“Staff Sergeant Camacho risked his life in service to his country and we are indebted to his bravery and dedication,” Sablan said.
“I am honored to attend the State of the Union with such a distinguished guest. Earning five Purple Hearts is a rare achievement and we are very proud of Staff Sergeant Camacho in the Northern Marianas.”
The son of the late Vicente “Pakitu” Cabrera Camacho and Cindy Bower of Raleigh, North Carolina, Staff Sergeant Camacho grew up on Saipan.
Camacho earned his fifth Purple Heart in Sept. 2009 after being shot in the left knee in Afghanistan. Purple Hearts are awarded to servicemen who are injured or killed in combat.
Nicknamed “Bullet Magnet” among his fellow soldiers, Camacho serves in the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team based in Fort Drum, New York.
In addition to accompanying Sablan to the State of the Union Address, Camacho will also attend a meeting of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, of which Sablan is a member; meet with congressional liaisons at the Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy; as well as tour the U.S. Capitol during his day as guest of the Northern Marianas delegate to Congress.
