294th Infantry Soldier Honored With Award
Army Private Joseph Miner is a member of 1-294th Infantry, which began its deployment in Afghanistan in December 2007. After training in pre deployment Private Miner deployed with his unit in February 2008. As a result of his service in the military Private Miner was awarded the Purple Heart for actions in April of 2007.
Private Miner was at the turret of a M-240 caliber machine gun on a security vehicle. He was acting with a combat patrol team that was guarding a series of lowboy convoys. A lowboy is a flatbed truck with a lowered surface that is used to transport heavy machinery. His team was settling in for the night and setting up lookouts for the evening when they were told of an attack of small arms fire on a jingle truck. A jingle truck is a brightly colored truck with Islamic or Koran scenes painted on it and has many bells adorning it.
Twelve suspected insurgent members of the Taliban were attempting to hijack the truck. Two insurgents were shot and wounded, and the other ten fled on motorcycles. As Miner’s unit responded to the scene, they came under fire from unidentified snipers at the scene. They took up station and began to defend the scene when Private Miner was struck by a bullet in his position on top of the security vehicle. He immediately ducked inside and told the driver he had been shot.
Miner will keep the bullet inside until it comes closer to the surface, which is fairly common for the type of wound he received. He is receiving a purple heart for his being wounded and the Combat Infantryman Badge for his actions.
