Bluffton native's bravery earns him a Bronze Star

When Pfc. Matthew T. Spaulding awoke from the blast, his ankle was trapped under a 300-pound door that was blown off of his platoon's armored Humvee.

It was June 9, and Spaulding was on patrol with several other soldiers in the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan when their U.S. Army vehicle was struck by an IED -- an improvised explosive device. That IED consisted of three anti-tank mines that had been placed in the center of the gravel road.

He and the driver were thrown from the vehicle, both knocked unconscious by the explosion. Spaulding's hip was dislocated and the tendons and ligaments in his ankle torn.

As he came out of his haze, the 20-year-old Bluffton native lifted the door off his ankle and hobbled to the road, where the driver, Spc. Darryl Wallace, lay without a pulse, not breathing and bleeding profusely from both legs.

Spaulding, the only medic in the patrol, rushed to Wallace's lifeless body, despite knowing the high possibility of another attack, a common technique of insurgents.

He immediately administered CPR and was able to regain Wallace's pulse. He applied tourniquets to both of Wallace's legs and waited for help to arrive.

Within 30 minutes, he and Wallace were evacuated to the Combat Surgical Hospital at FOB Salerno, a U.S. Army base near the Pakistan border.

Though Wallace lost both of his legs, Spaulding saved his life.

For his efforts, the former Bluffton High School quarterback was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, an award for a member of the U.S. military who distinguishes themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement in combat.

The honor is one of the highest awards the Army gives soldiers serving in the Operation Enduring Freedom campaign, said Maj. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon.

"It is a true testament of (Spaulding's) dedication and unselfish commitment to his country and fellow comrade," Banks said. "Bluffton ... has its very own American hero to look up to."

The Army narrative that accompanied the award said Spaulding's actions "saved the life of his comrade without any regard to his own safety or injuries ..." and keep with the "highest traditions of the 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Army."

Spaulding received the award in Afghanistan and promptly shipped it to his father, Herb, a home builder and assistant varsity volleyball coach at Bluffton High.

"He told the officer who nominated him for the award to 'Give it to the guy who lost his legs, not me,'" Herb Spaulding said Monday. "That's the kind of guy Matt is. He said he was just doing his job."

Due to the injuries he received in combat, Matthew also received a Purple Heart. Six weeks after the incident, he returned to his platoon.

"I told him to quit being a hero over there, because heroes don't come home," Herb Spaulding said. "He said, 'Well, Dad, I couldn't just leave him there.'"

Anyone who knows Matt wouldn't be surprised to hear of the tale, his father said. "That's just how Matt is. He's strong, he's loyal. He's a great kid. I'm proud of him because he's doing what he wants to do, but I just want him to come home safe."

Matt Spaulding has been deployed in Afghanistan since January, and his tour of duty there expires next April, his father said.

When he returns, he plans to remain in the Army and possibly become an officer.

"I don't need to see these awards to be proud of him," Herb Spaulding said. "But when he goes out and does something like this, what else can you say?"