Minuteman Minute | Sgt. Joseph Proctor

The National Guard Memorial Museum’s memorial wall honors Guardsmen killed on 9/11 or in the War on Terror. One of them is Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor of the Indiana Army National Guard, who was killed in May 2006 defending his outpost in Iraq.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, director of the National Guard Memorial Museum here in D.C., and this is YOUR Minuteman Minute! This is the museum’s memorial wall, honoring National Guardsmen killed on 9/11 or in the War on Terror. The uniform above the wall belonged to one of them, Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor of the Indiana Army National Guard. In 2005, Proctor deployed to Iraq with the 638th Aviation Support Battalion and volunteered for duty on a Military Transition Team, training Iraqis. On May 3rd, 2006, he left the safety of his barracks to aid comrades when his outpost came under attack. Suddenly, a bomb-laden truck crashed through the gate. Proctor fired his weapon, killing the driver and stopping the truck before it could penetrate further into the outpost. However, Proctor was mortally wounded after the bomb detonated. For his bravery that day, he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Come see this – and a whole lot more – at the National Guard Memorial Museum. I’m Will Roulett, and that’s been your Minuteman Minute, brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.