Thursday, April 28, 2005

Soldiers, Community Gathers For Memorable Show

Soldiers, Community Gathers For Memorable Show

From the grand entry of the Marine Corps colorguard to the reading of names of local residents serving in the military, Thursday night's Talent Show at El Portal had patriotism at its core.

Standing ovations, plenty of cheers and more than one emotionally charged moment were featured, as the kids took the stage to display their talents and the community gathered to pay homage to those in service to our country.

[follow link for full article]

--Mentioned--
Joshua Olson

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Wounded Oregon soldier adjusts after mine attack

Wounded Oregon soldier adjusts after mine attack
‘Send me back,’ says Purple Heart winner Matthew Braddock
By BEN JACKLET Issue date: Tue, Apr 26, 2005
The Tribune

Matthew Braddock was driving a Humvee near Kirkuk, Iraq, when an anti-tank mine destroyed his vehicle and pulverized the bones in his feet.
“I remember smoke and stuff flying at me and my truck commander yelling, ‘Is everybody all right?’ ” he said. “My gunner yelled down that he was all right. And I yelled that I was all right because I thought I was.
“Then I took two steps and hit the ground.”
Quick action by his fellow Oregon National Guard soldiers saved Braddock’s life, but the best surgeons in the Army couldn’t save his left leg below the knee. Right before his amputation, he drew a dotted line on his ankle and wrote, “Cut Here.”
Braddock, a 24-year-old cavalry scout who was honored with the Purple Heart on Sunday in Forest Grove, is a casualty of a war where roadside bombs can turn a soldier’s world upside down in an instant. Roughly two-thirds of the injuries to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq come from explosions. The Iraq War’s 6 percent amputee rate is about double that of previous wars.

Hometown warriors return from Iraq

Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Hometown warriors return from Iraq

By LAUREL EDDY
The Daily Astorian
leddy@dailyastorian.com

LORI ASSA — The Daily Astorian
“All right, I know it's going to be my street,” is what Cannon Beach resident Arthur Duryea (with wife, Gena Duryea) says was going through his mind as they searched for a sniper down every street in an area of Najaf, Iraq.

‘I just love serving my country’
“Combat is for men,” Steven Baldwin declared after a year as an infantry “grunt” in Iraq. “It’s for warriors. A lot of people can’t handle it. It’s for the warrior who never accepts failure or defeat and drives on no matter what circumstance.”

Baldwin and Arthur Duryea, both corporals in the Second Battalion of the 162nd Infantry, returned home from Iraq March 16. Baldwin is from Warrenton and Duryea from Cannon Beach. Their all-volunteer Oregon National Guard battalion joined an Arkansas brigade that was short a battalion. The soldiers spent six months training before deploying to Iraq in March 2004.

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**mentioned in this article**
Lucas Wilson
Nicholas Bright

Monday, April 25, 2005

La Vergne Marine receives honor of lifetime at gala

La Vergne Marine receives honor of lifetime at gala
Young man lost arm during combat while in Iraq

By MAURA SATCHELL
msatchell@dnj.com

At 20, a young La Vergne Marine has experienced more than most folks do in two lifetimes since setting foot in Iraq more than a year ago with the 3rd Battalion 24th Marine Division Reserves.

Before joining the Marines division based in Nashville, Ryan Autery said he'd only flown twice in his life. Since going to Iraq, he's been on more flights than he cares to count. He's not crazy about air travel, he said, yet he flew to Washington, D.C., to be honored with other disabled veterans.

Autery lost part of his left arm in August 2004 in a combat situation that took the life of another Tennessee Marine reservist.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

**mentioned in this article**
Ryan Autery

Friday, April 22, 2005

Book about Civil War Amputees

North Carolina Office of Archives and History Historical Publications
4622 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4622

Contact: Frances W. Kunstling
Phone: 919-733-7442
Fax: 919-733-1439
E-mail: frances.kunstling@ncmail.net

Amputations constituted roughly 75 percent of all operations
performed during the Civil War. A new book from the North Carolina
Office of Archives and History examines the state's extensive program
to supply and fit its Confederate amputees with artificial arms and
legs.

