Gainesville Native Honored with Purple Heart for Service in Navy Medicine

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Helton, a Gainesville, Georgia, native serving aboard Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Beaufort, South Carolina, was recently awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received in 2010.

The award recognizes the wounds Helton endured on April 1, 2010, while serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Capt. Tracy Isaac, commanding officer of NMRTC Beaufort, presented the medal to Helton during a ceremony on April 10, 2025, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island.

Helton is a 2007 graduate of Chestatee High School. Additionally, Helton earned an associate degree in health sciences in 2019.

The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Gainesville.

“I truly owe a lot of my success in life to my mentors and coaches,” Helton said. “They taught me the importance of hard work, accountability and responsibility. I was convinced at an early age that anything is possible if you work hard enough.”

Helton has served in the Navy for 17 years.

“I joined the Navy for a chance at a better life,” Helton said. “I’ve always had an admiration for the military and I knew I needed something exciting and challenging in order to be fulfilled.”

Today, Helton serves as a hospital corpsman.

“What I value most about my work is the opportunity to help others — not only through patient care but also by teaching and leading those around me,” Helton said. “Over the course of my career, I have discovered a strength in simplifying complex topics to make them more accessible and understandable. Early on, I recognized the critical importance of becoming a subject matter expert, and I consistently emphasize the significance of our work when I teach. In many cases, the knowledge and skills we share can truly mean the difference between life and death.”