FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – An Army veteran was presented with a Purple Heart during the Northeast Indiana Defense Summit on Tuesday.
U.S. Army Specialist Robert Drudy was in a convoy that was struck by an IED during Operation Iraqi Freedom in October 2008.
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker presented him with the award. Banks said it was “an incredible honor” to present Drudy with the award.
Tucker said it was “dynamic” to give the Purple Heart to someone who “has sacrificed his safety for our freedoms.”
Drudy humbly accepted the award.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever fully believe that I deserve the award because many people better than me have gotten the award and I have all my limbs and still air in my lungs, but I’ll wear it humbly and accept it with dignity,” he said.
The Northeast Indiana Defense Summit will continue on Wednesday, with United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth set to headline the event.