Phantom Pain: North Carolina's Artificial-Limbs Program for
Confederate Veterans
, by Ansley Herring Wegner, surveys amputation's
place in Victorian medical science and the problems faced by disabled
veterans as they returned to civilian life. In this pioneering study
Wegner compares North Carolina's artificial-limbs program with those
of other former Confederate states. She concludes that North Carolina
was among the most progressive of the southern states in supporting
its disabled and maimed Confederate veterans.

After discussing the several types of artificial limbs patented by
inventors during the Civil War and its aftermath, Wegner explains the
response of recipients to their new limbs. While some of them
adjusted to the prostheses, others suffered from residual problems
associated with stumps that never healed properly. Many veterans
reported phantom pain from the amputated region.

Phantom Pain includes a useful index to records in the North Carolina
State Archives related to Civil War amputees and artificial-limb
recipients. The paperback volume is illustrated with pictures of
surgical instruments, artificial limbs, and veterans with their
prostheses.

Phantom Pain (261 pages, paperbound, illustrated, index) costs $15.00
plus $5.00 for shipping. North Carolina residents should include 7%
state sales tax. The book can be ordered from: Historical
Publications Section, Office of Archives and History, 4622 Mail
Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4622.

For credit card orders call (919) 733-7442 or use the Historical
Publications Section's secure online store at

Statistics Update

"The Army has cared for 253 "major limb" amputees, those who will require the use of a prosthetic limb or have lost a thumb or two or more fingers, through March 31."

[source]

Labels:

Casualties of War: Video Series

Casualties of War

In a series of exclusive reports you will find only on KATU, we bring you the stories of local soldiers who were injured in Iraq and who are now taking their next steps in life as amputees.

This unique series is brought to you by Reporter Anna Song and Photographer Chris Wilkinson, who spent time with amputee soldiers at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Introduction To The Series
lives that have been forever changed by war
Anna Song explains what motivated her to work on the series and we hear from the two Oregon soldiers who are featured in the stories. Watch the story

The Stories

Part 1: Rehabilitating the veterans of the Iraq war
Many soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq, but what about the ones who were left with serious injuries they will have for the rest of their lives? Watch the story


Part 2: Meet Sgt. Lucas Wilson
"There were days when I'd wake up and I just wouldn't get out of bed," Wilson says about his mental state after he lost his leg in Iraq. Watch the story


Part 3: Meet Sgt. Mike Buyas
"My ultimate goal is to put pants on and go out to a public place and just walk regular," Buyas says from the Walter Reed Medical Center . Watch the story


Part 4: Meet Maj. Tammy Duckworth
As one of the few female combat pilots, Duckworth stands out. "I don't think of myself as a female soldier, I think of myself as just a soldier." Watch the story

Part 5: How technology is helping amputee soldiers
At Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., amputee soldiers are benefiting from the latest in high-tech devices. Watch the story

Part 6: Vietnam veteran gives back to today's amputees
As a young man, Jack Farley found himself halfway around the world in the jungles of Vietnam, witnessing the horror of war. Watch the story


Followup To The Series

Three local soldiers united by war
It has been said that in war boys become men and three Oregon soldiers made that transition together after coming under attack in Iraq. Watch the story

'Always look at the brighter side of life'
"One of the main things you need to do is always keep a good attitude," says Spc. Matthew Braddock, who became an amputee. Watch the story

Volunteers sought for two studies at VA hospital

Volunteers sought for two studies at VA hospital
01:00 AM EDT on Monday, April 11, 2005


Planning for two research studies is under way at the VA Medical Center on Chalkstone Avenue in Providence, according to Jim Burrows, director of communication. The first involves amputees and the second seeks to learn more about the experiences of injured soldiers coming back from war.

One research study invites old and new amputees to report how they are managing with prosthetic limbs . The study will measure health, quality of life and mobility.

During two visits, for which volunteers will be compensated $20 per session, veterans with lower limb loss will answer questions about the use, wear and comfort of their artificial limbs and will have their walking, strength and balance tested.

