RHINELANDER - After serving in Afghanistan, Twenty-seven-year-old Matthew Berth returned home to Rhinelander 4 weeks ago...with a special honor.

He is a member of the 951st Sapper Company, and was sent home early because of an injury. But before arriving to his homeland, President Obama awarded him with the purple heart.

"I'm grateful that the good Lord spared my life." 27-year-old Matthew Berth of Rhinelander was injured in Afghanistan last May when an IED blew up next to his vehicle. "It just happened to wait until the last vehicle in the convoy passed it and it detonated."

Berth experienced bruising and swelling in his brain, hearing loss and nerve damage in his left leg. He was sent to Landstuhl, Germany to recover...where his platoon sergeant asked him a question. "He came up to me and said, 'Are you getting a purple heart?'"

By coincidence, President Obama was visiting wounded soldiers in Landstuhl. Some people thought it would be nice to have the President present Berth with the heart...so they got the orders approved. "It was the sheer excitement of having the most powerful man in the world right in front of you."

Berth says it was a wonderful honor...especially being from a small town. "To have that happen to someone that lives in this tight-knit community is quite the honor."

It's an honor the entire community can be proud of. Berth says he has the ultimate respect for everyone in the 951st, especially Sergeant Ryan Adams, who gave his life and was a good friend of Berth's.

Berth adds that in spite of his injuries, he has no regrets.