MINOT, N.D. — The North Dakota Army National Guard’s Sgt. Michael Wing, of Surrey, will be presented the Purple Heart at the Minot Armed Forces Reserve Center in the theater on Friday, May 4 at 3 p.m. He is receiving the award for combat wounds while he was assigned to the Company A 141st Engineer Battalion, serving as a Team Leader in Iraq with his unit overseas from February 2004 to March 2005. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, along with Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general, will present the award.

Wing currently serves in the Forward Support Company 164th Engineer Battalion out of Minot. Wing enlisted in the North Dakota Army National Guard in January 6, 2000, as a combat engineer.  During his year-long deployment in Iraq, his unit conducted Route Clearance Missions finding improvised explosive devices. Wing is receiving a Combat Action Badge for his actions from an attack on his patrol April 7, 2004.  Wing was the gunner on the lead vehicle when insurgents attacked the convoy with small arms and rocket propelled grenades. Wing is receiving the Purple Heart for wounds received on September 16, 2004, during a routine route clearance mission. 

Wing was the gunner of the second vehicle when an IED exploded with 2 meters of him.  SGT Wing continued mission and sought medical treatment upon completion.  He was treated for post blast symptoms and returned to missions the following day.

Wing’s wife, Crystal and his three children will be present at the ceremony.

The Purple Heart has a lengthy history and is the world’s oldest military medal in continuous use. The original medal was initiated as the Badge of Military Merit by Gen. George Washington during the Revolutionary War in 1782. The Purple Heart as we know it today began in 1932 and has undergone changes and award criteria since Washington’s time. It is awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who was wounded, killed or died from wounds from military action.

WHAT: Purple Heart Award Ceremony for Sgt. Michael Wing

WHEN: Friday, May 4, 2012 at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Armed Forces Reserve Center in Minot

MEDIA: No pre-coordination is needed.

Public affairs representative Cassandra Simonton will assist media at 701-720-2185.

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Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the North Dakota National Guard has mobilized more than 3,800 Soldiers and more than 1,800 Airmen in support of the Global War on Terrorism. About 70 percent of all members serving today have joined since that time. Currently, nearly 400 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while about 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense. For every 10,000 citizens in North Dakota, 65 serve in the North Dakota National Guard, a rate that’s more than four times the national average.