Face of Defense: Wounded Corpsman Returns to Action

By Marine Corps Sgt. James Mercure

Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st Marine Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WHITEHOUSE, Afghanistan, April 6, 2012 – Navy Petty Officer Third Class Chase Speed still has the blood-soaked belt he was wearing when an insurgent put a bullet through it last year.

Speed, a native of Orangeburg, S.C., was serving as a corpsman with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, the day his platoon was inserted by helicopter into Jahazi, a small town that was a hotbed for insurgent activity.

“I saw guys watching us from the tree line and from a compound to our southeast. A fire-team element of military-age males went into the same compound so we knew our position was about to get attacked,” Speed said. “Sure enough, we started to take fire from the compound, and our staff sergeant yelled to take cover, and then we began to engage them. As we were bounding to a different compound, I got hit and kept running another 50 meters. I got on the ground facing the enemy and kept firing to protect my guys.”

Suffering from a deep laceration in his right hip, while consistently receiving automatic weapons fire from the insurgents, Speed heard his staff sergeant yell, “Corpsman up!”

“I half ran, half limped to the Marine we thought was in trouble,” Speed said. “I checked him out, and he didn’t have any apparent injuries, so we busted into a nearby compound. I told him, ‘I think I got shot in the [butt].’ We both laughed about that in the middle of the firefight.”

Once inside the compound, Speed was able to check his wounds and begin to apply first aid.

“I looked down and saw I had an entrance wound near the base of my spine, and the exit wound was coming out of my right hip,” he said. “Luckily, the bullet cauterized the wound, so there wasn’t as much bleeding as there could have been.”

After the Marines called for a medical evacuation for their ‘Doc,’ his right leg had gone numb. He could no longer walk without help.

“A sergeant had to help me get to the bird as it was coming in. I hadn’t taken any of the meds I was carrying in case my Marines got hurt worse than me,” Speed said. “So I was glad when the crew chief gave me something to dull the pain when I got on the helicopter.”

After several operations and two weeks of recovery at Camp Bastion, ‘Doc’ Speed returned to his unit, which was still engaged in the fight.

“The day he got back he was still smiling and as happy-go-lucky as ever,” said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Gerald Brant Jr., an independent duty corpsmen who worked with Speed last year and during his current deployment. “It was like getting shot didn’t affect him. He still went on patrols with his Marines and still kept up like nothing happened to him.”

Throughout the whole ordeal, Speed has stayed positive, setting his sights on continuing his career in the Navy.

“Ever since I got injured, I’ve had more pride in the uniform and understand that if you get knocked down, you have to get right back up,” the Purple Heart Medal recipient said. “I get sharp pains every now and then, but it doesn’t slow me down a bit. I still keep up with my guys, and I keep pushing forward no matter what, because my Marines count on me, and I will be there for them.”

Speed is serving as a corpsman with Police Advisor Team 2, 1st Bn., 8th Marines, and he said he plans on becoming a naval officer as a critical care nurse after returning from his current deployment.

Face of Defense: Wounded Warrior Keeps Serving

You don’t know the Iraq War until you’ve seen these Second Gulf War books written by American veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

By Army Spc. Crystal Hudson

U.S. Division North

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Oct. 6, 2011 – Army Sgt. Aaron Manis, a human resources specialist with 4th Infantry Division’s 101st Human Resources Company, calmly walks the halls of U.S. Division North’s main building here, hoping to share his positive attitude with everyone he passes.

"He is a quiet professional with a strong work ethic who completes the mission," said Army Capt. Johnny Jun, human resources operations officer.

Manis is discreet about what he has experienced during his 10-year Army career. Most soldiers would never know the noncommissioned officer helping them with their paperwork was seriously injured during his last tour in Iraq.

On Aug. 7, 2006, Manis’ life was changed forever. He was an infantryman then, and he and his team were on a patrol in Baghdad when they got called to another area to check out a possible threat. After finding nothing unusual there, they loaded up to head out.

Manis popped into the gunner's hatch and turned to the rear of the vehicle to make sure it was clear. "There was a guy 150 feet away, and he decided he wanted to be a sniper and tried to take me out," he said.

The bullet went in on the right side of Manis' face near his eye and exited there. "I never lost consciousness," he said. "It felt like a big rock being thrown at the side of [my] face."

He recalls putting his hand to his face, and looking at his hand covered in blood. He then dropped down into the vehicle and let the vehicle commander know he was hit.

