Combat wounded veterans humbled by honor

‘The sacrifice he made’: Hartswick, honorees humbled by recognition in State College
Centre Daily Times
MATT CARROLL
July 4, 2013

STATE COLLEGE — No one predicted Adam Hartswick’s homecoming could have come so soon.

It was just in May that the 22-year-old Army medic lost both of his legs to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

He’s spent the past weeks away from his Pine Grove Mills home and State College family and friends, recovering and beginning the arduous rehabilitation process at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

And while he woke up at the hospital like any other day early Thursday, by 2 p.m. Hartswick was receiving standing ovations from the throngs who lined South Allen Street, East College Avenue and the rest of the 4th Fest Parade of Heroes route.

“I’m nervous, honestly,” a candid Hartswick said moments before the second annual parade was set to begin.

This year, the Parade of Heroes honored 14 local individuals, including Hartswick and Sgt. Vincent Reynolds, a 2006 Bellefonte graduate who also lost a leg to an IED in Afghanistan, who were selected for their service to the community and the country.
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