Warrior vs. commander in chief: Wounded hero's moving salute reminds James Woods of Obama pic

Cpl. Josh Hargis, 24, was wounded in October when a suicide bomber in Afghanistan triggered more than a dozen explosive devices. When the Army ranger’s commanding officer came to his bedside to present him with a Purple Heart, everyone in the room reportedly thought he was unconscious. Then Hargis raised his bandaged hand for what his wife called “the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen. That’s when “grown men began to weep.”

Conservative actor James Woods shared the moving photo of the “salute seen around the world” with his Twitter followers.

Soldier delivers 'salute seen around the world' http://t.co/NGPk4X3BHY It doesn't get more profoundly moving than this.

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 16, 2013

Amen.

Soldier delivers 'salute seen around the world' http://t.co/NGPk4X3BHY My Father had two Purple Hearts from action in the Pacific.

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 16, 2013

Never one to shy away from letting us know how he really feels, Woods fired off two tweets that capture the stark contrast between the heroic Cpl. Hargis and the country’s commander in chief.

https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/390364656847814656

https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/390364900071321600

In other words:

https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/390365213373235201

https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/390365080770330624

Hargis’ wife posted the photo of his touching salute to Facebook on October 12, along with a letter from her husband’s commander. Warning, it’s about to get really dusty in here.

I received this pictures today along with a letter from the commander of the team Josh was a part of on the night of his injuries. A letter to explain to me what kind of man I have the privilege of being married to. He explained to me what happened and what was going on in the picture.

“Josh was seriously wounded as you know and survived for almost two hours after his injury before arriving to the hospital. Josh was immediately pushed through a series of surgeries and emerged hours later into an intensive care unit here at our base in Afghanistan. Despite being in intense pain and mental duress, Josh remained alert and compassionate to the limited Rangers that were allowed to visit him bedside. Prior to Josh being moved to Germany for his eventual flight to America, we conducted a ceremony to award him with the Purple Heart for wounds received in action. A simple ceremony, you can picture a room full of Rangers, leaders, doctors, and nurses surrounding his bedside while the Ranger Regimental Commander pinned the Purple Heart to his blanket. During the presentation the Commander publishes the official orders verbally and leaned over Josh to thank him for his sacrifice. Josh, whom everybody in the room (over 50 people) assumed to be unconscious, began to move his right arm under the blanket in a diligent effort to salute the Commander as is customary during these ceremonies. Despite his wounds, wrappings, tubes, and pain, Josh fought the doctor who was trying to restrain his right arm and rendered the most beautiful salute any person in that room had ever seen. I cannot impart on you the level of emotion that poured through the intensive care unit that day. Grown men began to weep and we were speechless at a gesture that speak volumes about Josh’s courage and character. The picture, which we believe belongs on every news channel and every news paper is attached. I have it hanging above my desk now and will remember it as the single greatest event I have witnessed in my ten years in the Army.”

Warrior vs. commander in chief: Wounded hero's moving salute reminds James Woods of Obama pic

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