The study is part of The Center for Restorative and Regenerative Medicine, a research collaboration between the VA Medical Center, Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For more information or to volunteer, phone Beverly Medeiros at (401) 273-7100, ext. 2429.

The second study seeks to learn more about the experiences of soldiers injured in Iraq or Afghanistan who have returned to life in New England. The study is led by Dr. Linda Resnik, a research health scientist and physical therapist at the VA Medical Center. Resnik has clinical responsibilities in the amputee clinic and works closely with faculty at Brown's Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research.

Study participants will take part in either a discussion group or an interview lasting from 60 to 90 minutes in which they will talk about the challenges they have faced since returning home, how they cope with daily life and the ways their lives have changed.

Participants will receive $20.

To volunteer or for more information, phone Resnik at (401) 273-7100, ext. 2368, or (401) 863-9214.

Wounded servicemembers fill plates, nourish spirits at weekly Steak Night

Wounded servicemembers fill plates, nourish spirits at weekly Steak Night
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, April 22, 2005


WASHINGTON, D.C. — It’s Friday at Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse in the basement of Capital Hilton hotel, just blocks from the White House, and there’s a party in the back room where the discreet dark of the main restaurant suddenly gives way to a glare of light, smoke and noise.

At first glance, it looks like a typical gathering of military members and their families.

But look again: The young men with close-cut hair gathering around the bar are deftly managing casts, bandages and prosthetic limbs as they bum cigarettes and tell jokes.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2005

One fantastic lady lives an inspirational tale

One fantastic lady lives an inspirational tale
Army National Guard member Tammy Duckworth was injured in Iraq, but her determination and spirit inspires others

By Diane Strand

What was that guy griping about?

Oh, yeah. It was going to rain Saturday so he couldn’t golf.

And what had her down? She was having a bad hair day?

They should meet Tammy Duckworth.

[partial text onlyl; follow link for full article]


**mentioned in this article**
Tammy Duckworth

Veterans find calm in water's rapids

Veterans find calm in water's rapids
Apr. 20, 2005

J. Adam Fenster/The Gazette
Marine 1st Lt. Chuck Hayter teases 7-year-old Hannah Schelp of Kensington after his first time kayaking as her father Paul and volunteer instructor Sarah Anderson look on. A group of kayakers from Bethesda started the program last August, working with wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Army Hopes to Stem Combat Deaths With New First-Aid Training

Army Hopes to Stem Combat Deaths With New First-Aid Training
BY DAVID WOOD
c.2005 Newhouse News Service


WASHINGTON -- Pinned down under enemy fire with an injured buddy -- his leg blown off, his face a mass of blood -- a soldier should first squeeze in behind the wounded man, allowing his body to absorb the incoming bullets, then yank a tourniquet onto the bleeding stump. When there is a lull in the firing, he should drag his buddy to cover, jam a rubber tube down his nose and turn him on his side so he won't choke.

That's the new first-aid curriculum being taught to all the Army's basic recruits, a sobering but realistic new requirement the Army thinks could save about 10 percent of the soldiers who now die in battle.

Over two years in Iraq, the most common causes of death among the 1,179 combat fatalities have been bleeding from arms or legs that have been smashed or explosively amputated, and bleeding or choking from serious facial wounds.

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Monday, April 18, 2005

Northeast Fla. Soldier Loses Leg In Iraq

Northeast Fla. Soldier Loses Leg In Iraq

POSTED: 4:24 pm EDT April 18, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The cost of war hit close to home for one St. Johns County family when their son, a local soldier stationed in Iraq, lost his leg to a roadside bomb that exploded near his convoy. Army Specialist Chad Smith suffered such severe wounds from the blast that his leg had to be amputated.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

**mentioned in this article**

Saturday, April 16, 2005

In Iraq, he lost a leg; here, he has a new life

In Iraq, he lost a leg; here, he has a new life

BY ALAN BJERGA
Eagle Washington bureau


WASHINGTON - Capt. Lonnie Moore ambled down a street in a Maryland suburb, past a Borders bookstore a few blocks from Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"That's probably my favorite place to hang out," Moore said. "I'll spend an afternoon, reading. I used to look at the people in Borders and think, 'All those hippie beatniks.' And here I am."

