Saturday, June 15, 2013

“Hometown Hero” Public Unveiling Santa Fean Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry Honored!

On Monday, June 24, 2013 at 10:00 a.m., the public is invited to attend the revealing of George Rivera’s bronze statue “Hometown Hero,” which depicts Sergeant First Class (SFC) Leroy Petry. The ceremony will be held on the South Lawn of City Hall at 200 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Santa Fean SFC Petry began his military career in 1999 as an Army Ranger. In 2008, while deployed in Afghanistan, Petry and his regiment were engaged in combat to potentially capture a high-value target. During this battle, the SFC Petry disregarded his safety, picked up a live grenade and tossed it away from his fellow Rangers--amputating his right hand. In 2011, President Obama acknowledged this selfless sacrifice by awarding our “Hometown Hero” the Medal of Honor.

Pueblo of Pojoaque Governor and sculptor, George Rivera pays homage to Petry’s persistently optimistic outlook by capturing the Medal of Honor recipient’s warm smile and extended hand in his sculpture.

City Hall, in the heart of Santa Fe, is the perfect location for the piece; Rivera says, “…that gesture of shaking hands is going to be a positive thing for people that come to Santa Fe—whether they’re originally from Santa Fe and locals…or whether they’re visitors from another state or another country; that gesture is universal.”


Governor Rivera and the Pueblo of Pojoaque donated “Hometown Hero” to the Petry family, who then generously donated it to the City of Santa Fe. Hear more comments from the artist at the City of Santa Fe’s YouTube account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VsF9Ueja_I.




Below are photos of Pueblo of Pojoaque Governor and Sculptor, George Rivera taken June 20th at the installation.





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