Retired Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts, a Medal of Honor recipient, spoke during New England College’s annual Founders Day event on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Pitts, a highly decorated Army veteran, fought in an extreme conflict during the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan on July 13, 2008. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on July 21, 2014, by President Barack Obama.
“I had been in multiple fire fights before this. I’d seen U.S. casualties, I’d seen people we had lost, but I’d never been in a fight where people who were wounded had to get back in and fight,” he said. “These 19, 20-year-old kids stood up and fought back with everything they had.”
His group of approximately 50 soldiers battled 200 enemy fighters, he said. The battle left 27 U.S. soldiers injured and nine lost their lives.
Pitts suffered serious injuries and was evacuated. During the speech he repeatedly praised the bravery of those around him.
“This isn’t mine. It was a team effort. This is an individual award for a collective effort,” Pitts said.
Through his time in the Army, from bootcamp to his departure in 2009, Pitts learned the power of service.
“I got so much more than I gave,” he said.
Pitts recognized the men who died protecting him that day by telling their stories and sharing their names.
“Sergio Abad, Jonathon Ayers, Jason Bogar, Jonathon Brostrom, Israel Garcia, Jason Hovator, Matthew Phillips, Pruitt Rainey and Gunner Zwilling,” he said. “I looked around at these guys, and they motivated me.”
In an interview with The NewEnglander, Sgt. Pitts said he took the opportunity to speak to NEC students to inspire them to serve.
“We have a responsibility to leave our homes better than how we found it,” he said.
“You don’t have to be putting on a uniform to carry that spirit forward. Go back to your home community or whatever it is you choose to do with your life and think about how you can serve others.”
