A North Dakota soldier who was injured in Iraq got a personal visit from President Bush.

Hazen native Brandon Olson, a specialist with the Army's 101st Airborne Division, had his right leg amputated just below the knee after he was injured in an ambush on Nov. 1.

He has been recovering at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, President Bush visited Olson, awarded him the Purple Heart and gave him a commemorative presidential coin, Gov. John Hoeven said.

"It's a well-deserved honor for him, and an honor for our entire state," Hoeven said.

Olson expects to visit his parents in Hazen over the holidays.