Col. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment said, "Spc. Peney was the epitome of our Ranger medics -- warrior first, expert in advanced medical treatment, and selflessly dedicated to the care of others... He is a hero to our nation, the 75th Ranger Regiment and his family."

Sgt. Jonathan Kellylee Peney, 22, was a combat medic assigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. He was born on July 1, 1987, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Peney was killed by enemy fire while moving under heavy fire to provide aid to a wounded Ranger in the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

He was on his fourth deployment in support of the War on Terror with three previous deployments to Afghanistan.

After graduating from high school, Peney enlisted in the U.S. Army from his hometown of Marietta, Ga., in November 2005.

He completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning and Combat Medic Training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He returned to Fort Benning in June 2006 and completed the Basic Airborne Course and the Ranger Indoctrination Program before attending the Special Operations Combat Medic Course at Fort Bragg, N.C. Peney was then assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in November 2007.

His military education includes the Basic Airborne Course, Ranger Indoctrination Program, Special Operations Combat Medic Course and the U.S. Army Ranger Course.
e to care for another wounded Ranger. He is a hero to our nation, the 75th Ranger Regiment and his family."
Ranger Peney was recognized as the Top Graduate of his Ranger Indoctrination Program class.

Ranger SGT Jonathan Peney, a highly trained medic, was killed while on his fourth deployment to Afghanistan. The 22-year-old Ranger died from wounds sustained when he was shot by enemy forces while trying to give medical aid to a fellow soldier who had been wounded.

"Spc. Peney was the epitome of our Ranger medics -- warrior first, expert in advanced medical treatment, and selflessly dedicated to the care of others," Col. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said in a statement released by the Army.

"Spc. Peney did not hesitate to move under heavy fire to the care of another wounded Ranger," Kurilla said. "He is a hero to our nation, the 75th Ranger Regiment and his family."

In between his military deployments, Ranger Peney found time to meet his future wife. Jonathan met Kristin Felton in Savannah during an outing with friends. The couple was married in Greece in the summer of 2009.

According to childhood friends, "Jonathan just wanted to help. He wanted to take life to the next level. He wasn’t afraid of anything.

His awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, Expert Field Medical Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.

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Ranger Peney's Silver Star Award Ceremony (Posthumous)

Sgt. Jonathan Kellylee Peney, a combat medic who died on a rooftop in Afghanistan last year, was remembered today with the Peney Aid Station named in his honor at Fort Benning.

About 300 Rangers, family members and friends gathered at Camp Rogers at the Ranger Training Brigade for the 10 a.m. dedication. Peney, 22, died June 1, 2010, while going to the aid of a wounded Ranger. The aid station will allow future Rangers seeking medical help to learn about the sacrifices of a combat medic like Peney.

“It saddened me to watch a hero leave this earth,” said Capt. Andrew Fisher, a team member of the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield. A physician assistant and Peney’s supervisor, Fisher was one of the first to go to the mortally wounded Peney and the other Ranger who was hurt on the rooftop.

Peney was part of a helicopter assault team that had secured the compound on the night of May 31. Shortly after dawn the next day, the Rangers found themselves under heavy attack from three different directions. The intense fire critically wounded a team leader on the rooftop.

Pinned down by enemy fire, the squad called for medic Peney to treat the wounded soldier.
“He climbed the ladder up to the rooftop and then while he was climbing he was shot and mortally wounded,” Fisher said. “He would make it on top of the roof and that is where he collapsed. I then went up to take care of Jon and the other injured Ranger. We were able to treat them as much as possible.”

Fisher knew the outcome wouldn’t be good for Peney. “It was one of the hardest things to witness, one of your guys mortally wounded. Having to take care of him, I knew that this was not going to turn out well. I still gave him my best effort. It was a very, very hard loss.”

For his actions, Peney was awarded the Silver Star. “Sgt. Peney displayed selfless courage and overwhelming dedication to the members of his Ranger platoon in maneuvering through enemy fire to provide medical treatment for a wounded comrade,” the citation stated. “Without hesitation or regard for his own personal safety, Sgt. Peney climbed to an elevated position to provide medical treatment for a critically wounded Ranger, knowing exposing himself to effective enemy fire.”

The dedication was attended by Peney’s mother Sue L. Peney of LaGrange and wife, Kristin E. Peney of Savannah. Sue said she was at the aid station at 4:30 a.m. wiping off the letters on a building sign that will help remember her son.
“It’s going be a place for me to be able to touch,” she said.

Her only son, the mother said Peney was an awesome young man and proud to be a Ranger.
“He was proud to be a medic,” she said. “He loved what he was doing. He would have done it again.”

Fisher said the aid station is a symbol of who Peney was in his final moments.
“He was that Ranger when he saw a fellow Ranger wounded,” he said. “Jon was a great American. He will never be forgotten. He will always be missed.”

(Courtesy Ben Wright at the Ft. Benning Ledger-Inquirer)
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2011/09/09/1728405/combat-medic-sgt-jonathan-k-peney.html#storylink=cpy

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He has also been awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with combat star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Peney is survived by his wife Kristin and his mother Sue L. Peney.

- RANGERS LEAD THE WAY! -