Iraq Veteran Massachusetts National Guardsman Receives Soldier's Medal

Iraq War vet receives honor for ‘selfless service’ during Marathon bombings
Boston Globe
By Astead W. Herndon
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
JULY 09, 2015

“You can never say you’re prepared for it, but in your head, you go through situations like that,” Welch said in an interview. “I knew what I needed to do to help.”

JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF
Governor Charlie Baker pinned the medal on Staff Sergeant Mark Welch on Wednesday at the State House.

After walking the length of the 2013 Boston Marathon with 40 pounds of military gear on his back, Staff Sergeant Mark Welch had earned the right to relax.

Painful blisters had left the Iraq War veteran in what he described as the worst pain he had felt in a long time. So, unable to move, he sat near the Marathon’s finish line.

That did not last.

Military officials said Welch exemplified “courage and selfless service” as bombs exploded in downtown Boston that day, providing support for emergency personnel and injured bombing victims.

On Wednesday, flanked by his visibly giddy wife and children at a State House ceremony, Welch received the Soldier’s Medal of the United States Army for his efforts.

The Soldier’s Medal is awarded for heroic actions in noncombat situations.

“[Welch] rushed to the area despite the risk that more explosives were imminent,” a military official said. “His actions, in the face of danger . . . have brought great credit upon himself . . . the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the United States Army.”

Welch is a 13-year veteran of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He said his military training helped him prepare for the intensity of that day.
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