But this time he kept walking, to a tuxedo shop down the block, where he needed to rent an outfit for a Wounded Warrior Project ball in New York. Moore might need to give a speech -- he's a spokesman for the group -- so he needed to get errands done beforehand. He walked, and walked, marching with a noticeable limp but at a pretty normal pace.

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Friday, April 15, 2005

Amputee Soldier to Compete in Boston Marathon

Amputee Soldier to Compete in Boston Marathon
American Forces Press Service
April 15, 2005

WASHINGTON - A soldier will compete in the Boston Marathon April 18, a year to the day after an improvised explosive device blast in Baghdad, Iraq, cost him his right leg.

Army Staff Sgt. Hilbert Caesar will hand-crank his custom sports wheelchairs in the annual race. A former member of the 4th Battalion, 27th Infantry, from Baumholder, Germany, Caesar was the first soldier to cross the finish line in the New York City Marathon in November. In a field of 83 hand-crank bicyclists, Caesar finished in 17th place, with a time of 1 hour, 53 minutes.

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Thursday, April 14, 2005

Tiffin G.I. has no regrets after losing part of leg

Tiffin G.I. has no regrets after losing part of leg
By STEVE MURPHY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Army Staff Sgt. Justin Shellhammer lost part of his left leg in a mine explosion last week in Afghanistan, but the Tiffin native considers himself fortunate.
"I'm just doing my job like everybody else in the military," Sergeant Shellhammer, 26, said in a telephone interview yesterday from his room in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he's recuperating.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

** mentioned in this article **
Justin Shellhammer

Soldier’s recall is of hero who saved him

Soldier’s recall is of hero who saved him

By Liz Zemba
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 14, 2005

A Connellsville man who was pulled from the burning wreckage of a bombed Humvee in Iraq made it clear Wednesday who he has to thank for sparing his life.
“At 2:30 today, his first words were, ‘Scot Sage saved my life, mom,’” Sheila Boots said yesterday of her son, Pennsylvania Army National Guardsman Spc. Timothy “Timmy” Boots.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

** mentioned in this article **
Tim Boots

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Guardsman risked it all to save others

Guardsman risked it all to save others

By Liz Zemba
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 13, 2005


Sheila Boots didn't have to ask who pulled her trapped son to safety from a burning Humvee last Thursday in Iraq.
The Connellsville woman already knew.

"I've known Scotty Sage for 15 years, and I knew that he saved my boy's life," Boots said Tuesday night from the bedside of her wounded son, Pennsylvania Army National Guardsman Spc. Timothy "Timmy" Boots, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.


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Local legion will assist injured soldiers, their families

Local legion will assist injured soldiers, their families

By Mark Hofmann
DAILY COURIER
Wednesday, April 13, 2005


A local American Legion post will assist the families of the four area soldiers who were injured in Iraq last week, while an aunt of one of the soldiers may try to raise money to help the families.
When Sue Harvey, of Connellsville, found out her nephew, Pennsylvania Army National Guardsman Spc. Kevin Claycomb, 35, of Scottdale, was one of the four soldiers injured when their Humvee was hit by a car bomb outside of Mosul, she knew she had to do something.

"I want to do what I can to help not just my nephew, but for the other three soldiers that were injured," said Harvey.

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Tuesday, April 12, 2005

IRAQ : Amputee Achieves Goal: Returns to Iraq

IRAQ : Amputee Achieves Goal: Returns to Iraq


CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, April 12, 2005 – An Army captain who lost his lower right ankle and foot to injury while deployed during the initial stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom has returned.
Capt. David M. Rozelle, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo., is the first amputee to return to a combat zone.

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Two local soldiers injured in Iraq

Two local soldiers injured in Iraq
By Judy Kroeger
DAILY COURIER
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

"He's alive, that's the most important thing," said Sheila Boots, of Connellsville, whose son, Spc. Tim Boots, 23, was critically injured in Iraq last Thursday.

