Melania and Donald Trump made a surprise visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where they pinned a purple heart to the chest of one of America's bravest soldiers.
Sergeant 1st Class Alvaro Barrientos was set to accept the purple heart this weekend and didn't expect that the President would be the one to complete the extraordinary ceremony. 'When I heard about this and I wanted to do it myself,' said Trump.
Before heading to the hospital the President tweeted that he looked forward to 'seeing our bravest and greatest Americans.' The event marked Trump's first visit to the veterans hospital located just outside Washington, D.C. His decision to head to the ceremony came after he and his wife were touched by the tale of Alvaro who was injured in Afghanistan on March 17.
Sergeant Barrientos and three other soldiers were wounded when an enemy soldier attacked their base in Helmand province. Alvaro injuries unfortunately caused doctors to amputate his right leg below the knee. But, with his immense bravery and the help of his fellow soldiers, Alvaro was able to return home and be next to his wife while Trump gave him one of highest awards in the military.
The FLOTUS Whitehouse.gov page states that “Mrs. Trump cares deeply about issues impacting women and children, and she has focused her platform as First Lady on the problem of cyberbullying among our youth.”
Besides Alvaro Barrientos, the Trump's met with nearly a dozen other wounded soldiers on Saturday. The president's motorcade traveled roughly ten-minutes to the hospital through large crowds that formed for the March for Science which kicked off Earth Day 2017.
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