Wounded Warriors Return To Iraq
(July 4, 2009) |
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Left to right; U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Brown, retired Staff Sgt. Bradley Gruetzner, and Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell, soldiers wounded in combat while deployed to Iraq, walk through “Hero's Highway” at Air Force Theater Hospital before returning to Camp Victory after a visit to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, June 25, 2009. Brown, Gruetner, Burrell, and four other soldiers had the opportunity to return to Iraq and to visit the places they once served.
U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brian A. Barbour� |
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Joint Base Balad,
Iraq, June 29, 2009 Six
wounded soldiers, all amputees, returned here last week
hoping to close the door on the combat that changed them
forever.
The last time Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell was in Iraq, he
was pulled from a burning vehicle in Baghdad's Sadr City
neighborhood. A tourniquet applied by another soldier saved
his life, but a nurse here at the Air Force Theater Hospital
had to break the tragic news—his left leg was gone, taken by
an explosively formed projectile.
Now, almost a year and a half later, and after months of
rehabilitation and physical therapy at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Burrell returned to Iraq
with five other amputee combat veterans as
part of Operation Proper Exit. |
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”I don't remember much, but I remember my
nurse,” Burrell said. ”Shelly. She was an angel, there to
comfort me when I was in a difficult spot.“
Operation Proper Exit, a United Service Organizations pilot
program sponsored by the Army and the Troops First
Foundation, allows soldiers wounded in combat to return to
Iraq. The goal of the program is to give the soldiers an
opportunity for closure, and to see the progress made in
securing and stabilizing the country, Burrell said.
”It kind of helps you heal mentally and emotionally, to
close that chapter in your life so you can move on,” he
said. ”The progress that's been made—it shows that we made a
sacrifice but it was for a reason.”
The six veterans, who were accompanied by civilians with the
Troops First Foundation, toured the Air Force theater
hospital here, speaking with medical personnel. Most of the
soldiers received some kind of treatment at the hospital
before they moved to Germany for further medical care.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jamal Hogan, a nurse here, said he
remembers providing medical care for two of the soldiers
during a previous deployment in 2007.
”It's awesome,” he said, hugging one of his former patients,
”to know that people made it—he's alive, walking around.
That means a lot to me.”
Following the hospital tour, the veterans participated in a
town hall-style meeting, which began with a standing ovation
by about 200 soldiers at a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation
facility here.
After telling the audience their personal war stories, the
veterans fielded questions ranging from how they dealt with
physical recovery to post traumatic stress disorder to their
long-term goals.
Sgt. Robert Brown, who lost his right leg to sniper fire in
September 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq, said he is training to
qualify for the U.S. rowing team at the 2012 Paralympic
games in London.
Near the end of the meeting, a young soldier stood up and
asked them, with everything they've experienced, if they
would be willing to return for another tour in Afghanistan
or Iraq.
All six nodded.
”Sure, we'd go back,” one said. “We're here with you right
now, aren't we?” | |
U.S. Army 3rd
Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2009
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