Shot in Afghanistan, Fort Bragg paratrooper gets Purple Heart

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A paratrooper who is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has received a Purple Heart.

The Fayetteville Observer reported Tuesday that Sgt. David Scudder was wounded in Afghanistan last year.

RELATED

More punishment for paratrooper who jumped with fish

The paratrooper who jumped with his pet fish has received an Article 15 and 12 days of extra duty.

By Michelle Tan

Scudder is paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He was injured when his battalion was on a mission in the Farah Province to retake a district center from the Taliban.

The soldiers’ Chinook helicopters landed and were immediately ambushed.

Scudder’s fellow soldiers put him on a stretcher and moved him for about 2 miles. The soldiers were attacked a second time before getting Scudder to a helicopter landing zone.

“My guys put everything that they had out there and they pulled me off target and kept me safe,” Scudder said.

RELATED

This NCO faked his way into the 82nd Airborne — and he almost got away with it

Staff Sgt. Joshua Stokes had been a squad leader in the 82nd Airborne Division for about a year when, as he prepared to transfer to his battalion’s headquarters in March 2015, a fellow NCO pointed out that something was up with one of his records.

By Meghann Myers

In Other News

Rollback of DOD anti-extremism efforts coming in 2025, experts predict

The piecemeal progress of extremism-prevention efforts during the past four years is more than can be expected out of the Pentagon in 2025, experts said.

New health care savings benefit coming to troops in 2025

This tax-savings benefit will help defray out-of-pocket costs for medical and dental services and items.

From Grinch greetings to Santa sightings, the holidays come to troops

Holiday helpers have been busy, as plenty of organizations and individuals have been working to make the days a bit brighter for troops and their families.

Will most troops move under new household goods program in 2025?

More than half of installations in the continental United States are moving troops' shipments under the new system.

VA to resume new electronic health record rollout in mid-2026

The project was scheduled to take 10 years and cost $16 billion. Nearly eight years later, only six of VA’s 170-plus medical sites are using the software.

Load More