National Guardsmen from Pa. earn honors

Both soldiers were treated at a hospital and immediately returned to duty.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Two members of the Pennsylvania National Guard unit based here have been presented Purple Hearts for shrapnel wounds they suffered while serving in Iraq.
Brig. Gen. Cory Ham presented the medals to Spc. Herman Breuer of Warren, Ohio, and Spc. Eric Freeman of Hermitage in separate ceremonies held at Task Force Olympia Headquarters in Mosul, Iraq, last week.
The soldiers, members of Company A of the 107th Field Artillery, are serving as military police officers and suffered shrapnel wounds on duty as gunners in the Army's M1114 humvees.
What happened
They were injured when improvised explosive devices detonated in two separate occurrences, striking their respective convoys, says a news release issued by their unit.
Both soldiers were treated at the 67th Combat Support hospital and returned to full duty shortly afterward.
Breuer's convoy was escorting an Army official when it was ambushed.
"Spc. Breuer stayed with the damaged vehicle after the recovery team arrived, allowing us to complete our mission," said Staff Sgt. Theron Robbins of Jamestown. "I was really worried about him. He was having trouble hearing after we got hit."
Freeman was part of a convoy escorting the company's commander back to their base.
"We were moving along when I heard a big boom from behind. I thought the driver had blown a tire. We rolled until our vehicle wouldn't roll any more," said Freeman.
"He didn't realize he had been hit until we saw blood on his arm," said Sgt. Lester Stroup, also from Hermitage.
Professionals
"These soldiers and their families should be proud of the commitment and professionalism they demonstrated under adverse conditions," said Capt. Robert Palumbo, Company A commander.
The medal, the military's oldest, is awarded only to soldiers who were wounded as a direct result of action by hostile forces.