Ryan Pitts (born October 1, 1985) is a former

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

soldier and the ninth living recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

from the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

Early life

Pitts lives in Nashua, New Hampshire, and grew up "all over New England", including

Mont Vernon, New Hampshire Mont Vernon is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,584 at the 2020 census, up from 2,409 at the 2010 census. Spelling It is not clear why the name of the community is spelled differently from the ...

. As a child, in

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

, Pitts wanted to join the army. In 2003, he graduated from

Souhegan High School Souhegan Cooperative High School () is a Coalition of Essential Schools high school located in Amherst, New Hampshire, in the United States. Students from Amherst and Mont Vernon attend Souhegan for 9th through 12th grades. There are about 750 ...

Military service

Pitts joined the

in 2003 and attended

One Station Unit Training One Station Unit Training, sometimes referred to as One Site Unit Training, is a term used by the United States Army to refer to a training program in which recruits remain with the same unit for both Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Indi ...

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

. After completing training Pitts was assigned to the

319th Field Artillery Regiment The 319th Field Artillery Regiment, more commonly referred to as the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (319th AFAR), is a parent regiment in the U.S. Army Regimental System. Four battalions of the regiment are currently active. The first ...

until 2005; afterwards he was assigned to the 503rd Infantry Regiment,

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic respo ...

, until 2009. During his time in the army, Pitt deployed twice to Afghanistan: in 2005 for 12 months, and in 2007 for 15 months. As part of the 503rd, Sergeant Pitts served as a Forward Observer. Initially Pitts was recommended to receive a

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

, for his actions on July 13, 2008, during the

Battle of Wanat The Battle of Wanat took place on July 13, 2008, when around 200 Taliban insurgents attacked American troops stationed in the Waygal district of Afghanistan's far eastern Nuristan province.Wanat Combat Action in Afghanistan 2008. The distant p ...

. He was awarded the

on July 21, 2014. Along with

Salvatore Giunta Salvatore Augustine Giunta (; born January 21, 1985) is a former United States Army soldier and the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the United States Armed Forces' highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. Giunta was ...

and Kyle J. White, Pitts is the third recipient of the Medal of Honor from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment.

Post-military life

Pitts was medically discharged in 2009. Pitts graduated from the

University of New Hampshire at Manchester A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

with a bachelor's degree in business. He works in business development for

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

. In 2015, Pitts was proclaimed as "New Englander of the Year" by his alma mater.

Personal life

Pitts lives in

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua () is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. It is on ...

, with his wife Amy and son, Lucas. Pitts describes himself as a "private" individual, who does not enjoy the limelight.

Awards and decorations

Military awards

*Staff Sergeant Pitts has also been awarded 2 service stripes and 4

Overseas Service Bar An Overseas Service Bar is an insignia worn by United States Army soldiers on the Army Service Uniform, and previously on the Army Green (Class A) and the Army Blue (Dress Blue) uniforms, that indicates the recipient has served six months overse ...

Medal of Honor citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, March 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of Congress the Medal of Honor to For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:

References

External links

Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts Medal of HonorPresident Obama Presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Ryan M. Pitts

Ryan Pitts Interview
at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and research library for the study of military history located in a state-of-the art facility in Kenosha, WI. The institution was founded in 2003, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitts, Ryan 1985 births Living people United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers Military personnel from Lowell, Massachusetts People from Nashua, New Hampshire