Lexington soldier to receive medal for heroic act

A Lexington soldier will receive a medal Saturday for a heroic act last summer in which he saved another man in a hand grenade training accident in Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Clay Gorton is being awarded the Soldier's Medal, which is presented to military service members who risk their lives to save others in situations not involving combat.

The medal will be presented in ceremonies at the David Barrow Army Reserve Training Center on Russell Cave Road.

Gorton, 29, was on active duty in Afghanistan IN August when the accident occurred. Gorton was instructing a German soldier on a grenade range. The soldier threw a live grenade, but it bounced off an earthen berm and rolled back to where the soldier and Gorton were standing.

Gorton immediately tackled the other soldier to the ground and covered him with his own body before the grenade exploded. Gorton suffered shrapnel wounds to his legs and spent a few days in the hospital. The German soldier was not hurt.

Gorton later completed his tour in Afghanistan and is now in Lexington.

He is the son of Lexington Urban County Councilwoman Linda Gorton and her husband, Charles Gorton, a major general in the Army Reserve.

This story was originally published June 10, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lexington soldier to receive medal for heroic act."