"The medic came, and he performed first aid," Manis said. "There is not really much that you can do but put a bandage on it."

He remembers trying to soothe the other soldiers in the vehicle with jokes so they would not worry about the incident.

Manis was evacuated to Germany for treatment, and eventually transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., with the hope of repairing the damage to his right eye. "When the bullet entered, the force and the heat of the round forced the retina to scrunch up," he explained.

Doctors at Walter Reed did all they could to help restore the vision he lost, but the damage was too extensive, and Manis is blind in his right eye.

"My wife was heartbroken. I had to calm her down," he said. "It is just something that happens. It comes with the territory."

Manis spent six months in recovery at Walter Reed, and admits going through a dark time there.

"I accepted it,” he said. “I am the one who signed up to be an infantryman. That was the only way that I could heal -- by accepting."

Manis said the soldiers he encountered at Walter Reed and in his warrior transition unit are the best group of soldiers he has ever met.

"I will never forget the heroes I worked with that helped me out in my time of need, and all the friends I've made since then," he said. From Walter Reed, Manis went to Fort Campbell, Ky., to begin his medical board process. He was recommended for reclassification and became a human resources specialist.

"Sergeant Manis' personal experience in the Army casualty reporting process provides him a unique knowledge base, which bolsters his abilities to lead a critical mission," Jun said. He added that Manis is a living example of the Army Warrior Ethos -- he placed the mission first, he never accepted defeat, and he never quit.

Manis draws from his experience in the warrior transition unit to apply that knowledge to his leadership style.

"I took one thing from the WTU: every soldier is unique," he said. "Two people might have the same injury on paper, but it is not the same injury to them." One soldier may be able to handle the injury really well, he explained, while the other may struggle with it.

Manis' decision to return to active duty after his injury enables him to bring combat experience to his current position. He sets a positive example for all of the soldiers he encounters, Jun said.

"You don't have to be wounded or, sadly, lose your life in combat to be a hero,” Manis said. “Just wear that uniform, and serve your country, and do it the right way. You will be a hero."

Four Iowa National Guard Soldiers wounded in Afghanistan

Iowa National Guard report

JOHNSTON, Iowa (6/10/11) - Three Soldiers from Iowa City’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa Army National Guard, and one from Waterloo’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, were wounded when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Laghman Province, Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Army 1st Lt. Nicholas R. Morris, 26, of Columbia, S.C.; Army Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Wilczak, 40, Luther, Iowa; Army Sgt. Martin C. Ennor, 25, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Army Pvt. 1st Class Tyler M. Sirovy, 26, Deep River, Iowa, were transported to medical facilities in Afghanistan.

Ennor has been evacuated to Landstuhl (Germany) Regional Medical Center for additional medical treatment.

Conditions and injury reports are unavailable at this time.

Approximately 2,800 Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team were deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, in July and August 2010. Their mission is to provide full-spectrum operations in a combat theater, including lethal and non-lethal capabilities, support to Afghan National Army and Police units and assistance to humanitarian relief initiatives.

Face of Defense: Soldier Counts on Training, Teammates

By Army Sgt. Ginifer Spada

210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, June 13, 2011 – May 13 was just another day -- another mounted patrol in the mountainous area outside of Combat Outpost Honaker-Miracle, Afghanistan, Army Spc. Brian Walker said.

“We get shot at all the time, every day," said Walker, an infantry radio operator assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Cacti, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco. "We are bringing them the fight.”

But for Walker, a Johnson City, Tenn., native, this wasn't just another day. He was riding in the lead vehicle of a mounted patrol when it hit a roadside bomb.

“I don’t remember much from that day," Walker said recently while recovering in a hospital at Bagram Airfield. The parts he does remember, however, speak volumes about his team and their training.

“Everyone was doing exactly the right thing," Walker recalled. "Everyone fell back on their training and did exactly what they were supposed to do."

Army Staff Sgt. Simon Bachmann, Walker's squad leader, echoed Walker’s sentiments.

“As soon as everything popped off, everyone did the right thing," he said. "The driver got them through the kill zone, [and] everyone in the truck began buddy aid. They all responded to a ‘T.’ They reacted perfectly.”

The truck commander, gunner and two other soldiers all suffered shrapnel injuries. While Walker’s injuries were minor, he lost consciousness multiple times, and was sent to the traumatic brain injury clinic.

