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Texas Tech honored 10 alumni and students on Monday who are Purple Heart recipients.
“A Purple Heart medal is among the most-esteemed medals a soldier can get, but it’s not sought after,” said Commander Steve Oien, with the 0900 Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The following recipients were honored: Adrian Aranda, Christopher Beck, Virginia Caballero, Andrew De Jesse, Jeremy McGee, Amos Nugent, Ryan Pike, James Price, Justin Turner and Michael Vasquez.
It’s an award given to some of the bravest soldiers who are injured or killed in the line of duty.
“That’s a price that’s paid by the wounded warriors,” Oien said.
A graduate of Texas Tech, Beck was hurt in the line of duty while in Iraq.
“[I was] injured in 2005, I came back and I had started college, at a junior college, but I finished here,” Beck said.
“Texas Tech was the first university in Texas to receive the Purple Heart designation back in 2014, and it represents the culture of Tech,” said Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech University.
Each name is now displayed on a plaque to honor these veterans.
“It’s a really big honor to be recognized, being an alumni and to actually be recognized by the university along with the other recipients,” Beck said.
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