Oak Bluffs firefighter Matthew Bradley was honored with a Purple Heart on May 21 at Fort Devens military base.

The Purple Heart honors those who have been wounded or killed while serving in the military.

Mr. Bradley, who is a hospital corpsmen second class in the navy, has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was wounded in Iraq when a humvee he was riding in hit an improvised explosive device on October 17, 2006. All five occupants of the vehicle survived with injuries. Everyone lost consciousness and two were medically evacuated. Mr. Bradley served in Afghanistan in 2011. Upon his return, he became aware that he had a permanent lung injury from the 2006 impact.

Mr. Bradley grew up in West Tisbury and graduated from the regional high school in 1996. He has also worked part-time for the Chilmark police. Reached by phone, he told the Gazette the ceremony at Fort Devens involved hundreds of marines in formation, and said it was one of the great moments of his life.

“I’m not usually a big fan of getting in front of a lot of people but it was very special and I really appreciated the fact that my parents could be there and witness the whole thing,” Mr. Bradley said. “It’s hard to describe.”