Lowell Sun
By Chris Camire
BOSTON — Blindsided by a roadside bomb and pinned down by enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2008, John Giasullo Jr. snapped into action.
The Billerica native fought through the searing pain of shrapnel that ripped through his legs and buttocks and provided emergency medical aid to his wounded comrades.
In doing so, he saved the lives of four Afghan National Army soldiers.
The 24-year-old Army sergeant was awarded the Silver Star for his actions. Yesterday, he was honored at the Statehouse by Gov. Deval Patrick and several area lawmakers.
He says he was just doing his job. Others call him a hero.
“I wanted to make sure he got the proper recognition,” said state Rep. Marc Lombardo, a Billerica Republican who helped organize yesterday’s event.
Giasullo was serving as a medic when his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device and ambushed by the enemy. Asked what he remembers most about that day, Giasullo talks about being lucky.
“We were very fortunate that no one else got hurt and we all got out of there,” he said.
Giasullo was in one of five armored vehicles -- four American and one Afghan -- when the explosion occurred. As he moved down to a nearby riverbed, other vehicles in the convoy attempted to move out of the kill zone when a second IED went off.
After treating the casualties, he started to return fire. Most of the casualties were Afghan. One of them was killed almost instantly.
Giasullo’s commanding officers nominated him for the Silver Star soon after the ambush. He was given the award in July 2010. The Silver Star is the third-highest award bestowed on a U.S. serviceman, the two higher being the Distinguished Service Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Giasullo, who has recovered from his wounds, said he was surprised to receive the award.
“I didn’t think what I did was that special,” he said. “I just got lucky.”
Giasullo’s mother and stepfather, Karen and Jason Kennedy of Billerica, beamed with pride as extended members of their family posed for photos in the governor’s office yesterday afternoon.
Karen Kennedy said she still thinks about the phone call from the Army, informing her that her son had been seriously wounded.
“I cried, and it still touches me,” she said. “There are deep wounds. It’s not something you want to hear.”
A 2005 graduate of Billerica Memorial High School, Giasullo enlisted in the Army in September 2006. He returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in February of this year and then moved to Washington, D.C., where he enrolled in the Army’s nursing program.
He expects to return home to Billerica when he finishes his service in three years. He knows going back to Afghanistan in that time is a strong possibility.
“I’d say they’ve gotten a lot better,” he said, when asked about how the country has changed since 2008. “We have a much bigger presence there, which makes a big difference.
It’s a lot more built up now. So good things are happening. It just takes time.”
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