Although Walker is not fully recovered, he said, he is doing much better than when he arrived at the clinic. Bachmann said he isn't surprised at Walker’s progress.

“He’s a good guy -- really friendly, and motivated," Bachmann said. "He likes to work and get stuff done.”

Walker received a Purple Heart Medal, presented to him by Army Maj. Gen. Dan Allyn, Regional Command East and Combined Joint Task Force 1 commander, and the command’s senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Saia Vimoto.

“I was honored -- I mean, the command sergeant major and commander of the biggest base in Afghanistan," Walker said. "I was just honored."

Walker said the pace at Bagram Airfield's traumatic brain injury clinic is in stark contrast to that of Combat Outpost Honaker-Miracle.

“This is the first time a whole week has gone by without me getting shot at,” he said.

Although the more relaxed battle rhythm at the clinic is helping Walker recover, he is anxious to get back to his fellow soldiers and to do his job.

“I know that they need me," he said. "I want to get back and do my job -- get back and be there for the guys.”

Walker and Bachmann agreed that everyone in their platoon shares the same dedication to each other and their jobs here. The 2nd Platoon Renegades, as Walker and the other soldiers from his platoon are known, are at the beginning of a year-long deployment to one of the most dangerous areas of eastern Afghanistan.

Bagram Hospital Provides Care to All Who Need It

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, June 1, 2011 – The announcement over the hospital intercom blared the news: more casualties were arriving, many that the staff knew would need near-heroic measures to survive.

The Staff Sgt. Heathe N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital, one of the largest and best-equipped trauma facilities in Afghanistan, was preparing during that day last month for its next round of incoming patients.

It had been a busy day in what has shaped up to be a busy year for the hospital, Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Guillermo Tellez, the hospital commander, acknowledged.

Thirteen trauma patients already had arrived from throughout the Regional Command East area of Afghanistan. The operating rooms were bustling, tending to the needs of troops suffering the results of improvised explosive devices, gunshots and other battlefield wounds.

One soldier, suffering severe stomach wounds, had just lost his squad leader in an attack. “It’s tough hearing their stories,” said Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Vik Bebarta, the emergency room director. “But we take care of them, and try to help them realize that they can relax now, because they are in good hands.”

The night’s casualties were the latest of more than 2,300 trauma patients treated at the hospital during the first three months of 2011 alone, more than a quarter of them suffering the most severe “Level 1” traumas.

Walking through the hospital corridors, Tellez paused outside the room of a 12-year-old Afghan girl under his care. “Soldiers were walking along a trail and they found her,” suffering a traumatic head injury, he explained. “She had just been left there, so they brought her in, and we are taking care of her.”

Continuing the walk, Tellez strolled past another bed in another section of the hospital. The patient was hooked up to all kinds of medical equipment -- breathing tubes, intravenous feeding tubes, the works. His chances of survival, Tellez said, were slim. Unlike the other patients, this one had a patch over his eyes. A military police soldier sat next to him as night set in at the hospital.

This patient was a detainee, Tellez explained. He was picked up during an operation and brought to the hospital to receive the same level of care provided to every wounded U.S. and coalition service member and every Afghan security force member or civilian brought to the facility.

Caring for the enemy “can be hard,” he acknowledged.

“We know he may have been involved in hurting our own,” he added. No other country in the world adheres so closely to that ethical standard, Tellez said.

“Only in America,” he said. “It is truly what makes us special. We care for all.”

Army Brigade Commander Visits Wounded Troops

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2011 – The conversation flowed easily this morning as Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins sat with several 101st Airborne Division soldiers, talking about everything from operations heating up in Afghanistan’s Paktika province to the impact of a possible government shutdown on his deployed troops and their families back at Fort Campbell, Ky.

The setting wasn’t Forward Operating Base Sharana, Jenkins’ 4th Brigade Combat Team and Task Force Currahee headquarters, or one of its combat outposts dotting the easternmost sector of Regional Command East in Afghanistan.

It was in a cafeteria here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where Jenkins, traveling home for his mid-tour rest-and-recovery leave, paid a visit to check on his wounded troops.

They gathered around the table, one in a wheelchair, one with a cane, another rubbing his steel-plated leg that always aches when the barometer drops, eager for news about the units and comrades they left behind.

The 101st “Screaming Eagles” have suffered heavy losses during their deployment as part of the surge force in Afghanistan. The 4th Brigade Combat Team alone has lost 15 soldiers since it deployed last summer, with scores more wounded and more than 40 medevacced out for advanced medical care.