Tim Boots is currently being treated in Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.

He and three other members of the Army National Guard Task Force 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor Bravo Company, out of Connellsville, were injured when their Humvee was hit by a car bomb outside of Mosul.

[Full text only; follow link for full article]

**Mentioned in this article**
Tim Boots

Connellsville-based Guardsmen injured in car bombing

Connellsville-based Guardsmen injured in car bombing

By Liz Zemba and Chuck Brittain
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Several Army National Guard soldiers serving in Iraq with a unit based in Connellsville were seriously injured, including a Fayette County man who had a leg amputated, when their armored vehicle was struck by a car bomb.
Military officials could not be reached for comment last night, but according to a memo sent to families and obtained by the Tribune-Review, at least three soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor, were evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, for treatment immediately after the April 7 attack


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Sunday, April 10, 2005

Bound by sports, wounds of war

Bound by sports, wounds of war
Soldier-athletes share the grief of lost limbs

By Juliet Macur
The New York Times

April 10, 2005

WASHINGTON · For 25 days at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Spc. Danielle Green wondered if anyone could ever understand. But on the 26th day, a nurse told her: "A new female patient came in today. You have a lot in common."

"Really?" Green said, and the nurse nodded.

Like Green, the new patient was a 20-something firecracker, a 5-foot-8 former college basketball player, an Army soldier in the military police serving in Iraq.

Like Green, she also knew how it felt to have a rocket-propelled grenade shoot through her arm. Green's left hand had been torn off.

In the intensive care unit one floor below, 1st Lt. Dawn Halfaker lay in a coma, battered and swollen after surviving an ambush. Her right arm was attached to her body by sinews.

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Working, waiting, worrying

Working, waiting, worrying
On the ground with Fort Carson-based 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
By Bruce Finley
Denver Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 10, 2005 -
South of Baghdad, Iraq - Hot gravel crunching beneath their boots, Pfc. Nicholas Sauceda and seven fellow soldiers gathered around the broken engine of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle on Thursday afternoon. They ran their fingers over the metal searching for an oil leak.


...

Now Capt. David Rozelle, 32, the company commander, wanted it fixed. Rozelle stood in the shade of a shipping container, watching. He lost his lower right leg when a Humvee he was riding in set off a land mine his first time in Iraq, in June 2003 in the western Anbar province.

After a few months back at Fort Carson with his wife and toddler, Rozelle became the first amputee to return for a second tour in Iraq. When his war is over, he's slated to go to work at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

...

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Friday, April 08, 2005

Prosthetics company responds to wars' casualties

Prosthetics company responds to wars' casualties
by Kevin J. Shay
Staff Writer
Apr. 8, 2005

The war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan have meant more business to a variety of Maryland companies, large and small. Bethesda defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp., for instance, builds weapons systems such as the P-3C naval aircraft used there and trains troops on simulators to defend against attacks.

At the other end of the spectrum, in scope and mission, is Hanger Orthopedic Group, a Bethesda orthotics and prosthetics company. The company is one of many in its industry to offer artificial limbs and help treat wounded U.S. troops who return from the wars.

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Broncos extend thanks to troops

Broncos extend thanks to troops
Players visit wounded at Naval, Army medical centers

By Anne C. Mulkern
Denver Post Staff Writer

Bethesda, Md. - The tall, broad-shouldered men in orange and blue jerseys flooded into the hallway at the National Naval Medical Center, a trail of onlookers gathering behind.

Military workers filled the corridors, hoping to catch a glimpse or even a photograph with Broncos players Mike Anderson, John Lynch, Jake Plummer, Jeb Putzier and Brad- lee Van Pelt.

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USO honors patients and staff from Walter Reed and Bethesda

USO honors patients and staff from Walter Reed and Bethesda

by Dennis Ryan
Pentagram staff writer

Country music superstar Wynonna Judd, actor Connie Stevens and many high-ranking military officers were on hand for the USO of Metropolitan Washington's annual awards dinner Tuesday night at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City. But the real stars of the evening were the service men and women rehabilitating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda.

