SLIPPERY ROCK — A Slippery Rock University professor received a Purple Heart on Wednesday at the university’s annual Veterans Day ceremony.

Army Capt. Joseph Barrow was presented the medal by Lt. Col. John Donlin, director of the SRU ROTC program.

The medal is for injuries Barrow had in 2013 in Afghanistan when he came under enemy fire. He has since made a full recovery.

“Capt. Barrow is a true warrior,” Donlin said.

Barrow, originally from Mays Landing, N.J., has been in the military for 17 years. He was in the Air Force for 10 years, and then he enlisted in the Army, entering with a rank of second lieutenant, he said.

Since March he has been at SRU as an assistant professor of military science. He teaches a class for ROTC sophomores called “Leadership and Decision Making.”

He was deployed for about nine months in the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan in 2013.

On Oct. 10, his unit came under enemy fire. An enemy 82 mm recoilless rifle round hit a truck and detonated, knocking Barrow unconscious. No other members of his unit were injured that day.

He was taken to a combat hospital where he spent two weeks, receiving treatment for a brain injury and facial edema. He made a full recovery and rejoined his unit.

Because of administrative delays, he never received his Purple Heart, but it was mailed to SRU.

His parents, Larry and Livia Barrow, drove from Florida to join him at the ceremony.

Barrow said he was happy to finally get his Purple Heart.

“It’s important that my cadets get to see this and be a part of this ceremony,” he said.

“The ceremony today, it’s really not about me. It’s about my family and those I served with.”

Since 1917, the Purple Heart has been awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who were “wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy” and also to those killed during combat, according to the Military Order of the Purple Heart website.

More than 200 years ago, this medal was preceded by the Badge of Military Merit, which was established by George Washington following the Revolutionary War.

Also at the ceremony, 10 ROTC cadets at SRU took the oath of enlistment, making them committed to enlist in the military when they finish their education.

The ROTC program this year at SRU has 86 students, Donlin said.

Giving a keynote address was Army Col. Mike Brobeck, who graduated from SRU in 1986. He thanked the future, current and former members of the military for their service.

There are about 1.4 million soldiers in the military, which is less than 1 percent of Americans.

“That’s less than 1 percent providing for the security and freedoms that the other 99 percent enjoy. If you ask me, you are the elite of our society,” he said.

Also recognized at the ceremony were Bob Bibler and Henry Magusiak, who work in SRU’s IT department.

They received the Patriot Award from the U.S. Secretary of Defense for hiring and being supportive of military veterans.