So when Jenkins left Afghanistan for the first time in seven months for his mid-tour leave -- before seeing his wife Karin, his bubbly, blonde 3-year-old daughter, or his beloved golden retriever and black Labrador dogs at Fort Campbell -- he spent several days with his wounded warriors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas; and Walter Reed.

“I came to say thanks,” Jenkins said, “and to talk with them about what is going on forward and how their teammates are doing.”

The chit-chat today in Walter Reed’s cafeteria, hallways and the Military Advanced Training Center where soldiers receive intensive physical therapy treatments bounced from one topic to another. They praised a heroic private first class from the unit who was undaunted as his unit faced the enemy, discussed the merits of the leadership novel, “Once an Eagle,” talked about improvements in military housing and heard news of the new 120 mm precision-guided mortar munitions round the brigade just received in Afghanistan.

But beyond the casual and sometimes not-so-casual conversation, Jenkins worked to gauge how his soldiers are faring as they recover from lost limbs, shattered bones and other devastating injuries.

“I try to open up a stream of conversation with them about how they are doing, how they are being treated, how their medical care is going and what their concerns are,” he said.

Throughout his conversations, he pulled out a pocket-size notebook to jot down names, email addresses and messages to pass on or requests to follow up on.

“These guys deserve everything we can do for them, and nothing less,” Jenkins said. “They need to understand that we are here for them, whatever it is they need.”

Once of the most welcomed things Jenkins delivers to the troops -- whether his own or members of another 101st Airborne Division element -- is reassurance that they haven’t been forgotten.

“They are still part of the team,” he said. “And that is part of the message. I tell them, ‘Just because you are back here, attached or assigned to one of the hospitals for a period of time, you are still part of the unit.’ It is important they understand that linkage is not broken.”

Many of the wounded warriors call that some of the best medicine they could get.

“It’s very important to me. It’s part of your mental fitness,” said Army 1st Lt. Aaron Palmer, a 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment soldier whose femur was broken in three places and his iliac artery destroyed during an enemy attack in October.

“I can’t tell you how close we are overseas,” Palmer said. “Your unit becomes like your family, and it’s really great when that family keeps in touch with you….Every time I see that [Screaming Eagle] patch, I know it’s a brother.”

“It helps me a lot,” agreed Army Sgt. Anthony Verra of the 4th BCT’s sister 2nd “Strike” BCT who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in September. “Visits like this are really motivational.”

Army Pfc. Corey Kent, another “Strike” soldier, said he’s been “blown away” by the outpouring he’s received from his fellow Screaming Eagles since arriving at Walter Reed in mid-July, just three weeks into his deployment.

Kent was on a patrol near Kandahar, called in to provide security for another unit that had been hit by an IED. He suffered the same fate, losing two legs, one above the knee and one at the hip, as well as all the fingers on his left hand.

Today, he told Jenkins he had hoped to make the military a career and still plans to explore options the Army may open to him. “I’d feel like I was giving up if I just leave,” Kent said.

Jenkins said he encourages his soldiers not to let their wounds prevent them from striving for their dreams.

“There are no closed doors,” he tells them. “Only you close the door if you physically want to close the door.”

Face of Defense: Wounded Veteran Inspires Service Members

By Air Force Maj. Brian Bowman

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq, Feb. 10, 2011 – Navy veteran, author and inspirational speaker Dave Roever knows a thing or two about scars.

"Everybody has scars," Roever told a group of more than 150 service members gathered here in an event sponsored by the base chaplain. "Mine just happen to be on the outside.”

"Everybody gets hurt," he added. "That's not the question. The question is how [does one] react to getting hurt?"

The veteran’s physical scars stem from severe wounds he’d suffered in 1969 during a tour in Vietnam.

Roever said an enemy sniper's bullet had detonated a white phosphorus grenade that he was holding. The subsequent explosion and intense heat nearly eviscerated him. After his medical evacuation to Japan, Roever said doctors didn’t expect that he’d survive.

Fourteen months and countless surgeries later, Roever did survive -- and eventually would thrive. Where many would have been consumed by bitterness, Roever said he found relief and gratitude in just being alive, and pledged that he’d help other wounded veterans for the rest of his days.

"I don't intend to go out quietly," the 64-year-old veteran said. "I want to make a difference in people's lives."

