Afghanistan has been awarded a Bronze Star for Valor.
The Bend Bulletin (http://bit.ly/w5zi7J) reports that 25-year-old Kyle Thompson of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., earned the medal for what the military calls “courageous actions” in two firefights.
The citation says that in each case, his patrol was ambushed, and he led his troops to safety.
Both incidents occurred in Afghanistan’s dangerous Helmand province. They came before Thompson was injured by an improvised explosive device that ultimately ended his military career.
