President Bush visits US Iraq war veterans

President Bush visits US Iraq war veterans
By Alex Spillius in Washington
Last Updated: 2:17am GMT 12/11/2007

George W Bush has paid an emotional visit to soldiers maimed or badly burned in combat and said his administration was determined to improve care offered for veterans.

Soldiering On: Wounded Vet Helps Other Vets Move On

Soldiering On: Wounded Vet Helps Other Vets Move On
The Pentagon reports that more than 30,000 Americans have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In part two of his series “Soldiering On: Stories of Sacrifice and Recovery,” NY1 reporter Budd Mishkin speaks with a wounded vet about his experience in Iraq, his adjustment back at home and helping other veterans in the same predicament.

John Fernandez

719 Amputations

"In fact, the number is 719, according to Chuck Scoville, a program manager for the military's joint amputation-care system. Add limb amputations due to accidents, training mistakes, tumors or other noncombat causes and the total is 795 as of Oct. 20, Scoville said. That comprises all uniformed personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq since December 2001. "

Recruiters struggle to find an ArmyBy Frank GreveMcClatchy Newspapers

Vet who lost legs in Iraq works to reclaim his independence

The War Comes Home - Joshua Cope
Vet who lost legs in Iraq works to reclaim his independence
Long journey back -- a step at a time
Darryl E. Owens
Sentinel Staff Writer
November 11, 2007


Army Sgt. Joshua Cope leaned precariously on the parallel bars, reserving every bit of strength and hope to move his new computerized legs just one life-altering step forward.Cope had reached this crucial point before -- only to confront numerous setbacks. Would today bring more frustration? And if so, could he muster the willpower to try again?With his wheelchair at the edge of the bars, Cope glanced at his wife and almost-2-year-old daughter camped on a nearby couch.

Joshua Cope

Marine fighting back after losing both legs in Iraq war bombing

Marine fighting back after losing both legs in Iraq war bombing
By KAREN CLARK

Just two months after losing both legs in a military incident in Iraq, David Lind has mastered the art of walking on prosthetics. Lind is a Titusville native whose parents reside in Warren.
A Titusville High School graduate is working to create a new life path after losing both legs in war-torn Iraq this summer.
Master Sgt. David Lind, son of David Lind and Katherine Jackman of Warren, lived in Pleasantville during his teenage years and graduated from Titusville High in 1989. At that time, his father was employed at Quaker State.

David Lind

Photos

Center for the Intrepid Photos

High-tech rehab, old-fashioned fortitude

High-tech rehab, old-fashioned fortitude
By Leo Shane III, Stars and StripesPacific edition, Sunday, December 2, 2007

See more photos from the Center for the Intrepid here.
WASHINGTON — Since he got his new prosthetic leg, Staff Sgt. William Corp doesn’t spend as much time on the climbing wall.
Not that he has trouble with the 30-foot tower: He can still do it in under two minutes. But the new leg fits better in his kayak, so he’s been spending more time swimming laps and in the wave pool, honing his skills there.

William Corp
John Jones

Sports therapy gives injured veterans a boost

Sports therapy gives injured veterans a boost

Darryl E. Owens Sentinel Staff Writer
December 5, 2007
Article tools

Petty Officer 1st Class Pete Reid never imagined he'd be hanging by one hand from a rock wall eyeballing an unforgiving hotel floor about 12 feet below -- for the second year in a row, no less.Then again, few had expected the 51-year-old Navy Seabee from Palm Bay to survive after a mortar bounced off his leg during an ambush in Iraq in 2004.

Pete Reid
Dylan Gray
Daniel Acosta

Wounded to Killed Ratio

Better medical technology, improved treatment techniques and beefed-up armament means soldiers survive wounds that would have killed them in past wars. Using a narrow definition, the Defense Department reports that more than 28,000 troops have been wounded in Iraq, while just over 3,100 died from combat wounds.

Those numbers mean the wounded-to-killed ratio is around 9 to 1. As a point of comparison, 3.2 service members were wounded for every fatality in Vietnam; 2.3 were wounded for every one killed in World War II, according to VA figures.

From this article

Army with a future for amputees

Army with a future for amputees
Thursday, 08 November 2007

RETURNING SERVICEMEN: A growing number of US army amputees are seeking to rejoin their units.

For some amputees in a rehabilitation exercise room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, recovery means choosing to return to active duty in the US Army.
Outfitted with computer-powered artificial limbs, one in five of about 350 soldiers whose cases have been considered by a medical review board after their treatment for injuries in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars aims to rejoin their unit.
More than 700 US troops have lost limbs in those wars and have been treated either at Walter Reed, the premier military hospital in Washington, or other military facilities around the country.

Bryan Florence
Saul Bosquez
Gregory Gadson

DirectBuy of Boston South helps Iraq War Vet create the ‘home of his dreams.”
Posted by: StevenDubin on Dec 02, 2007 - 11:41 AM

ROCKLAND, MA…A perpetual state of shock. That’s how Sgt. Brian Fountaine describes his reaction and that of his fiancée Mary upon learning that Homes for Our Troops would be constructing a house for the Iraq War veteran and his bride-to-be.The proverbial icing on the cake, however, came with an invitation from DirectBuy of Boston South to visit their Rockland showroom to select the kitchen cabinetry, bathroom vanity and flooring for their new home—at no charge, courtesy of DirectBuy.

Brian Fountaine