In 2007, with his wife Brenda, Roever co-founded Eagles Summit Ranch in Colorado, which focuses on helping wounded veterans, both spiritually and by teaching business and life skills.

"It's a beautiful facility up in the mountains," he said. "We're teaching them how to start a business or a [non-profit venture] ... and help[ing] them with the emotional part of recovery."

To hear Roever speak is to follow a winding path of emotionally wrenching stories. Eventually, the listener finds that the stories interlock to focus on the theme of resiliency.

Roever told service members here about a previous time in Iraq when he was asked to say a prayer for a fallen soldier. He said he prayed for God to send someone to comfort the soldier's best friend who lived stateside.

A few days later, Roever said, in the middle of the night at an empty Atlanta airport terminal, a young man sat down next to him even though there were hundreds of empty seats nearby.

Roever learned the man was the best friend of the fallen soldier. The young man, who was returning from his friend's funeral, couldn't understand how Roever knew so much about the situation.

The fallen soldier’s friend asked, 'Who are you?'" Roever recalled.

"And I told him, 'I'm the answer to my own prayer,'" Roever said.

Roever urged married members of his audience to ensure their marriages were strong and to communicate regularly with their loved ones back home.

He also praised his wife of 43 years, for standing by him and caring for him after his horrendous injuries.

"Our marriage [endures] because it is built on desire, not need," he said. "We don't need each other; we want each other. It is a choice.”

Face of Defense: Brothers Earn Combat Decorations

By Army Sgt. Scott Davis

Regional Command East

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 2, 2011 – Two brothers in the 101st Airborne Division were decorated for separate combat actions during their deployment to Afghanistan.

One received a Silver Star Medal in December for actions during a five-day firefight in Kunar province, and the other received a Purple Heart in January after a firefight at Forward Operating Base Andar.

Army Cpl. Joshua Busch of Company D, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, was on a mission in November when insurgents attacked his platoon.

“We got hit pretty hard,” said Josh, the younger brother. “By the end of the first night, I was the highest-ranking soldier in the platoon as a corporal, so I took charge as the platoon sergeant.”

By the end of the fight, his platoon of 22 was down to nine uninjured soldiers. He was decorated Dec. 7 for his heroic actions during that battle.

Army Sgt. Jason Busch, Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recalled the battle that took place about a month later in which he earned his Purple Heart.

“The enemy was hiding in a basement. … Two Afghan national policemen were going to go in, and I was to follow,” he said. “They kicked down the door, and as soon as they started to enter, they both got shot and fell down. I looked in and saw the enemy about 10 feet away. We both started firing at each other at the same time. I got hit as I was getting down into a prone position.”

Jason kept firing even after he was shot.

“Right away, I started coughing up blood and could barely breathe,” he said. “I shouted for a medic, but they couldn’t help me, since the insurgent was in the room in front of me. When I realized they couldn’t get to me, I somehow stood up, stumbled over to the medic and collapsed. Doc slowing my breathing saved my life. I was medically evacuated about 10 to 15 minutes later.”

The soldiers, who are from Seymour, Wis., are proud of each other and what they had to go through.

“When my brother got decorated, I felt a lot of pride for him, but I also felt a lot of sadness for what he had to go through to get that medal,” Jason said. “I wish that I could have been there instead.”

Though both had planned to get out of the Army, they decided to stay with their platoon for this deployment. Josh extended his enlistment, and Jason re-enlisted for two more years.

“I actually re-enlisted for four more years less than a week before I got shot,” Jason said. “I'm going to stay in and possibly pursue a career as a flight warrant officer.”

Josh said he and his brother always have been close.

“My brother joined when I was in high school,” he said. “I think he joined because he knew I was going to and didn’t want me to go through it alone.”

When Josh got to basic training, the drill sergeants asked if anyone had siblings in the Army. Josh said yes and was given the chance to be stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky., with his brother, though they are in different brigades.

Josh will finish his deployment soon, while Jason is recovering in the United States.

“It’s got to be tough on our parents having two kids deployed at the same time,” Josh said. “Our mom is a worrier, and she tries to find out anything she can about what we are doing out here. We try not to tell them too much about what goes on out here to keep them from worrying more.”

Training, equipment helped Oregon National Guard Purple Heart recipients in Iraq

Editor’s Note: Two reports from 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in Iraq explain how training became instinctive and safety equipment made a difference when Oregon National Guardmembers encountered an ambush.

