 On Behalf Of A Forever Grateful Nation. A Soldier is not Dead until they are Forgotten...
|
|
On Behalf Of A Forever Grateful Nation. A Soldier is not Dead until they are Forgotten...
|
|
|
|
You will read the thank you statement at the bottom of each table with photographs and a history of each hero and what they have gone through since some disaster has changed their lives permanently. THANK YOU seems so inadequate at this time but it is all I have for the true heroes returning to the United States and I mean it from the bottom of my heart.
I HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO ON THIS
PAGE. |
|
|
|
Two U.S. Army soldiers belonging to the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division are taken away for medical evacuation after a remote controlled explosive device hit their vehicle in the city of Tikrit, about 180 km (110 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq on Saturday Aug. 2, 2003. In all, three men were injured. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) |
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
| 001-Prosthesis Dennis Clark tries
to pinpoint the source of pain Specialist Sean Lewis experienced
while trying on his first prosthetic leg. Lewis was injured in a
mortar attack in Iraq. Specialist Lorie Jewell |
|
|
B.J. was born on June 12, 1981 in Des Moines, Iowa. He graduated in May, 1999 from Lincoln High School in Des Moines, Iowa. October 1999, B.J. enlisted in the National Guard, underwent Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia where he learned skills as a Supply and small arms specialist. After National Guard training, B.J. returned to Iowa where he worked various roofing, home improvement and landscaping jobs until his Guard Unit received orders for active duty in February of 2003. February 2003, through March of 2003, B. J.'s unit left Iowa for Wisconsin for additional military training.
May through August 2003, B.J worked with his unit performing various Military Police duties and engaging in convoy support around Baghdad. August 7, 2003, B.J. was enjoying his first day off from duty in nearly a month and was visiting the commercial district of Baghdad. He was driving a vehicle with two other soldiers riding with him. The vehicle struck a land mine and was then immediately hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Several hours lapsed as solders fought off the terrorist attack and worked to extract B.J. from his vehicle and transport him to safety.
November 2003, B.J. had recovered enough to begin the process of learning to use his prosthetic legs. Remarkably, by early December, he was skiing on his new legs at a resort in Breckenridge, Colorado Has B.J's injury changed his life? He jokes that once he is discharged from the National Guard, he doubts that he will take up roofing. His message to fellow Veterans who may face similar challenges as a result of serious war injuries is one of strength and optimism. “You only limit yourself, don't let anyone limit you,” says Jackson.
|
|
|
|
BRANDON ERICKSON |
|
|
|
A TRUE
AMERICAN HERO.
|
|
|
|
Marine Lance Corporals Joseph Newman (left) and Jimmy Guerra, combat casualties from Operation Iraqi Freedom, pick up donated clothes in the Deployed Warrior Medical Management Center at Landstuhl Army Medical Center, Germany. Guerra, a reservist from Los Angeles, Calif., and Newman, from Herndon, Va., received clothes, underwear, shoes and toiletries. (Photo by Army Sgt. Phillip Breedlove) TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
CORPORAL AARON RICE HUGS HIS TWIN AFTER LOSING LEG |
2resized.jpg)
resized.jpg) |
|
Private First Class Ryan Rice hugs his twin brother, Lance Corporal Aaron Rice, who lost his left leg during a land mine explosion in Iraq, after the graduation ceremony at the Peatross Parade Deck. Ryan was informed of his brother's condition only days before he stepped off to the Crucible. The twins will be stationed together in the same Marine Corps Reserve unit in Mississippi, where Aaron will continue his reserve duty status. |
| Photo by: Lance Corporal Darhonda V. Hall |
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
|
|
AARON
BLAKELY WITH FRIENDS ~ ALL THREE HEROES |
| CAPTAIN ROZELLE WILL RETURN TO IRAQ |
 |
| Captain David Rozelle of the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment will soon become the Army's first amputee from a wound suffered in Iraq to return to active duty. Rozelle was injured when an anti-tank mine destroyed part of his right foot and leg. |
| Photographs Courtesy of the Rozelle family |
|
A TRUE
AMERICAN HERO.
|
|
|
|
Specialist Charles Mays, 31, wounded during his Army service in Iraq, with his daughter Olivia, 3, at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center in Tampa, Florida He says he is determined to walk again. |
|
A TRUE
AMERICAN HERO.
|
|
J.R. was born on June 14, 1983 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from Dalton High School in Dalton, GA in May 2002. September 2002—Jose enlisted in the United States Army and underwent Basic Training and Advanced Training at Fort Benning, Georgia where he learned skills as an 11-B Infantryman. Following his training Jose returned home to Dalton, Georgia and reported to Fort Campbell, Kentucky in January of 2003 where he was assigned to his unit 2/502 Delta Company. His unit received deployment orders to Iraq in February of 2003. March 9, 2003—Jose’s unit arrived in Kuwait. March through April 2003—Jose and his unit were patrolling through the cities of southern Iraq. April 5, 2003—Jose was the driver of a Humvee military vehicle with three other solders in the city of kabala when his vehicle hit a landmine. Jose was airlifted to Kuwait for immediate care and was later transported to a military hospital in Germany for additional treatment. April 9, 2003—Jose arrived at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas to start his long term healing and therapy. He suffered severe burns to more than 40% of his body.
