*Utahns taking flight for Limbs of Hope (9/26/04)

Utahns taking flight for Limbs of Hope
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By Doug Smeath Deseret Morning News
694 Words
26 September 2004
Deseret Morning News
B03
English
(c) 2004 Deseret News Publishing Co.
After the outpouring of support from friends and strangers that followed Hope Bevilhymer's foot amputation in June 2002, the West Jordan woman decided "it was my turn to give back." Television coverage of the plight of people living in refugee camps worldwide grabbed her attention, and she decided that was where her help was needed. So she began doing research and discovered there was a personal connection she could bring to her voluntarism. Turns out, war and disease in many of the world's toughest regions have left in their wake huge numbers of amputees. This morning, Bevilhymer and two other members of the Utah group Limbs of Hope will board a plane to Cambodia, where they will spend two weeks delivering used prosthetic limbs to victims of war crimes and land mines left over from the Vietnam War. They will also spend a weekend teaching orphans to play soccer and baseball.

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*Vice chief reports Army status at Defense Forum (9/21/04)

Vice chief reports Army status at Defense Forum
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887 Words
21 September 2004
Department of Defense Documents
English
Copyright © 2004 Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc.
Department of Defense U.S. Army Releases

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 21, 2004) -- Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody told members of Congress and their staff Sept. 17 that the Army is transforming itself while fighting the War on Terrorism.

"We have a window of opportunity while this great Army's in motion and while we're learning and fighting this Global War on Terrorism to get the Army right," Cody said at the Defense Forum Foundation on Capitol Hill. "Not only for the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, but for the future."The largest movement of forces in the Army since World War II occurred about four or five months ago, Cody said. Eight-and-a-half divisions and 244,000 Soldiers were moved in about 95 days.

"Any army in the world can reset itself," Cody said. "Any army in the world can transform itself. Any army can deploy to a theater and sustain itself. But to do it all at once at the level we're doing it at, is a significant challenge. But we have to. We need to maintain this momentum."

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*VICE CHIEF REPORTS ARMY STATUS AT DEFENSE FORUM (9/21/04)

VICE CHIEF REPORTS ARMY STATUS AT DEFENSE FORUM
INDFED0020040924e09l0013c
883 Words
21 September 2004
US Fed News
English
© Copyright 2004. Hindustan Times. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 -- The U.S. Army issued the following press release:

Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody told members of Congress and their staff Sept. 17 that the Army is transforming itself while fighting the War on Terrorism.

"We have a window of opportunity while this great Army's in motion and while we're learning and fighting this Global War on Terrorism to get the Army right," Cody said at the Defense Forum Foundation on Capitol Hill. "Not only for the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, but for the future."

The largest movement of forces in the Army since World War II occurred about four or five months ago, Cody said. Eight-and-a-half divisions and 244,000 Soldiers were moved in about 95 days.

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*A MOM'S INTERNAL STRUGGLE WHEN HER SON ENLISTS (9/20/04)

A MOM'S INTERNAL STRUGGLE WHEN HER SON ENLISTS
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Life And Arts
SUSAN PAYNTER P-I COLUMNIST
1097 Words
20 September 2004
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
FINAL
E1
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
ALEX SIDLES CALLED home to Seattle from Iraq last week with some good news and some not so good.

The 21-year-old Marine told his mother, Connie, that he'd lost his foot. Part of it, anyway. But the doctors said it was "a wonderful amputation." And he still has his ankle.

More of the foot was amputated on Thursday. But with a prosthetic, he should have a functional foot again, he said.

A lot of American moms are getting phone calls like that, and worse these days.

As a mom to whom scary is the looming prospect of a teen's driver's license, I wondered how Connie has handled it all, so I asked.

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EX-ARMY RANGER ADJUSTS TO LIFE AFTER LOSING LEGS IN IRAQ, INSPIRES EMBATTLED TOWN (9/20/04)

GRUNDY WELCOMES SOLDIER HOME ; EX-ARMY RANGER ADJUSTS TO LIFE AFTER LOSING LEGS IN IRAQ, INSPIRES EMBATTLED TOWN
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AREA/STATE
The Associated Press
660 Words
20 September 2004
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
City
B-2
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
GRUNDY

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Heath Calhoun seems to personify the spirit and collective determination of this embattled coal town near the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines.

Less than one year after losing both legs in Iraq at age 24, Calhoun not only has learned to walk and drive on prosthetic legs, but he has also snowboarded and waterskied, and he recently cycled more than 30 miles in a single day.

Calhoun's recovery has inspired other amputees with whom he volunteers. And the crowd that formed to welcome its native son home on Saturday demonstrated he's become a source of pride to a community that has faced devastating floods and fires and emerged determined to rebuild.