By Army Spc. Matthew G. Keeler

103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (1/31/11) – Brig. Gen. Mark Corson, commanding general of the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), awarded two Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd ESC, the Purple Heart and a Combat Action Badge after their Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle was attacked during a convoy mission.

“Today is not a happy day to give you the Purple Heart,” said Corson. “I am privileged to do so, but it’s not a happy thing to do. The two medals that you do not want are the Purple Heart and the POW [Prisoner of War] medal.”

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Gibson, assistant convoy escort team leader and Army Spc. Adam Clinton, gunner, both were injured due to direct enemy engagement.

“I was about to push send on a report when my buddy [Clinton] over here said, ‘oh crap’” said Gibson. “I looked over at him and then looked back just in time to see something fly over the top of the vehicle and then an explosion.”

After the explosion, Gibson said that his training took over.

“A couple of seconds go by, I look over at Clinton, checked to make sure he was ok, and then told him to go and get out [of the MRAP],” said Gibson. “When it happened there was no thought process, and the training kicked in.”

These Soldiers are part of a convoy escort team that protects convoys on a daily basis.

“I don’t think people understand that everything from medical supplies, to fuel in your vehicles, it flows through the body of USF-I[United States Forces- Iraq] on those sustainment convoys, and what protects those sustainment convoys and what gets them through day after day, are the convoy escort teams,” said Corson.

Both Soldiers suffered minor injuries as a result of the attack, but Clinton was the most exposed to the explosion.

Thanks to my eye protection, I only suffered some cuts to the face, said Clinton. “It’s true that eye protection does work to save your eyes.

“They [Commanders, and leaders] tell you to wear that stuff [eye protection] for good reason, and not just because it might be mandatory, but because it will save your life.”

Even with the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq and the change to an advise and assistant role, Soldiers still drive through dangerous areas.

“You guys are really the epitome of what makes us great, because despite the challenges that we face, and despite the fact that there are people who want to hurt us, you are out there doing your duty all the time,” said Corson.

What could be the most remarkable part of these two Soldiers’ story is the aftermath of the attack?

“You got off the helicopter and walked in all bloody and broken, but unbowed and that’s a testament,” said Corson. “The whole thing, as sad as it was, it’s truly a testament to the valor, fortitude, good judgment, wisdom and maturity that you guys bring to the fight.”

At first chance, Gibson called his wife to let her know the news of what happened to him, he said.

“I have a really sick sense of humor,” said Gibson. “I was in pain, and I know the best way for my wife to handle stuff is to make her laugh, so I made a joke out of it. I said, ‘So I know this is going to ruin your day, but I got blown up.’”

In a really high pitched squeal, Melissa Gibson asked if he was joking, he said.

Gibson was able to explain to her that he was all right, and that everything was ok, he said.

When Clinton was able to call his family, he called his dad, he said.

“The first person I called was my dad, and I told him that I had gotten into an accident and that I was ok,” said Clinton. “He asked if everything was ok, and I know that he was concerned but he was very supportive of me.”

Now that he has been awarded the Purple Heart, Gibson doesn’t believe he will do anything different, he said.

“It’s an honor to get it, I don’t know that I did anything special to get it as far as getting wounded in combat compared to others who got it,” Gibson said. “[The way] I was raised, you do not do stuff for the notoriety, you do stuff because it is the right thing to do.”

Clinton explained that doing his duty was important. “Getting an award or not, it means a lot to be able to serve your country, ... just being out there for your country means a lot,” said Clinton.

The two Soldiers are stationed at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, but will be staying at JBB for a couple weeks until they are cleared to return to duty and their team. For Gibson, he hopes it means sooner than later, he said.

“I’m a busy body, and I would like to get back to work ,” said Gibson.

Before the small ceremony was over, Corson remarked on the dedication of the Soldiers and their desire to return back to their trucks and their job.

“What that says is that the bad guys can come and blow us up, but we will still come back and do what we do, and what the [enemy does] does not matter,” Corson said.

Training, quick reaction help protect MRAP crew

By Army Staff Sgt. Pat Caldwell

103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (1/31/11) – Sometimes the difference between life and death can be a few inches.

Three Soldiers from eastern Oregon’s Company C, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) discovered how true that old adage is when they survived a close call during a combat related incident that impacted their vehicle in central Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Gibson along with Army Spc. Adam Clinton sustained minor injuries while a third man, Army Pfc. Nathan Schad, emerged unhurt from the ambush.