June, 2003—Jose had recovered enough to be allowed a brief trip home to Dalton, Georgia to see his family.
Jose has
undergone nearly 30 surgical procedures at the Brooke Army
Medical Center ranging from skin grafts to cosmetic surgery.
He acknowledges that a terrible
He tells his fellow wounded war heroes that the love of family and good friends, along with the ability to believe in yourself, makes anything in life possible.
|
|
Shrapnel seared the left side of Tracy Reep's face. The rocket-propelled grenade that spewed shrapnel did its damage quickly, ripping two fingers from his left hand and severely wounding his shoulder, hand and elbow.
The Nov. 11, 2003, ambush on a road in Iraq left Reep blind in his left eye and ended his tour as a Texas Army National Guard member. It also meant that, eight months after returning home to Dallas, Reep had to learn how to do his job as a restaurant management recruiter with his altered physical condition. (Photos: Robert Jackson isn't limiting himself) "I only have
eight fingers and see out of one eye, and that affects the
speed in which I process work," says Reep, 36, a father of
two boys, 12 and 10. "But at the end of the day, you're
drawing a paycheck that supports your family, and that's a
huge part of the healing."
A TRUE
AMERICAN HERO.
|
|||||||||
|
Petty Officer Pete Herrick $83,000 was raised they are still and counting, $65,000 of which will go to the construction of a new home for the family of Petty Officer Pete Herrick, a Naval Reservist, from Fort White, Florida. In March 2004, Herrick’s unit was called to active duty and assigned to Iraq. On his very first mission, Herrick’s unit fell under mortar attack, leaving five of his platoon dead and 33 wounded. When Petty Officer Herrick regained consciousness, he was in a Navy hospital in Bethesda with his wife, Diana. He awoke to the news that he was paralyzed from the neck down and his left leg had been amputated.
Despite the
emotional and physical challenges caused by Pete’s
disability, the Herrick family has remained upbeat and
is extremely appreciative of the outpouring of love they
have received. During next year’s event, it is my hope
that the Herrick family will join our effort to support
additional families in need. TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES. |
|
Josh Forbess Josh Forbess was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, with his older brother.
In high school,
Josh played varsity football and wrestled for Eisenhower
High School. While growing up, he found more pleasure in
sports than anything else. He always aspired to be an NFL
football star until right after high school when “reality
kicked in.” On November 15, 2003, while flying over Mosul, Iraq, Josh’s Black Hawk helicopter collided with another Black Hawk. He was one of only five to survive. Josh was the Sergeant of the mission and has struggled greatly with the loss of his soldiers; it has been his greatest challenge. He has also had to learn how to walk again and reintegrate with society. Aiding him in these challenges is JR Martinez, who visited Josh’s hospital room daily. JR is also a veteran and he helped Josh realize that in spite of his serious burns, he is the same person. With time, Josh has become more self-confident. Josh will be attending the SAH conference. He said: “it’s not so much about me, but sharing my story, hearing others’ stories, and mutually benefiting from each others’ experiences.”
Josh is engaged
to be married on July 30, 2005. He is 27 years old. A TRUE
AMERICAN HERO.
|
|
|
|
I SELECTED
THIS PHOTO TO ACCENT THE HEROES WE DON'T THINK ABOUT. THEY ARE
THE SOLDIERS THAT SHOW SO MUCH RESPECT WHEN THEY HAVE THE JOB TO
BRING HOME OUR HEROES LOST TO THE CONFLICT. THEY ALL SEEM TO
SHOW A GREAT DEAL OF CALM FOR THE DEAD SOLDIERS THAT IT IS THEIR
JOB TO MOVE, CARRY AND SEND TO A DESTINATION HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES. I WISH TO THANK THEM TOO ON BEHALF OF A GRATEFUL NATION. |
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES |
|
 |
Army Sgt.
