War Amputee

War amputee
By MICHELLE ROBERTS

Even the simplest task becomes monumental for a US Army bomb technician who lost her arms to a bomb in Iraq.

MARY Dague hears the catty whispers sometimes. “So ugly,” the strangers say when they think she can’t hear.

The 24-year-old has bright green eyes, a quick smile, and on the days she gets her husband’s help, perfectly applied mascara and blush.

But all the gawkers really see are her arms, each amputated above the elbow.

Wounded veterans participate in program established to aid their recovery

Wounded veterans participate in program established to aid their recovery

By RICK MALWITZ • STAFF WRITER • July 10, 2008


EDISON —The last act John Wayne Walding did when he was perfectly whole was come to the aid of a fellow soldier shot in Afghanistan.
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"My buddy was shot. He said, 'Help me,' and gave his location, and then I got shot,'' said Walding, a 27-year-old U.S. Army staff sergeant from Waco, Texas.

Walding, who suffered a below-knee amputation of his right leg as a result of the attack, was asked if his buddy is recovering. "Yep. We all lived,'' he said.

"I'm fine,'' Walding said. "There's no remorse. I was doing my job.''

MLB honors America's heroes at parks

MLB honors America's heroes at parks
Veterans throw out first pitches in pregame festivities
By Mike Scarr / MLB.com

On Friday it was time to stand and deliver.

To honor our nation's 232nd anniversary of its birth, a select group of veterans tossed honorary first pitches at ballparks hosting games for the Fourth of July holiday.

The gesture is part of Major League Baseball's "Welcome Back Veterans" initiative taking place at big league games across the U.S. this weekend. Baseball will also honor veterans during games on Sept. 11.

Group helps local veteran regain freedom

Group helps local veteran regain freedom

Updated: July 5, 2008 09:20 PM

WALES, N.Y. (WIVB) - In the fight for freedom, one of America's bravest from western New York lost his independence.

His right arm had to be amputated along with one of his legs below the knee.

Marine Lance Corporal Mark Beyers was severely injured in Iraq nearly three years ago..

Now, he finally has a home where he can regain his independence.

This is reality for Marine Lance Corporal Mark Beyers nearly 3 years after being injured by an improvised explosive device. "When you're a Marine, you kind of think you're a little bit invincible."

Wounded vet chooses to laugh

Wounded vet chooses to laugh
By Travis Hill | More by this reporter | Record Sports Columnist | Posted: Friday, July 4, 2008 ; Updated: 12:50 AM on Friday, July 4, 2008
STORY PHOTOS

Dan Nevins elected to have his own right leg amputated in January. And that's not the most amazing thing about him.

Nevins is a golf addict, shooting in the mid-80s. That's not it, either.

Nevins is an Iraq war veteran. He lost his left leg when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up his Humvee on Nov. 10, 2004. Nope.


What makes Dan Nevins so incredible is his laugh. It's pretty plain, as laughs go. A little goofy, but nothing out of the ordinary. Except that they happen a lot. And they are genuine.

Is Sex Over? Badly Hurt Vets and Sexual Intimacy

Is Sex Over? Badly Hurt Vets and Sexual Intimacy
Conference Focuses on Wounded Troops and Intimacy With Their Partners
By KIMBERLY HEFLING Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON May 21, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press

When B.J. Jackson lost both his legs to an Iraq war injury, his doctors talked about a lot of things, but they didn't mention how it might affect his sex life.

BJ Jackson, a double amputee from the Iraq War, right, and his wife, Abby, right, both of Des Moines, Iowa, talk about about the issue of Iraq vets and sexual intimacy, Wednesday, May 21, 2008, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
(AP)Jackson's less-bashful wife brought it up. But even then the couple didn't get the answers they sought.

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 veterans use Segways to increase mobility, quality of life

Wounded veterans use Segways to increase mobility, quality of life
By Patrick Thornton, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, May 10, 2008


WASHINGTON — Dozens of veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan came to Arlington, Va., on Tuesday to learn a rather unconventional way to win back some of the mobility they lost — a Segway.

Segs4Vets, a project of Disability Rights Advocates for Technology (DRAFT) has awarded 150 Segways since 2006 to disabled veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan to help improve their lives. Thirty veterans were able to attend a ceremony at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington on Wednesday to receive their Segways. Dozens more who couldn’t make the ceremony will also receive Segways.

Township rallies around injured soldier

Township rallies around injured soldier




By CHRIS WILLIAMS
Source Staff Writer



Army Pfc. Alex Knapp was injured when an improvised explosive device detonated under his vehicle in Iraq on March 14.

A Shelby Township native is recovering from serious injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated under his convoy’s vehicle in Iraq last month.
Army Pfc. Alex Knapp was on a mission in a suburb outside of Baghdad on March 14, just two days after his 22nd birthday, when the IED detonated, severely injuring Knapp and two other soldiers.

New Prosthetic Hand So Nimble an Amputee Can Type

New Prosthetic Hand So Nimble an Amputee Can Type

posted: 22 April 2008 ET


The i-LIMB has flexible hydraulic drives are located directly in the movable finger joints. Credit: Touch Bionics, Orthopedic University Hospital
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The i-LIMB has flexible hydraulic drives are located directly in the movable finger joints. Credit: Touch Bionics, Orthopedic University Hospital

The i-LIMB is nimble enough to create several common hand positions needed for gripping objects in different ways. Credit: Touch Bionics

The i-LIMB can type using the index finger, its creators say. Credit: Touch Bionics

U.S. Army Sgt. Juan Arredondo, outfitted with an i-LIMB after losing his hand in Iraq, says ht does things naturally. Credit: Touch Bionics A new prosthetic hand uses individually movable fingers to hold a credit card, use a keyboard and lift a heavy bag.

