Former 101st Airborne Division Soldier receives Purple Heart

Fort Campbell, KY – Medically retired Staff Sgt. Travis Keeran receives a Purple Heart medal Friday at the Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Battalion from Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division.

“I am very honored to be here today and I am proud of what you did,” said McConville. “For years after this, when people ask you what you did during the war, you can tell them that you served in the 101st Airborne Division. No matter where you go or what you do, no one can ever take that from you.”

Keeran was a Rakkasan, with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, as well as a Strike Soldier with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. While in Iraq on his 4th deployment, Keeran was participating in a patrol when an improvised explosive device detonated underneath his vehicle. Keeran was badly wounded in the blast, but was still able to help ensure his fellow Soldiers in the following vehicle got away safely.

“It is kind of hard for me to express how I feel,” Keeran said. As a Soldier, Keeran said that his focus was the mission. Now as a retired Soldier, he said that receiving the Purple Heart meant even more to him. “This is what I have now. I still have pride in my heart and I have this legacy that my kids can see.”