Dustin Hill |
 |
Army Specialist Matthew Houston Specialist Houston, who lost his left leg near Samarra, Iraq, said a new prosthetic leg is giving him a new lease on life as he prepares for his future and the upcoming birth of his daughter. Photo by Donna Miles |
|
Lt. Dawn Halfaker and soldiers from her military police platoon were on a reconnaissance patrol in Baqouba, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded inside their armored Humvee, grievously wounding two of the soldiers inside. Dazed and covered in blood, Halfaker mustered the energy to give an order to her driver. "Get out of the kill zone!" she shouted. Halfaker's right arm was loosely connected to her torso. In the front passenger seat, Staff Sgt. Norberto Lara was in worse shape. His right arm, Halfaker remembers, was severed, a devastating but not mortal wound. Six days later, Halfaker was a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, about to lose her arm to a life-threatening infection. Today, as she completes her rehabilitation, Halfaker is considering several job offers in Washington and planning to attend graduate school at Georgetown University after leaving the Army. She is one of five American military women at Walter Reed who have lost limbs from combat injuries in Iraq, a war that marks the first time large numbers of female troops have faced prolonged exposure to daily combat. |
|
|
Major Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth The most severely injured of the amputees is Major Ladda "Tammy" Duckworth, an Illinois Army National Guard pilot who lost both legs when a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into her Black Hawk helicopter near Balad on Nov. 12. Duckworth says doctors told her she survived because the heat from the explosion cauterized her leg wounds. That prevented her from bleeding to death after her co-pilot landed the aircraft. Normally, Duckworth says, someone with her injuries might have died from blood loss in a matter of minutes. Five months after the attack, Duckworth, 37, is recuperating at Walter Reed and learning how to perform life's most basic chores. She lost her right leg close to the hip and her left leg below the knee, and is just now learning to walk with artificial legs.
|
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Amputee Camp Draws
Trans-Continental Crowd
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Loudon, left, of Cheltenham, PA; Ignacio Medrano of Los Angeles; Yousef Irshaid, of Melbourne, FL; and Keith Mann, of Plainfield, NJ; sharpened their passing and defensive skills in short field / small goal drills |
Larry Chloupec, left, marks-up on Birmingham's Robert Spotswood.
|
|
Jim Loudon, left, of Cheltenham, PA; Ignacio Medrano of Los Angeles; Yousef Irshaid, of Melbourne, FL; and Keith Mann, of Plainfield, NJ; sharpened their passing and defensive skills in short field / small goal drills. Hard sweat and satisfaction were the rule as players from as far away as California, Minnesota and Florida converged on New Castle, Delaware June 3-5 for the 2005 Amputee Soccer Summer Camp. The camp attracted a number of first time players as well as old friends and seasoned veterans to the Kirkwood Soccer Complex, home of the American Amputee Soccer Eastern Regional Training Center. |
|
 |
|
| Keith Mann, left, Dave Marshall of Bensalem, PA; and Larry Chloupec, of Washington, DC; work against first-time keeper, Eric Westover, of Minneapolis. | Josh Sundquist,
of Harrisonburg, VA, makes the transition to offense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
ALAN
JERMAINE LEWIS |
|
|
|
THIS SOLDIER
IS JUST ONE OF |
|
|
 |
 |
|
RYAN KELLY |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
TRUE
AMERICAN HEROES.
|
|
WE THANK YOU! |
|
I WISH I COULD ADD EVERY PERSON WHO HAS SERVED OUR NATION ON THIS PAGE OR THIS SITE BUT IT IS JUST NOT POSSIBLE. FOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST, I AM PROFOUNDLY SORRY AND THOSE WHO WE SEE HERE, I AM SO VERY THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. |
 |
|
  |
THANK YOU
Quote From
Rep. Rahm Emanuel
[D-IL]
June 23, 2005
"We owe these brave men and
women, and their families,
a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid."
| © 2005/2006 Layout and Design |
April
2003, B.J. arrived in Kuwait to await orders for deployment in
Iraq. Then B.J. was selected to be part of an advance team
tasked with setting up camp and headquarters for his entire
unit's arrival in Iraq. His unit was positioned just outside of
Baghdad. 
B.J.
was airlifted to an Iraqi field hospital for immediate care and
was then taken to Kuwait and on to Germany for additional
treatment. He arrived at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San
Antonio, Texas on August 12th to begin long-term recovery and
re-habilitation from severe burns and the loss of both legs
below the knees. 
experience
changed his life forever; it is change for the best. His
wounds taught him that a person’s best qualities are not
displayed on the outside—it’s what’s inside a person that
matters most. Jose has a very positive outlook on life and
he is dedicated to using his personal experience—his ongoing
recovery—and new opportunities in life as a way to reach out
to others to offer inspiration and comfort.
i
