A member of the Fort Peck Tribe of Montana who was wounded in Iraq returned home on Thursday.

Army Pfc. Joseph Yellow Hammer, 20, suffered injuries when his unit was ambushed in the city of Ramadi. A machine gun bullet ripped through his left ankle and shattered his little toe before striking his right foot. One of his best friends was killed and several others were wounded.

Family members and veterans greeted Yellow Hammer at the Billings airport yesterday morning. "He left as a young boy,'' Leland Spotted Bird said, according to The Billings Gazette. "He has come back as a warrior, a wounded warrior. He defended his country. He defended his homeland. We honor our warriors when they come home.''

Yellow Hammer is due to be presented the Purple Heart in January and is being nominated for a Bronze Star.

Get the Story:
Song for a soldier: 'Young boy' comes home a warrior (The Billings Gazette 12/17)
Tribe welcomes wounded soldier home (The Great Falls Tribune 12/17)