Cork war hero gets highest US honour

A 35-YEAR-OLD Corkman has been given one of the highest honours that can be bestowed by the United States military after he was shot in Iraq while trying to save the life of a fellow solider.

Sergeant Alan Kenneally was awarded the Purple Heart, which is given in the name of the US President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving, at a ceremony in the US yesterday.

Alan Kenneally, who is originally from Mayfield, was shot in the lower back on September 24 last year. The bullet exited through his abdomen, perforating his colon and fracturing his right pelvis bone. It was his second tour of duty in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.