{"id":469545,"date":"2026-09-20T01:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T01:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/469545\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T01:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T01:04:11","slug":"sacramento-based-army-soldiers-honored-with-purple-hearts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/469545\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento-based Army soldiers honored with Purple Hearts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Capt. Andrew Henderson, a company commander with the Army Reserve\u2019s 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, remembered the day a missile struck near a bunker in the Middle East where he and his soldiers had hidden from enemy fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vacuum pressure from the missile actually ripped the doors open off our bunkers,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bolt holding that door shut actually bounced off my helmet.\u201d Some people were knocked unconscious.<\/p>\n

\u201cI exit the bunker and just see burning destruction all around us,\u201d he said. After receiving clearance to move, he said, \u201cwe started triaging for the mass casualty event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henderson, who suffered traumatic brain injuries including a concussion during the attack, was among six soldiers awarded Purple Hearts at a ceremony Saturday at B.T. Collins Army Reserve Center in Depot Park honoring members of the Sacramento-based 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion who were wounded after deploying to the Middle East amid the war in Iran. In addition to Purple Hearts, soldiers at the ceremony received numerous combat action badges.<\/p>\n

The unit first deployed to the Middle East last August, amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. The conflict began in June 2025 with the U.S. military bombing three nuclear sites in Iran; the next day, Iran launched missile strikes at a U.S. military base in Qatar. No casualties were reported in either action.<\/p>\n

About six months after the battalion deployed, on Feb. 27, President Donald Trump ordered the start of Operation Epic Fury. The military one day later launched airstrikes that killed Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n

That day brought major change for the battalion, which is trained to develop and maintain data and communications networks for soldiers in the field.<\/p>\n

The group which had been focused on \u201ctraining, classes, and learning new skills,\u201d had to immediately switch gears, Henderson said. \u201cRather than, \u2018Let\u2019s just build skills for our future,\u2019 what do we need to do right here, right now, for if and when we go to war?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A A Purple Heart medal is being presented to a member of the 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion during a soldiers\u2019 homecoming and medal ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

At Saturday\u2019s ceremony, elected officials and military leaders said the group had provided key support under extraordinary circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn modern warfare, data is a weapon,\u201d said communication is a lifeline for commanders to make decisions,\u201d said Brig. Gen. Kimberly Hamilton, deputy commanding general of the 335th Signal Command (Theater). \u201cBecause of your technical skills and tireless work ethic, commanders were able to maintain situational awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui told the soldiers, \u201cYour return brings relief, and it fills Sacramento with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStanding here with you and your families is really a reminder of everything you leave behind when you deploy, and everything you\u2019re willing to sacrifice,\u201d Matsui continued.<\/p>\n

Two of the soldiers recognized at the ceremony, Staff Sgt. Shawn Brewer and Spc. Chuehue Thao, are Sacramento residents. Pfc. Christopher Nieto, from San Jose, had one leg in a medical boot. All three received Purple Hearts.<\/p>\n

\"Chief Chief warrant officer 5 James Carr, right, helps Purple Heart recipient Spc. Christopher Nieto to his seat during a soldiers\u2019 homecoming and medal ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com \"U.S. U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui speaks during a soldiers\u2019 homecoming and medal ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Sgt. Andrew Ramirez, a battalion member from Stockton, said he remembered the shift on Feb. 27 preparing for Operation Epic Fury. \u201cWe picked up the pace pretty fast,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ramirez was also awarded a Purple Heart, which is bestowed on service members who are wounded or killed by enemy action.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to God, and I\u2019m happy to be here with everybody,\u201d Ramirez said of the day he was injured.<\/p>\n

Ramirez did not speak on the specifics of his injury, but Henderson said a majority of those hurt in the explosion suffered traumatic brain injuries.<\/p>\n

\"U.S. U.S. Army Spc. Chuehue Thao, left, Sgt. Andrew Ramirez, center, and Staff Sgt. Shawn Brewer of the 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion await commands after receiving Purple Heart medals during a soldiers homecoming ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com \"Maj. Maj. Gen. Windsor S. Buzza, from right, and Brig. Gen. Kimberly K. Hamilton attend a soldiers\u2019 homecoming and medal ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

His full story, Ramirez said, is something he will share with his future kids someday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a story to add to my dad lore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that something happened, and that something happened to him, was really scary at first,\u201d said Yahira Selinger, Ramirez\u2019s sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing that he\u2019s safe was a lot of relief,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd we didn\u2019t have to worry as much, because we knew that he was safe, and that they were taking care of him, and he was able to come back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that he has returned, Ramirez said, he just wants to enjoy the comforts of home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing I did, was I went to Texas Roadhouse, got me a nice steak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"U.S. U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley speaks during a soldiers\u2019 homecoming and medal ceremony at B.T. Collins U.S. Army Reserve Center in Sacramento on Saturday. ZIYU JULIAN ZHU julian.zhu@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 4:24 PM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Haley Parsley<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Haley Parsley is the acting Folsom and El Dorado Hills watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She holds a master\u2019s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, where she was a fellow at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. While there, she reported on immigration policy in the state. She has previously reported in Oklahoma City.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Capt. Andrew Henderson, a company commander with the Army Reserve\u2019s 319th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, remembered the day a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-469545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}