Newswise — Central Michigan University students walk by senior and Army Cadet Clarence Ketterer on campus every day, but most would not know that they had just walked by a 26-year-old war hero.
Ketterer, from Warren, Mich., was selected by the U.S. Defense Department to be featured on "Heroes in the War on Terror," a program that highlights military men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the global war on terror.
Ketterer received a Bronze Star with Valor in October 2005 for saving numerous lives by coming to the aid of Iraqi soldiers that had been hit by a suicide bomber and were then the target of an ambush. He organized a defensive position to fight back while helping to evacuate injured soldiers from the kill zone, lifting them into an ambulance he led in and out of the battlefield. Ketterer also was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal for his efforts.
"It feels pretty good to be selected for this program, although I think there are a lot of other soldiers that are more deserving," said Ketterer.
Ketterer began his Army career in CMU's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in 1999 and served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from June 2005 to June 2006 with the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment of the Michigan Army National Guard. A double major in sociology and history at CMU, Ketterer is a Company Executive Officer on campus and is seen as a leader in the ROTC program.
"From his role as a Staff Sergeant, Cadet Ketterer is a great trainer, the best we have in our program," said Army Maj. Gregg Mays, chairman of the department of military science at CMU. "His experience has made him more savvy than most of our other cadets, and he alone is impacting all of the others in our program. Through their interactions with him he is teaching them about what it is like to be deployed."
Ketterer plans to graduate from CMU in August 2008 and will become a second lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps for at least three years. He also plans to pursue a master's degree in hospital administration.
More information about the program and Ketterer's complete profile can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/index.html.
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