He could have gotten out of the Army when he was critically injured in Iraq, but he stayed and served in a way that only he could.

It's been more than two years since First Sgt. William Harlan's Stryker vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Mosul, Iraq, and he was critically injured. But it's what he's done since then that's earned him this year's Soldier of the Year award.

"I'm just a simple soldier. I like to consider myself the average everyday soldier just out there doing the job," said First Sgt. William Harlan.

He has a Purple Heart and a chest full of ribbons, and now Sgt. Harlan picks up another honor.

The Army Times has selected him Soldier of the Year for the work he's done setting up a warrior transition battalion at Fort Lewis and helping other injured troops on the road to recovery.

"And as time went on, I came to realize this isn't really about me so much as it is all the warriors in the Army and across the armed services that have been wounded. For me, this is for them."

"His leadership skills were not dormant when he was trying to get himself healthy and he helped many, many people. Some were not as injured as badly as he was. Some more desperately injured than he was, and his leadership skills were second to none," said Rep. Ellen Tauscher of California.

Rep. Tauscher is giving Harlan the award.

First Sgt. Harlan has undergone more than 16 surgeries for the injuries he suffered in the bombing.

He says his job now is to give hope to other wounded warriors.

The Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Lewis was set up after the Walter Reed controversy raised concerns about how returning soldiers were being treated.

Get more information about it at the Warrior Transition Battalion's Web site.