POST FALLS - This was how Staff Sgt. Jason Rzepa wanted it.

The Hayden 30-year-old, who sustained leg injuries in Iraq on July 7 that resulted in a double amputation below his knees, received the Purple Heart Medal on Friday night from his own company commander, Michael Etzler, with two soldiers who helped rescue him by his side.

Staff Sgts. Ryan Rogers, 30, Post Falls, and Gregory Wilson, 37, Boise, each received the Army Commendation Medal for their actions after the improvised explosive device attack in assisting Rzepa.

Rzepa (pronounced Zeppa) received his medal earlier in a hospital in Iraq, but he longed for Rogers, Wilson and other fellow Idaho Army National Guard soldiers and families to be included in a ceremony.

"You guys and the National Guard have stood behind me," Rzepa told about 175 soldiers and their families during an emotional presentation at Red Lion Templin's Hotel. "Thank you."

The three honored soldiers - seemingly uncomfortable receiving praise - instead turned the spotlight on their military families and families at home for their support.

Rogers called the moment "bittersweet."

Family members of both Spc. Nicholas Newby, 20, and Sgt. Nathan Beyers, 24, both from Coeur d'Alene and killed during the attack, were in attendance.

"There's two guys that I miss dearly," Rogers said. "I wish they could be here."

Wilson added: "They were my brothers; they were my friends. I will always be grateful for knowing them and I'm changed for having been around them."

Rogers said it was an honor to be recognized with Wilson and Rzepa on their home turf.

"It's medicine for my own heart," he said.

Wilson and Rogers quickly responded after the IED attack during a convoy, pulling Rzepa from his wrecked vehicle and providing lifesaving First Aid techniques. They also transported Rzepa to a military treatment facility.

"One of the greatest honors of my life will be saving our brother when he needed it," Wilson said.

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

"It was the most intense, awful thing that has ever happened to me," Wilson said of the attack. "It's a complicated situation. Every day I realize that I get to see the world and having Rzepa here means more to me than any medals. But Newby and Beyers will always be with me."

Rzepa's 7-year-old son, Kohl, stood content with his father's arm around him during a press conference after the ceremony as the soldier contemplated more therapy ahead.

He'll return to a military hospital in Texas on Tuesday and receive his prosthetics on Wednesday. He expects to return home at the end of June.

"I have two kids and a wife," he said. "I have to pick up and move on."

Cassandra Rzepa, Jason's wife, called the ceremony "warm, welcome and realization."

"I'm proud to see them among their peers and for the recognition they received," she said.

A community ceremony honoring the local Guard troops who recently returned home from a year-long mission to Iraq is being planned for Jan. 8 at the 145th Brigade Support Battalion's armory in Post Falls.

Rzepa said he has felt the community's support, but he's reluctant to receive help.

"I'm injured, but I'm not down and out," he said. "I don't want to ask for help. Doors close, but doors also open. It's up to me to do what I want to do."