As an Army Ranger wife, Taylor Hargis knew the kind of man she married.
But when she posted a photo of her husband on Facebook, it went viral — and the world learned about Rangers, too.
The photo shows Cpl. Josh Hargis lying on a hospital bed in Afghanistan with his eyes shut and tubes sticking out all over his body.
But the most telling thing it shows is this Ranger struggling to raise his hand to salute his commander, when everyone in the room thought him unconscious.
Cpl. Hargis was wounded this month during a Ranger operation aimed at catching a high-value terrorist target in Afghanistan. When the troops arrived at a home, a man came out and lifted his shirt to show the Rangers he wasn’t wearing a suicide vest. When several Rangers came forward, a woman with a suicide vest exited the house and blew herself up. Thirteen other improvised devices exploded, killing four of our people and injuring more.
Cpl. Hargis was one of the lucky ones. Two other Rangers — Sgt. Patrick C. Hawkins and Pfc. Cody Paterson — were killed in that attack, along with Lt. Jennifer Moreno, part of a cultural support team, and Special Agent Joseph M. Peters of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command.
That salute is not the only gesture that speaks to our men and women in uniform.
On Tuesday, President Obama presented former Army Capt. William Swenson the Medal of Honor for his valor during one of the deadliest firefights with the Taliban.
In a beautiful gesture amid the heat of battle caught on combat video, Capt. Swenson kissed the forehead of a badly wounded soldier whom he helped onto a helicopter.
No words can match these gestures.
The Post salutes Cpl. Hargis and Capt. Swenson — and all those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe at home.
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