Gibson and Clinton received the Purple Heart Jan. 20 at Joint Base Balad, while Schad was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and an Army Commendation Medal at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq.

Gibson admitted he and his crew were fortunate.

“A couple of inches one way or the other and I wonder if I’d still be here,” he said.

He and his crew were conducting a convoy escort mission when an unidentified person tossed a grenade at their Mine-Resistant-Ambush-Protected vehicle.

“We were extremely lucky, or blessed,” he said.

The discipline of the crew was critical, said Army Lt. Col. Phil Appleton, commander of 3rd Battalion, 116th Cav. Regt.

“They reacted the way we trained them,” Appleton said.

Army Capt. Seth Musgrove, commander with C Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cav. Regt. agreed that the actions of his crew were appropriate.

Appleton said as the American military operation in Iraq winds down, self-discipline by Soldiers in the field is more important now than ever before.

“We have to understand, and this crew did understand, that we have to show some restraint to avoid unnecessary casualties,” Appleton said.

Defense Secretary Thanks Wounded Warriors for Sacrifice

By Elaine Wilson
Special to American Forces Press Service

May 4, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today thanked dozens of wounded warriors for their service and sacrifice during a visit to Brooke Army Medical Center here. The personal visit "really shows you care," Army 1st Lt. James Barclay, a burn patient wounded in Afghanistan on Aug. 19 by an improvised explosive device, told the secretary.

"There are a lot of people who care," Gates responded, shaking the wounded soldier's hand.

Gates spent time with each servicemember, most times bedside, asking about their medical care, hometowns and future plans.

"This is the best facility in the world for burns," Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Bruce told Gates. "They treat us very good here."

Bruce was one of eight sailors injured Dec. 1 when a steam pipe ruptured aboard the Guam-based submarine tender USS Frank Cable. Two sailors have since died of their injuries.

Gates passed on a personal message to the sailors. "The secretary of the Navy wanted me to make sure I met you," he said, thanking them for their sacrifice.

When Gates asked about the food, Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Henderson joked, "It's better than in Iraq." Henderson, from Fort Carson, Colo., was injured in Baghdad on April 15, suffering an injury to his hip from indirect fire. As Gates left the room, Henderson thanked him for coming, adding that he had just watched the secretary yesterday on TV addressing the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

"Don't believe everything you hear," Gates quipped, as he wished Henderson a swift recovery.

Asked by the secretary if they wanted to continue their military service, many expressed a desire to stay in the military despite the severity of their injuries.

"I want to stay in as long as I can," said Army Staff Sgt. Scott Adams, who was injured in Iraq in January. "This is my life."

Some servicemembers were just as excited to meet a former Texas A&M University president as they were to meet a secretary of defense, particularly Marine 1st Lt. Daniel Patrick Moran, a burn patient. The Marine had met Gates at his college graduation in 2003 when the former A&M University president awarded Moran his college degree. Moran had brought the pictures of himself and his brother with Gates at graduation and asked the secretary to sign them.

"I can't tell you want an honor it is to see you again," said Moran, with fellow "Aggie" and wife, Teal, and 4-week-old daughter, Macy, by his side.

Along with the autographs, Moran had another request. He asked the secretary if he would officiate at his Purple Heart Medal ceremony sometime in the near future. "He said yes," said Moran, calling Gates one of the greatest A&M presidents ever.

With A&M on his mind, Gates couldn't resist ribbing Navy Chief Petty Officer Peter Johns about wearing a University of Texas hat, A&M's primary rival. "That's why I wore it," Johns joked.

Maj. Gen. Russell Czerw, commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Fort Sam Houston, said these types of visits carry more weight than any commission, report or study could. "Nothing can take the place of coming down and seeing how much the people here really do care," he said. "You have to see it firsthand to truly understand.

"I could see by their expressions that the patients felt extremely special," Czerw said of the secretary's visit.

For many wounded warriors, a few visits from leaders like Gates go a long way.

"It means a lot when someone comes here in person," Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Culbertson told Gates. "We don't need more medals or money, just someone to say thanks."

"Thank you for your service," Gates replied.

Gates wrapped up his visit by expressing his appreciation to the hospital staff for providing the "best care."

"We encourage other senior leaders to come visit," said Army Col. Carlos Angueira, acting medical center commander. "We're glad the secretary had the opportunity to see Fort Sam Houston and how important the care of wounded warriors is to us."

(Elaine Wilson works in the Fort Sam Houston Public Information Office.)

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