Red Cross Hero: Military

>>>rob vaughn: last week, we introduced you to the heroes among us-- those who will be honored by the american red cross this thursday at the berks county heroes breakfast.

>>wendy davis: tonight, we continue to recognize their acts of heroism with a remarkable story of courage under fire.

Karin mallett has this year's military hero.

>>>reporter: from one war veteran to another..

A reminder of home.

A pennsylvania state flag that's seen combat..

It flew in vietnam, then iraq, one father..

One son.

>>>sue deturk, spencer's mother: spencer was a funny kid- fun loving kid, lots of friends, loved sports.

>>>reporter: spencer deturk graduated from kutztown high school and millersville university..

But just wasn't sure what he wanted to do..

With no set career plans he was looking for an alternative..

For direction.

For breakfast only >>>sue: one day he went down to lancaster and he signed up and that was it.

>>>reporter: spencer had joined the army.

>>>jeff deturk: and he surprised, he shocked me when he joined the military.

Was in the infantry, went to korea for a year.

And then of course, wound up in iraq.

>>>reporter: military service was in the family..

A long line of veterans in the navy..

Air force.

Spencer's father jeff served nearly three years in vietnam, part of the army security agency..

Flying missions over enemy territory.

When spencer signed up..

It was the fall of 2003.

We had just witnessed the battle of baghdad.

After bootcamp, he was deployed to south korea.

>>>deturk: i was actually pretty upset.

I think probably most dumb kids think that it's pretty cool to go to war and i think i was probably in that same situation.

>>>reporter: honest now about the illusion of war.

He's been through it..

In 2005, he was deployed to iraq with the 101st airborne 2nd battalion.

An infantry/mortar platoon.

For breakfast onlyspencer was a specialist, and while in iraq promoted to corporal and eventually sergeant based in kirkuk.>>>deturk: we had been out on dozens and dozens, probably hundreds of missions by that point in time because we were going out several times a day.>>>reporter: it was almost christmas..

December 20th.

His unit was providing security for the army corps of engineers..

They were out on an asr, an alternate supply route, filling in craters left by ieds.>>>deturk: we drove south that day in the general direction to krit.

I think we had went to the farthest point and we were kinda working our way back.

>>>reporter: five soldiers and an interpreter in a humm-v when specialist zach foote got out to walk.

Spencer got out to walk with him.

The humvee went around them, drove ahead.

>>>deturk: i thought i saw an artillery round on the side of the road so i was kinda walking toward that and that's when i heard the explosion.

>>>deturk: i turned around and i saw the truck in the air, kind of flipping backwards and i remember saying to foote i said you know who's truck is that, what just happened, it was shocking.

>>>reporter: hit by a roadside bomb.

Two of the soldiers were able to get out on their own but the gunner was in the turret, pinned underneath it.

The driver..

Unconscious.

Without any regard for his own life, and now under withering fire, spencer and his fellow soldiers pulled them out.

The bomb had blown off specialist james stuck's right leg just below the knee.

Spencer placed a tourniquet around it.... and stuck came to.

Gunner justin leon who was pinned under the 6-ton armored truck..would eventually lose his arm.

Both soldiers..

Flown to safety that day.

>>>nats: music >>>deturk: i just think about it in as positive a way as you can and that those are the things that happen in war and those are the real life situations that cause you to think back to when you thought it would be cool to go to war and make you realize that that was an illusion.

There are countless people that day that saved stuck and leon's life.

And i was just doing what anyone would have done in that situation.

Those are your friends, those are your fellow soldiers.

>>>jeff: it's been some of the proudest moments of our life what he's accomplished.

And he's been doing quite well at east penn too so we're extremely proud of him.

I get emotional when i think of it.

Very very proud of him.

>>>reporter: spencer came home in 2006..

With the flag..

And he's back in berks now working for east penn manufacturing.

Grateful to be home.

Spencer deturk, military hero, karin mallett 69 news.

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