“The service of Leroy Petry speaks to the very essence of America —- that spirit that says, no matter how hard the journey, no matter how steep the climb, we don’t quit. We don’t give up,” Obama said. “Leroy lost a hand and those wounds in his legs sometimes make it hard for him to stand. … He could have focused only on his own recovery, but today he helps care for other wounded warriors, inspiring them with his example.”He added, “Given his wounds, he could have retired from the Army, with honor, but he chose to re-enlist -- indefinitely. And this past year he returned to Afghanistan -- his eighth deployment -- back with his Ranger brothers on another mission to keep our country safe.”