Stephen Leon, a decorated Army Specialist with roots in Chelsea, has been adjusting to civilian life following wounds sustained during his final Afghanistan deployment in 2011. His heroic actions during that tour—specifically his role in preventing an assault on Camp Phoenix—earned him multiple military honors, visible in this photograph. A member of a prominent Chelsea family, Leon’s brother serves as a Chelsea Police Officer.
Combat zones forbid tears and grief.
Military protocol strictly prohibits soldiers from expressing sorrow or mourning fallen comrades, since emotional release could jeopardize operational success or cloud judgment.
This regulation has one notable carve-out.
Memorial Day represents that single exception.
“That’s the only day I have for crying and mourning and remembering all the loved ones who perished while they were serving with me,” explained Leon, 54, a Chelsea native now residing in Revere. “As soldiers, we’re not allowed to show our emotions and we don’t, but Memorial Day is our day to cry and mourn and open all the old wounds for a time. That’s what it is for a soldier, and that’s what I’ll do on Monday. After that, I’ll go to the Soldiers Home and then visit as many ceremonies as I can so I can also show respect.”
Since 1978, Leon has been active military, completing three separate deployments to Afghanistan as a specialist. His childhood desire to serve—sparked by receiving a GI Joe toy—never wavered, propelling him into a lifelong military career.
His decorations include the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal with a ‘V’ device, plus numerous additional citations for which storage space has become a challenge.
Three of Leon’s brothers also served military tours, among them Chelsea Police Officer Robert Leon, though Stephen alone maintained military service as his profession.
The battle wounds and achievements marking Leon’s service record tell the story of his dedication.
Last Friday, Leon visited the Senior Center—not to display honors, but to extend advance gratitude before Memorial Day arrived.
His appreciation stems from a fortuitous connection: during each Afghanistan tour, his unit received care packages courtesy of the Revere Senior Center’s Operation Troop Support initiative. Only recently, after meeting Revere veterans advocate Morris Morris, did Leon make the connection. “I wanted to come here and thank everyone here for all the packages we got when we were over there,” he explained. “I met Morris and he was telling me about Operation Troop Support’s care packages from the Senior Center here in Revere. I said, ‘Wait a minute. That’s the same people my unit has been getting packages from since 2008 when I first went over.’ What we see is ugly. You don’t realize what a package can do to lift a soldier’s spirits in the field. A package can change your week. There’s no music in the field or TV or radio. Any little thing you get is just a tremendous relief. They’re packages to us were such a blessing.”
Leon’s final deployment presented exceptional challenges, particularly in 2011 when injuries forced his evacuation after he repelled an assault involving five suicide bombers targeting Camp Phoenix near Kabul.
On April 2, 2011, at midnight, the planned assault began at Camp Phoenix’s main gate.
Leon and a single fellow soldier formed the sole defensive line.
Grenades, rifle-launched ordnance, automatic weapons fire, and armed insurgents converged upon them. The objective was breaching the perimeter to reach barracks where five explosives-laden attackers intended detonation among sleeping troops.
“There were 8,700 soldiers behind us and they were all sleeping in the middle of the night, so we figured it was going to be our time to die because we weren’t going to let them get to those 8,700 sleeping soldiers,” Leon recounted. “My partner got hit and I said to him, ‘Just keep shooting because if they get by us, it’s all done.’ I got blown up, but we stopped them.”
According to Leon’s Army commendation, successive blasts notwithstanding, he managed to stabilize himself and deliver fatal fire against both advancing attackers and suicide bombers whose devices remained undetonated.
“While disoriented from a series of explosions, Specialist Leon refused to surrender ground and delivered accurate and lethal fire which prevented insurgents from gaining entry to the base,” the citation stated. “His exceptional courage, dedication to duty, care for fellow soldiers and personal sacrifice directly contributed to the successful defense of the main entry control point. His actions saved lives.”
Initially awarded the Bronze Star, his recognition was later downgraded to Army Commendation Medal, though Leon believes restoration to Bronze Star status may yet occur.
Hospitalization followed the injuries sustained defending the camp during that 2011 incident, ending his tour prematurely. Leon expressed profound relief upon returning to American soil.
“It’s like the ‘Wizard of Oz’; there’s no place like home,” he stated. “You miss the States so badly and when you see the country on the plane coming in, it looks so beautiful. I’ll never forget my brother inviting me to the Chelsea Police Station and all the officers giving me a huge ‘Welcome Home’ party. It was wonderful to be home.”
Readjustment over the past year has presented obstacles, Leon acknowledged, yet visiting those who provided overseas support—including the Revere seniors—helps facilitate his transition back to civilian circumstances.
“I was at such a high level of vigilance for so long,” Leon observed. “I have to let my guard down and to try to learn to be a human being again. The transition from being a soldier to being a Civilian is a huge difference. I’m just starting to go to sleep regularly again. When you’re out there in Afghanistan, you don’t sleep. Now, those kinds of things are starting to come back to me. They call it transitioning, but I call it becoming a human being again.”
Still, Leon remains willing to redeploy should his unit, the 182nd Infantry, receive orders for future Afghan operations—assuming his injuries permit.
“I’ve been healing now for close to two years,” he added. “I’m about 60 percent, but I’m ready to go back and do whatever needs to be done. My mind wants to keep going, but my body can’t keep up with it. I have traumatic brain injuries from the explosions, loss of hearing and nerve damage in my arms. Those were my gifts from Afghanistan.”
For Leon, Memorial Day represents America’s offering to him.