POST FALLS - Three soldiers of the 145th Brigade Support Battalion will be honored during a ceremony in Post Falls on Friday night.

Staff Sgt. Jason Rzepa (pronounced Zeppa), who sustained serious leg injuries which resulted in a double amputation below his knees, will receive the Purple Heart Medal. With his family by his side, the Coeur d'Alene 30-year-old has been undergoing physical rehabilitation and therapy at a military hospital in Texas.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Rogers, 30, Post Falls, and Sgt. Gregory Wilson, 37, Boise, will each receive the Army Commendation Medal for their actions in the immediate aftermath of the improvised explosive device attack on July 7.

The two soldiers were part of the convoy that was attacked. They quickly responded, pulling Rzepa from his wrecked vehicle and providing lifesaving First Aid techniques. 

In part, their medal narratives say their actions "under extreme conditions were above reproach and undoubtedly saved the life of a fellow soldier."

Killed in the attack were Spc. Nicholas Newby, 20, and Sgt. Nathan Beyers, 24, both from Coeur d'Alene. 

The ceremony will not be open to the public due to space considerations, said Col. Tim Marsano, spokesman for the Idaho Army National Guard. It is one aspect of a reintegration program for soldiers who have returned from Iraq and their families.

A community ceremony honoring the troops is being planned for Jan. 8 at the armory in Post Falls. Each soldier will be presented a commemorative Buck knife, which was the focus of a recent fundraiser.

The Post Falls-based 145th BSB is part of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team recently returned from a year-long mobilization and deployment to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. 

The 116th had about 1,500 soldiers from Idaho, 600 from Montana and 600 from Oregon.