A 2008 San Benito High School graduate recently received a
Purple Heart after getting wounded while fighting in
Afghanistan.
A 2008 San Benito High School graduate recently received a Purple Heart after getting wounded while fighting in Afghanistan.
Private Clayton Swanson received the Purple Heart – for soldiers wounded or killed in action – at a ceremony on Sept. 3. It came from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who was visiting troops outside Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to Clayton’s father, Gifford.
Swanson, who joined the Army on Sept. 11, 2009, was wounded in action as a member of the Screaming Eagles, 101st Airborne, just weeks after arriving to his base in the southern part of the country. After the injury, he was soon out fighting alongside the other members of his platoon.
He is the son of Maureen and Gifford Swanson and the brother of Megan and Clark.
Look for a full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
