the WOUNDED

August 17, 2003


the WOUNDED

Feelings of responsibility plague soldiers recovering at home after serious injuries

By JOHN DIEDRICH THE GAZETTE

An Army doctor broke the news to Capt. David Rozelle as he lay in a hospital tent south of Baghdad.

His right foot, mangled by a mine that exploded beneath his Humvee, might have to be amputated above the ankle.

The doctor said he could try to save the foot, but it probably would just delay the inevitable.

"If we amputate, you get a new foot, you get back on your feet and get back to work. Your choice. I'll give you a few minutes," the doctor said and left.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

Prostheses far cry from wooden leg (8/8/04)

Prostheses far cry from wooden leg
CGAZ000020040810e0880009p
Pamela J. Johnson The Orlando Sentinel
1340 Words
08 August 2004
Charleston Gazette
P9D
English
(Copyright 2004)
ORLANDO, Fla. - Every morning, Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Metzdorf straps on a modern-day miracle. "Lead">

He awakens, kisses his wife good morning and reaches for the computerized prosthesis that has been recharging all night. Called a C-Leg, it is 13 pounds of titanium, wires and circuitry. To Metzdorf, it is much more than a substitute for his right leg, blown away by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

The C-Leg has helped restore the confidence of this boisterous 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper. It gives the 27-year-old Florida native a reason to believe during his torturous rehabilitation sessions that he will again be able to climb stairs, hike in the woods, jump from airplanes and take his wife, Teresa, slow-dancing.

Wearing it, he sometimes feels invincible.