More than two years after he was shot by the enemy in Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Ryan Frye was reunited with the helmet that saved his life.

"I'm just glad to get my helmet back," Frye said. "I guess it gives me a sense of peace."

Frye, 25, is a combat engineer assigned to 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. He received the helmet during a ceremony Thursday at Camp Hovey, South Korea.

The helmet was presented to Frye by Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Maddi of Program Executive Office Soldier, which is responsible for the development and fielding of uniforms and gear soldiers use.

Two years ago, Frye was assigned to 1st BCT, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was on his second deployment, his first to Afghanistan.

On April 6, 2012, Frye and his fellow soldiers were on their first mission of the deployment, a dismounted route clearance operation in Ghazni province.

Frye, his squad leader Staff Sgt. Jason Hamane, who is now a sergeant first class, , and Spc. Antonio Burnside were moving along the dirt walls of the compounds in the village. They had to cross an open field that spanned about 50 meters, Frye said. When the soldiers got to the middle of the field, the enemy opened fire, pinning them down.

"They were 60 to 75 meters away, four of them," Frye said.

Hamane managed to get to cover and began returning fire to cover his two soldiers, Frye said.

Burnside, who was carrying the M240 machine gun and was closest to the enemy, was fatally wounded.

Frye started firing at the enemy, and the enemy began to concentrate their fire on him, he said.

An enemy round slammed into the left side of his helmet.

"I was dazed," Frye said. "It didn't really knock me out. It made me go deaf. It was an incredible ring."

Frye said he didn't realize he'd been shot. When he raised his hand to check on the pain he felt in his head, he couldn't get his hand between his head and the helmet.

"The round ricocheted off the helmet and the helmet dented," Frye said. "I want to say it was probably a 7.62 [mm round]. They were firing fully automatic weapons. I'm pretty sure they were shooting AK-47s."

Frye said he remembers the entire sequence of events.

"It was horrible," he said. "It felt like an eternity, waiting for the trucks to come pick us back up."

While they waited, Frye and Hamane covered for each other.

"He had my back, and I had his," Frye said.

Burnside died from his wounds; he was posthumously promoted to corporal.

Frye spent 10 days at the combat support hospital on Bagram Air Base before returning — with a fresh helmet — to his unit.

It's difficult to explain what it felt like to be hit in the helmet, Frye said.

"I was out there," he said. "Kind of like a really bad hangover, but amplified by a thousand. That's the best way I can describe it."

He relied on his wife and family, as well as his platoon mates, for support as he recovered, Frye said.

He will soon move to a new assignment with the 173rd Airborne BCT in Vicenza, Italy. He hopes to eventually become a warrant officer and train to become a pilot, or try out for special operations.

Frye said he wanted that helmet back, but it's hard to say why.

"I don't want them to take that from me. Maybe it's the last thing I had before Burnside died," he said. "This is a huge deal for me."

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