Amputee soldier takes on the slopes

Amputee soldier takes on the slopes
PIONEERING: Sergeant Mick Brennan is taking part in a ski-ing course.

A SOLDIER who lost both legs in an explosion in Iraq has taken part in a pioneering course to learn to ski.
Sergeant Mick Brennan, 28, a former pupil of North Border Comprehensive School in Harworth, lost both of his legs when a car bomb exploded when he was working as part of a bomb disposal squad in Baghdad in 2004

Fund set up to assist double-amputee soldier

Fund set up to assist double-amputee soldier
Updated: 03/22/08 6:40 AM
A fund has been established to assist Army Sgt. James T. Hackemer, a Town of Collins resident who lost both his legs in a roadside bomb explosion last week in Iraq.

For veteran, a new home, life, and wife

For veteran, a new home, life, and wife

Even when Brian Fountaine was lying face down in the Iraqi dirt, his lower legs mangled and bleeding from a roadside bomb explosion two years ago, he knew he was going to survive. The young tank commander also knew he was about to become a double amputee.
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Troops pick up the pieces after injuries

Troops pick up the pieces after injuries

By: Meghan Cooke, Staff Writer
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: State & National

Media Credit: Meghan Cooke
Cpt. Ray Baronie, a marine, lost a leg after a rocket struck his vehicle in Iraq in 2005. He now helps wounded soldiers as they recover.

CAMP LEJEUNE - While helping to move an Iraqi battalion across Ramadi in 2005, Marine Ray Baronie's vehicle suffered a rocket attack.Both his legs were crushed, and when he woke up in the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., he discovered he was facing amputation.Nearly three years and 46 operations later, Capt. Baronie serves as the executive officer of Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp Lejeune, where wounded Marines can share their experiences, build camaraderie and heal.

Where are they now? New legs will help vet regain old life

Where are they now? New legs will help vet regain old life
By Kate WiltroutThe Virginian-Pilot© March 18, 2008
NORFOLK
Jon Bartlett is finally learning how to run again.
Bartlett was a 19-year-old private first class when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb in September 2004 in Iraq. The blast tossed the vehicle hundreds of feet, turning it into a mess of shredded steel.

Wounded veterans smile on the slopes:

Wounded veterans smile on the slopes:
Skiing temporarily erases painful memories of war

Ian CroppMarch 12, 2008
The light was flat, the wind was blowing and there wasn’t much new snow to speak of. For most Vail skiers, it wasn’t a day to be on the mountain.But for a group of 27 wounded veterans at Vail’s Golden Peak, the skiing conditions were of little importance; last Thursday was a day on the mountain and that’s what counted.After some breakfast at the Larkspur restaurant inside the Golden Peak Lodge, the soldiers met up with their private instructors and headed to the adaptive skiing building next to the high-speed lift. Inside the building, a trio of double-amputee veterans waited to be outfitted on monoskis — a ski attached to a bucket-style seat. When all their equipment seemed to fit, they got back into their wheelchairs and headed to the slopes.

Sacrifice: Brett Favre's Last Ball Given to Army Amputee

Sacrifice: Brett Favre's Last Ball Given to Army Amputee



Giving of yourself for higher goals and purposes is always the high road. Brett Favre proved that for 270-some straight games for the Green Bay Packers. Playing through pain, broken bones, cracked things, sprained things, coughing up blood, he put himself out there for a higher purpose, for the benefit of his team, not himself.

Injured troops cut new path

Injured troops cut new path
By Bob Cohn
March 6, 2008

Teree Murphree (left) accompanied son Spc. Jesse Murphree (center) on Pennsylvania's Liberty Mountain for his return to skiing. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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FAIRFIELD, Pa. — Spc. E-4 Jesse Murphree returned to the slopes on Saturday morning. His grandfather recorded it all on a video camera and his mother followed down the hill on skis. Then she cried.



Until he enlisted in the Army two years ago, Spc. Murphree was a competitive snowboarder, one of those typical Colorado kids who first dons skis at age 6. Two days after Christmas while performing his duties as a gunner in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, his Humvee struck a roadside bomb. Spc. Murphree, 20, lost both legs.

Catch 22 for Housing Authority, veteran

Catch 22 for Housing Authority, veteran
An Aspen Times Editorial
February 27, 2008

The Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority and Iraq war veteran Casey Owens are in a no-win situation. Owens might lose his affordable housing because he makes too much money to live there, but the office is reluctant to kick out Owens — a 26-year-old former Marine and double amputee.

In a way, both the Housing Authority and Owens are victims in this situation. Owens’ landlord, Marne Obernauer, should have notified the office that Owens was moving in. Had Obernauer done so — as owners are required to do — then housing officials would have discovered right away that Owens didn’t qualify. (Owens is a Challenge Aspen participant and a member of the Challenge Aspen Competition Team, but draws income from a disability and military pension.)

Legion grants honor veterans' costly sacrifices

Posted February 23, 2008

Legion grants honor veterans' costly sacrifices

Brown County soldiers saluted at cemerony

By Tony Walter
twalter@greenbaypressgazette.com


Jim Wiesner's body is at home in Allouez, but too much of his mind is still on the streets of Baghdad.


"Seeing the kids actually killed, that just keeps coming back to you, and there are nightmares," said Wiesner, a 37-year-old veteran of the Wisconsin National Guard's military police. "It's just insane. You see the scars and the burns, and it just pulls at your heart."