Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital Dedicates Treatment Unit to Medal of Honor Recipient on D-Day
Marysville, WA – June 6, 2018 – Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital dedicated the first in-patient care and treatment program for Active Duty Military, Guard, Reserves, our honored Veterans, and family members in Washington State.
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital in Marysville, Washington, is committed to advancing the Gold standard of behavioral health and substance abuse treatment. We are privileged to serve the Armed Forces and our Veteran population and have enlisted the support of Master Sergeant (ret) Leroy A. Petry, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
MSG Petry is pleased to endorse Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital’s new Extra Mile Military Care™ program to see this goal realized. “If having my name associated with the Extra Mile program encourages someone to seek the help they need, I’m all for it,” says MSG Petry.
On May 26, 2008, while serving with the elite 2/75th Ranger Battalion, headquartered at Fort Lewis, Washington, then Staff Sergeant Petry was participating in an audacious daylight raid against a well defended Taliban encampment in Paktya, Afghanistan. The enemy, well dug in and exceptionally determined to withstand the Rangers’ assault, engaged Staff Sergeant Petry and his team of Rangers within hand to hand combat range. Petry, the senior non-commissioned officer during the clearing of the enemy compound, was wounded in both legs during the assault. Almost immediately afterward an enemy grenade landed among Petry and two other Rangers. Without hesitation, Petry grabbed the grenade, throwing it away from his fellow Rangers. Per the official Medal of Honor narrative “Staff Sergeant Petry threw it away from his fellow Rangers resulting in a catastrophic amputation of his right hand and multiple shrapnel wounds penetrating his body.” After the explosion Petry applied his own tourniquet, reported he had been wounded again but was still in contact with the enemy.
Master Sergeant (MSG) Petry became the first Army Ranger to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. He would recover from his wounds and go on to work closely as a wounded warrior advocate with the Special Operations Command’s Care Coalition. Master Sergeant Petry, a longtime Washington resident, will speak about reducing the stigma of combat related PTSD in our Active Duty, Guard, Reserve and Veteran populations and the importance of self-care and seeking help for the invisible wounds of war.
Ms. Lourdes E. “Alfie” Alvarado-Ramos, Director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, was the master of ceremonies for this special event. Ms. Alvarado-Ramos served 22 years in the United States Army. She retired in August 1993 as the Command Sergeant Major of Madigan Army Hospital and Troop Command at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Her awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit and Expert Field Medical Badge.
Honored guests in attendance:
- Master Sergeant Leroy A. Petry, Medal of Honor Recipient, 2/75th Ranger Battalion, Joint Base Lewis McChord
- Landon Petry, MSG Leroy Petry’s son
- Corporal Leonard Martin, 104th Infantry Division, Normandy Invasion, Prisoner of War
- Farlan Duberry, 96th Infantry Division, Bronze Star recipient (Okinawa – Pacific Campaign)
- Colonel Michael Place, Madigan Army Hospital Commander
- Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Goke, Chief of Behavioral Health, Joint Base Lewis McChord
- Colonel Colin Daniels, Chief of Psychiatry, Joint Base Lewis McChord
- Retired Colonel David Sutherland, former Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and US HealthVest Military & Veteran Consultant
- SSG (Ret) Victor Sassoon, 2/75 Ranger Battalion, Wounded Warrior
- Vance Whippo, Chaplain for Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital
- Chief Kathleen Wilde and the Cadets from Marysville Pilchuck High School NJROTC
About Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital
Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital is a 115-bed behavioral hospital located just north of Seattle, Washington. The majestic Olympic mountain range is to the west and the equally beautiful Cascade range provides an impressive view to the east. The newly constructed hospital provides inpatient, acute behavioral health and addiction treatment for adolescents, adults and senior adults. Seattle International Airport is one hour away from our facility and easily accessible by ground transportation. Military lodging for escorts is available at the Naval Support Base only two miles from Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital. For more information, please visit www.smokeypointbehavioralhospital.com.
About US HealthVest
US HealthVest is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services. US HealthVest operates Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital, Chicago Behavioral Hospital, Ridgeview Institute-Smyrna and Ridgeview Institute-Monroe and Lake Behavioral Hospital. US HealthVest is developing additional psychiatric hospitals across the country. Accredited by The Joint Commission, US HealthVest’s hospitals provide specialized psychiatric care to patients with a full range of inpatient and outpatient services for children, adolescents, adults and senior adults. US HealthVest was founded in 2013 by Dr. Richard Kresch, formerly Founder & CEO of Ascend Health Corporation and Heartland Health Developments. For more information, please visit www.ushealthvest.com.