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'A huge challenge' ; Families of wounded soldiers struggle, too (9/14/04)

'A huge challenge' ; Families of wounded soldiers struggle, too
GRPR000020040917e09e00004
Nation / World
Stephen Manning / The Associated Press
799 Words
14 September 2004
The Grand Rapids Press
All Editions
A9
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON -- Heather Pepper pulls a cigarette out of her husband's pack, lights it and takes a drag to get it burning.

"Here, honey," she says, holding it in front of Staff Sgt. Jason Pepper, 27, and moving an ashtray to a spot near him on the table. His face and his blank eyes turn toward her, his hand groping the air to find hers.

Blinded four months ago by a roadside explosion in Iraq, Pepper is almost completely dependent on his wife. She helps him bathe, dress and eat. When he walks, he throws his hands over her shoulders, shuffling along behind her.

She has become his eyes.

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New wounds to heal ; Iraq creates next generation of disabled vets (9/13/04)

New wounds to heal ; Iraq creates next generation of disabled vets
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NEWS
TOM DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
1541 Words
13 September 2004
The Record
All Editions.=.Two Star B. Two Star P. One Star B
A01
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
They roam the hallways of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in wheelchairs, their legs gone. Others are missing arms, hands, fingers and toes.

A Waldwick man, 27-year-old Jason Pepper, is there. He's missing a finger and both eyes. Shrapnel from an explosion in Karbala, Iraq, last May shredded his face. A cast encases his nearly severed left hand.

The Army sergeant used to patrol the downtown streets of Karbala in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Now his wife pushes his wheelchair around the Washington, D.C., hospital, and he prepares for life without sight.

"It only takes a short amount of time to get damaged," said his wife, Heather. "It takes so long to recover."

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Families of wounded facing huge challenges (9/13/04)

Families of wounded facing huge challenges / The stresses on injured soldiers can be just as hard on their relatives
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NEWS
STEPHEN MANNING
Associated Press
677 Words
13 September 2004
Houston Chronicle
3 STAR
8
English
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON - Heather Pepper pulls a cigarette out of her husband's pack, lights it and takes a drag to get it burning.

"Here, honey," she says, holding it in front of Staff Sgt. Jason Pepper, 27, and moving an ashtray to a spot near him on the table. His face and his blank eyes turn toward her, his hand groping the air to find hers.

Blinded four months ago by a roadside explosion in Iraq, Pepper is almost completely dependent on his wife. She helps him bathe, dress and eat. When he walks, he throws his hands over her shoulders, shuffling along behind her. She has become his eyes.

"It has been a huge challenge for us," said Heather Pepper, 26, sitting on the patio of a group home at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "I had to do everything as if he was a brand-new child, except bigger."

Similar stories abound

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Soldier Who Lost Arm in Iraq Re-Enlists

Soldier Who Lost Arm in Iraq Re-Enlists

Published: Sep 10, 2004 4:56 PM EST

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A reservist who lost his right arm in a roadside bombing in Iraq re-enlisted in the Army on the same day he received a Bronze Star for his service.

Sgt. Chuck Bartles, 26, raised his prosthetic right arm with his left hand as he took an oath Thursday during a re-enlistment ceremony at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum.

Bartles was injured when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb last year. One soldier died and two others were injured in the attack. Bartles' right arm was shattered and had to be removed above the elbow.

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Number of Wounded in Action on Rise (9/3/03)

Number of Wounded in Action on Rise
Iraq Toll Reflects Medical Advances, Resistance Troops Face
By Vernon Loeb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 2, 2003; Page A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A12096-2003Sep1?language=printer

U.S. battlefield casualties in Iraq are increasing dramatically in the face of continued attacks by remnants of Saddam Hussein's military and other forces, with almost 10 American troops a day now being officially declared "wounded in action."

The number of those wounded in action, which totals 1,124 since the war began in March, has grown so large, and attacks have become so commonplace, that U.S. Central Command usually issues news releases listing injuries only when the attacks kill one or more troops. The result is that many injuries go unreported.

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Back from Iraq, must soldier fight for lifetime of care?

Back from Iraq, must soldier fight for lifetime of care?
The wife of U.S. Rep. C.W. Young says America should ensure that incapacitated veterans receive care and compensation.
By PAUL DE LA GARZA, Times Staff Writer
Published September 5, 2004


TAMPA - Pete Herrick seemed to have it all: a wife, two kids, friends, church and a 5-acre Florida spread.

But Herrick worried about the future.

The 34-year-old was a self-employed construction worker, and his retirement plan wasn't particularly strong.

To shore up his finances and help his country, Herrick enlisted in the Naval Reserves in 2001. His wife, Diana, looked at the bright side.

"I thought it was a midlife crisis," she recalled. "At least he's not out with some other woman."

But Herrick was called to active duty in Iraq six months ago. A month after landing in the war zone, his unit was blown up. Five people were killed and several others were injured in the May 2 attack.

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