[partial text only; follow link for full article]

**mentioned in this article**
Joseph Worley
Tammy Duckworth
Charles Hayter
Anthony Pizzifred

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

'Always look at the brighter side of life'

'Always look at the brighter side of life'

April 6, 2005

- By Anna Song
and KATU Web Staff
Vancouver, Wash. - Matthew Braddock is not bitter or angry, but is instead grateful that he did not lose more than just part of his leg while in Iraq.

Braddock became an amputee when the Humvee he was driving was hit by a land mine in Kirkuk.

"My helmet, my eye protection had gotten blown off and my body armor had opened up," he says about that day. "It was crazy."

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Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Amputee still fighting

Amputee still fighting
Web Posted: 04/05/2005 11:25 AM CDT

Sig Christenson
Express-News Military Writer

Senior Airman Anthony Pizzifred squeezed off a burst of rounds from a darkened corner as a group of soldiers rushed him.

Senior Airman Anthony Pizzifred fires blanks during a training exercise at Camp Bullis. He is preparing to take a series of physical fitness tests and hopes to return to combat.

Two fell.
He took a third prisoner.

"Where are they at?" Pizzifred demanded of the prisoner as machine gun fire echoed. "Do you know where they're going?"

By all appearances, it was another training day at an urban warfare site on Camp Bullis, with Pizzifred and his opposition force wreaking havoc on young Air Force trainees.

But his "captive," Airman 1st Class Tina Stamp, 19, had no idea that Pizzifred is an amputee who lost part of his left leg to a land mine in Afghanistan.

In past conflicts, someone such as Pizzifred, 20, might have been forced out of the service. And so far, most of those who have lost limbs in Afghanistan and Iraq have elected to leave the armed services. But advances in prosthetic limb technology and an evolution in thinking have some amputees back on the career track.

"Soldiers are soldiers, and they're going to have to adhere to a standard," said Col. Mark Bagg, a doctor who heads the orthopedic department at Brooke Army Medical Center, which has treated 35 troops since opening an amputee center Jan. 14. "But I think there is an acceptance that they can still make the standard to be a good soldier."

The Army has cared for 253 "major limb" amputees, those who will require the use of a prosthetic limb or have lost a thumb or two or more fingers, through March 31.

The Air Force did not provide statistics, but the Army has treated three airmen who have lost limbs since 9-11. All fight to do things most folks take for granted, such as walking, showering or fastening their trousers.

Those wanting to stay in the services — or, like Pizzifred, return to war — face a battery of exams, scrutiny from medical boards and still more tests, all designed to show they're fit for battlefield duty.

The odds are against them. Those most likely to continue to serve have below-the-knee amputations. Debate ensues in the Army medical community over providing care for them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Retired Army Gen. Frederick Franks lost a leg in Vietnam but led 100,000 British and American soldiers in Gulf War I. Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake got his wings back after losing his left leg to a Maryland motocross accident.

So far, 90 soldiers have been medically separated or retired, but a few are doing their old jobs. One soldier is flying helicopters again, and another has returned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he's parachuting out of planes. Six others have successfully battled to stay on duty. Only one — Capt. David Rozelle, who lost his right foot — is serving in Iraq.

"Is it unusual? Yes, it's unusual. Is it unheard of? No," retired Marine Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor said, noting one soldier he commanded in Vietnam had just one leg.

Pizzifred's path to life as an amputee airman began at the ruins of the World Trade Center six months after 9-11. Deciding to act, he joined the Air Force, trained at Lackland AFB and was assigned to Security Forces. Life as an Air Force cop led him to an undetected land mine at Bagram Air Base, likely a leftover of Russia's occupation.

"When I stepped down on (the mine), I didn't really know what happened and I didn't have any pain at that point," said Pizzifred, a 21/2-year veteran. "I stepped on it, a big dust cloud, my friend got blown away from me and I kind of just stood there on one leg — well, at this time I know it was one leg. I didn't know it at that point."

Rushed to the base combat hospital, Pizzifred was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and he underwent two operations. He then went to Walter Reed Medical Center. The first person he met there was Lourake, the Air Force pilot.

