Before and after Iraq

Before and after Iraq
The war there is not an intellectual exercise. It has real, personal consequences.
By Michael Hastings
May 12, 2008
In July 2006, four young American Army officers sat at an Italian restaurant in Sackets Harbor, N.Y., about 20 miles from Ft. Drum. Three lieutenants and a captain, they were all friends, all platoon leaders in the 10th Mountain Division; one of them was my younger brother, Jeff, then 23 years old. It was their last meal together before deploying to Iraq.

Two years later, none of the infantrymen remembers what he ordered that night; they all remember what was said: "Statistically, one in four of us is going to get injured or killed over there."

A month later, they arrived in Baghdad, right before the "surge."

Wounded Iraq veteran from Menifee says his sacrifice was worth it

Wounded Iraq veteran from Menifee says his sacrifice was worth it

09:25 PM PDT on Friday, April 4, 2008
By JOE VARGOThe Press-Enterprise
Video: Jesus De La Cruz talks about rehabilitation following injuries sustained in Iraq
SAN DIEGO - His left leg is shattered, amputated below the knee from a rocket-propelled grenade that slammed into him while on patrol in Iraq three weeks ago.
Tiny pieces of shrapnel, the size of a match-head, work their way through his skin to the surface, where he pulls them out and collects them for keepsakes.

War's Wounded Find Guidance in Aftermath

War's Wounded Find Guidance in Aftermath
Walter Reed Chaplains Help Amputees, Other Soldiers Confront Unpleasant Realities
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By Greg TrotterReligion News Service Saturday, March 29, 2008; Page B10
Capt. Darrick Gutting is the friendliest guy in Ward 57.
The bald-headed, 40-year-old Pennsylvanian roams the halls, engaging passersby -- soldiers and medical staff -- in conversations that are equal parts jive and heartfelt concern.
"Sorry, man, but this is part of being a chaplain, too," Gutting said after talking with a male nurse for 10 minutes about a favorite hunting store in West Virginia. "You gotta let the people know that you care."

Wounded soldiers cycle to recovery in 7-day bike trip

Wounded soldiers cycle to recovery in 7-day bike trip
By Kristina Peterson
Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 02/21/2008 01:34:42 AM PST



An hour before the first Soldier Ride in California departed from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Palo Alto Wednesday, Army Spc. Saul Martinez explained his basic hand-cycle strategy.

"You just sit down and start cranking. It's a good workout, needless to say," said Martinez, 23, a double amputee who traveled from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego to participate in the seven-day cycling trip.

Sponsored by the Wounded Warriors Project, the first regional Soldier Ride in California kicked off at the VA hospital and will finish next Tuesday in San Diego. A total of 25 veterans, including six from the Palo Alto hospital's brain trauma unit, are making the trek. Many are on bicycles adapted to their war injuries.