Quincy veteran gets Combat Action Badge

QUINCY - Rep. Doc Hastings, R-4th District, laughed as he pinned a Combat Action Badge on veteran Joshua Wilson's shirt Thursday morning.

"Just stab it in there," joked the 25-year-old veteran from Quincy.

"You may qualify for a Purple Heart (badge) then," replied Hastings.

The 4th district representative's stop in Quincy is part of a week-long Central Washington tour while Congress is taking a session break.

Wilson said he was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, and deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, from Sept. 4, 2006, to Nov. 16, 2007.

"I was on combat missions every day. I would drive around every day and check things," he said.

He was part of a 20-soldier squad stationed in West Rashid, on the southeast corner of Baghdad.

"Some parts of Iraq, you live like kings. Where I was stationed, we were lucky if we could get a shower once a week. We ate chicken every day for six months straight. Bottled water was scarce," he remembered.

Wilson received an honorable discharge in August 2008 from the Alpha Company 1-18 Infantry Regiment.

The Combat Action Badge is a relatively new badge, approved in 2005 and given special recognition to "soldiers who personally engaged, or are engaged by the enemy," according to the Institute of Heraldry, an organization providing historical information about U.S. military.

The Combat Action Badge is silver in color, about 2 inches long and consists of an oak wreath supporting a rectangle bearing a bayonet surmounting a grenade, according to a description by the organization.

The badge is awarded to soldiers who have engaged in combat after September 2001.

The ceremony opened with a speech from Phil Anderson, a representative from George Washington Post 24 of Grant County, a group made up of veterans of foreign wars.

"Doc has supported record levels of funding to veteran services and he helped establish the veterans clinic in Yakima. We want to thank him for that," said Anderson.

It was important to recognize the work veterans have done for their country, Hastings said.

"We need to recognize those that serve in our country, on our behalf. It is my pleasure to be here with Josh and be part of this presentation," he said.

Hastings served in the Army Reserve from 1964 to 1969.

"It goes without saying that all the dreams we have is due to men like you who allow us to do what we do here and we should never loose sight of that," he said.

The badge recipient said it felt good to be given the award.

"Doc Hastings has helped me out so much during my time in the military. It feels pretty good to be given a badge by him," Wilson said.

His mother, Lori Ziegler, said Hastings' appearance at the ceremony shows his commitment to servicemen.

"All our servicemen work so hard. And he does has a lot of respect for them. I think Josh worked hard to get what he deserves and so have all the other servicemen," she said.

She traveled from the Tri-Cities to attend the ceremony.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office and Quincy police attended the ceremony as well.

Hastings Central Washington tour included stops in Moses Lake and Richland. His next stop will be in Wenatchee.

Erin Daly, the congressman's press secretary, said Hastings tries to visit the 4th district area as much as he can to stay in touch with voters.