Published: July 12, 2011, New York Times

WASHINGTON - President Obama grasped the prosthetic right hand of Sgt. First Class Leroy Arthur Petry in congratulations on Tuesday, awarding him the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan that included saving two comrades' lives by hurling away a grenade as it exploded.

This is only the second time since the Vietnam era that the nation's highest military honor has been awarded to a soldier who survived combat in a conflict still under way; the other awards were given posthumously. Mr. Obama bestowed the first award last fall to another veteran of Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta, who was present in the East Room along with medal recipients from past wars.

Seven Medals of Honor have gone to soldiers killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. Mr. Obama called them "members of the 9/11 generation" of service members.

Sergeant Petry, an Army Ranger and father of four who has served two combat tours in Iraq and six in Afghanistan, was nominated by his colleagues and honored for his actions on May 26, 2008. Then 28 years old, he came under fire with other Rangers during an operation in mountainous eastern Afghanistan, near Pakistan, to clear a compound where a top Qaeda commander was believed to be hiding among insurgents.

"Today we honor a singular act of gallantry," Mr. Obama said at the White House ceremony. "Yet as we near the 10th anniversary of the attacks that thrust our nation into war, this is also an occasion to pay tribute to a soldier, and a generation, that has borne the burden of our security during a hard decade of sacrifice."

Sergeant Petry was shot in both legs and was seeking cover behind a chicken coop with two other Rangers when a grenade exploded nearby, wounding the others. When a second grenade landed feet away, Sergeant Petry scooped it up and threw it as it detonated. The blast ripped away his right hand and filled him with shrapnel. He applied a tourniquet to his wrist and continued to radio for support and direct the operation before being evacuated.

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In the story above, Sergeant Petry is wearing the revolutionary i-LIMB hand. As two of the first practitioners in the Miami Valley area to become Accredited i-LIMB Hand Practitioners, Co-owners John Brandt and Scott Schall of Optimus Prosthetics are quite familiar with this device. Invented by David Gow in Edinburgh, Scotland, and manufactured by Touch Bionics in Columbus, Ohio, it is the first commercially available hand prosthesis with five individually powered digits.

As described on the manufacturer's website, The i-LIMB Hand is controlled by a unique, highly intuitive control system that uses a traditional two-input myoelectric (muscle signal) to open and close the hand's life-like fingers. Myoelectric controls utilize the electrical signal generated by the muscles in the remaining portion of the patient's limb. This signal is picked up by electrodes that sit on the surface of the skin. Existing users of basic myoelectric prosthetic hands are able to quickly adapt to the system and can master the device's new functionality within minutes. For new patients, the i-LIMB Hand offers a prosthetic solution that has never before been available.

Rick Young was the first Optimus Prosthetics patient to receive the i-LIMB Hand. Rick was initially fit with a standard myoelectric prosthesis and terminal device in 2005, following a work-related accident at the foundry where he is employed. Rick found this device to be functional, but, since it only allowed for one grasp position, he had great difficulty with things like typing, driving, opening doors, and using the telephone.

"As a full-time employee, active soccer coach, and involved father, Rick really needed a device that would give him greater functionality and control," says John Brandt, CPO and Clinical Director of Optimus Prosthetics. "With four different grasp positions, the i-LIMB hand has given him the ability to do much more than he ever could before."

For more information on the i-LIMB hand, click here.

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