"It's going to be OK," he said.

"Yeah, right," Pizzifred replied.

Lourake rolled up a trouser leg. Under it was his prosthesis.

Pizzifred didn't know it at the time, but his comeback had begun. Celebrities, Pentagon civilian leaders and old soldiers often meet troops at Walter Reed, but Lourake stopped by each week. He took Pizzifred and his mother on day trips.

"I could ask you right now about amputees, and there is no way unless you know somebody or you looked into it that you'd know what I'm talking about," Pizzifred said. "But I can talk to Col. Lourake or talk to Gen. Franks or talk to any of the Air Force guys I know who've basically gotten blown up and lost a limb, and we have a certain way of talking about it."

It's a rough language rooted in painful, multiple operations, grueling rehabilitation and the adjustment to a new self-image. Some amputees say they have "more leg missing" than others. They may accuse a soldier missing his foot of not being a "real" amputee.

Amputees themselves become counselors, with those in the late stages of their rehabilitation visiting new amputees. It's also important to get them closer to their families and buddies, which is why the Army opened an amputee center at BAMC, three hours from Fort Hood.

Inspired by Franks and Lourake, Pizzifred focused on upper-body strength while doctors stripped out dead tissue in his shrapnel-riddled leg. He did 50 sit-ups a day despite being in a morphine-induced fog.

A month after stepping on the mine, he got prosthetic leg, made to fit a stump 6 inches below his knee. Pizzifred walked that day with the help of crutches. A few weeks later, he was using a cane. Then, on May 10, he walked on his own while at a base hotel in Minot, N.D.

Determined to stay in the Air Force, Pizzifred breezed through the agility and physical fitness tests required for passing his medical board.

The next hurdle was persuading commanders to let him continue in Security Forces. That involved tackling and handcuffing a linebacker-sized physical therapy assistant, running 11/2 miles and doing a series of low and high crawls.

Pizzifred won a request to be a Security Forces instructor at Lackland, the sole training facility for the field, but had adjustments to make there as well. Most airmen initially didn't know about his artificial leg, and at least one reacted with disbelief when told of it.

"I'm tired of answering the same thing to every single person," said Pizzifred, who must pass a final series of physical fitness tests before deploying to a war zone this year.

"It's like, 'Look, I'm in the military, I have an active duty ID card, I do everything that you do. There's not a lot of difference between you and me. If anything, I have a better leg than you now.'"

On a perfect spring day at Camp Bullis, he crouched behind a tree as a dozen airmen walked into an ambush. The only hint that something wasn't right was his left calf; it was markedly thinner then the right one.

"When I first met him, I had no idea," said Staff Sgt. Justin Rhodes, 29, a Security Forces instructor from Wichita Falls.

Staff Sgt. Rick Dickey, 28, of San Bernardino, Calif., was equally impressed.

"If nobody told me, I wouldn't know any better," Dickey said

Brooks Family Leaves for Washington

Brooks Family Leaves for WashingtonSOUTHAVEN — The family of Army Specialist William E. Brooks, the 23-year-old Southaven soldier who lost both legs to an insurgent explosion in Iraq, will arrive in Washington D.C. today.


The special reunion with his parents, Larry and Carolyn Brooks and his 22-year-old girlfriend April Stafford, will take place later tonight. William Brooks may still be in too much pain to be conscious during the visit.
“We’re really excited,” said Stafford as she packed her bags late Monday for the early Tuesday morning flight. The trio will travel to Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington where Brooks will undergo rehabilitation.
“He is still critical but stable,” said Stafford, who met Brooks three years ago when the two were attending Mississippi State University.
William Brooks was a student at MSU when he was called to duty and deployed with the 155th in January after training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg.

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**mentioned in this article**
William Brooks

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Injured soldiers share war stories

By Glenda Taylor
The Daily Times

Published April 02, 2005

Each day, the American public, through the media, is provided with the numbers of casualties resulting from the most recent battles of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

But meet a soldier who has been seriously injured in the War on Terrorism, and the realities of war become very clear.

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** mentioned in this article**
Chad Johnson