Purple Heart Recipients Connected by Neighborhood, Brotherhood

CHARLES TOWN, WV - As we celebrate the U.S. Marine Corps birthday and our heroes across the nation for Veterans' Day, we also take a look at our local heroes.

There are two veterans who not only share the common bond of the military, but also share an extraordinary award and an extraordinary experience.

Two veterans, two Purple Hearts, both just 22 years old. The two of them live right next door in Charles Town, West Virginia. Both are part of a new generation of American veterans returning home.

Alex Tice was on a reconnaissance mission for the Marine Corps in Iraq when his group charged a house in the desert and encountered enemy fire. He would escape with only a foot injury.

He recalls, "I was the point man so I was supposed to go in the house first and I'd been doing that all day."

Instead, his battalion leader, Sergeant Mike Fursky, stepped in front and was gunned down.

"I consider myself very lucky. Me and my assistant team leader always talk about I credit my life because [Fursky] sacrificed his, so he definitely did his job and he took all that fire," Tice adds.

Titus Davis was an Army Ranger. He was in the Green Zone in Baghdad in Iraq when, while getting out of the shower, he was hit by a sniper bullet in the back of the head.

A new war means a new generation and a new wave of soldiers and veterans returning home. But the adjustment is still difficult. Tice says he has trouble thinking of himself as a veteran.

"I think of my team leader who died while I was there," he says. "It's weird when people thank you because I don't think I need to be thanked."

Titus also says he doesn't think of himself on Veterans' Day. He says, "Veterans' Day is not about me or about you, it's about the collective whole and why they decided they want to make a difference."

After three years overseas, Tice is back in West Virginia and is looking to go to West Virginia University to study international business. He says the Purple Heart doesn't change who he is.

"Just a few more stories is all it is," Tice says.

Both say they plan to spend Veterans' Day with family. Read more atyour4state.com.

MORE FROM WHAG-TV

WHAG-TV Section Front

Black Friday Shoppers Brave the Weather for Discounts Local Wal-Mart Bumps Up Security for Black Friday Crowds Landfill Offers Program to Recycle Cooking Grease, Save Drains Power Outage Puts Part of Hagerstown in the Dark New Laser Tag Arena Opens Friday in Frederick WHAG-TV Section Front   Add WHAG-TV headlines to your news reader: