Modern War Heroes

I found this site with some pretty spectacular photos from the front in Afghanistan. It helps give the sense of what the men and women in service are dealing with on a day to day basis. A window into their daily lives in service.

Scenes from Afghanistan: The Sacramento Bee

His shattered body slumped on a hospital bed, triple amputee Craig Wood tells Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, about his desperate wish to walk again.

At just 18, he is one of the youngest British soldiers to lose three limbs after he was horrifically injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in July.

Doctors were forced to remove both of his legs and part of his left arm. When he arrived at hospital, he had lost 27 pints of blood and doctors told his family his chance of survival was 50 per cent.

But despite the appalling odds, Craig, of the 2nd Battalion the Rifles, fought back and is now determined to make a good recovery.

He is now one of just three triple amputees in the country to have survived the conflict.

Craig was moved from Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, to the military’s rehabilitation centre at Headley Court, in Surrey, earlier this week and was today undergoing physiotherapy when Camilla stopped by his room.

Craig, along with his parents and his fiancee

The Rifleman, who still bears the terrible facial scars of his ordeal just 11 weeks ago, described his experience – and even asked if he could have his picture taken with the Royal visitor on his mobile phone.

Although he arrived in Afghanistan back in April, the same month that he turned 18, Craig told the Duchess that he was out of action for his first few weeks of duty due to a shoulder injury.

On July 30 he was finally deemed fit enough to out on foot patrol with his colleagues in 2nd Battalion the Rifles.

He had been issued with a device which stops mobile phone signals from activating improvised explosive devices.

But insurgent forces ambushed the soldiers and triggered a lethal wired bomb near to Craig.

A helicopter that had been called to fly him to safety was forced to land and take off in direct gunfire after a battle began between the soldiers and the Taliban.

Craig later said: ‘I’d only been out an hour and a half but I was the only person injured. The nearest person to me was about 10 foot behind but he was fine.
‘The helicopters are absolutely amazing in how fast they get out to you. That’s what saves your life.’

He was put into a drug-induced coma and transferred to hospital in Birmingham where, even as he drifted in and out of consciousness, he began to have a recurring nightmare about losing his limbs.

Unfortunately he contracted a number of serious infections as he fought for life, including MRSA in the tracheotomy in his throat and septicaemia in his wrist, which meant that his hand had to be cut back further by doctors.

He arrived at Headley Court, a forces rehabilitation centre, just a few days ago where he has already discussed prosthetic limbs with his consultant.

Read on…

While I’m glad that Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, could visit with these young men and help bolster their spirits, I’m also very sad at the reason they need bolstering. This young man especially. It breaks my heart to think that he was so drastically injured at such a young age. It does warm my heart to see his fiancee still standing by his side. So often this kind of tragedy can cause the spouse to run at the thought of the responsibility it takes to help someone through this kind of life.

Last month I posted about Michael Monsoor, a young SEAL who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades. Today I ran across a touching memorial video on YouTube.

What a brave young man. I’m sure his family is proud of him and his selfless actions, but I’m also sure they wish he could be with them today.

Those who put themselves in the line of danger deserve every bit of respect we can give them; those who are injured in their duty doubly so. Then why did I run across this article on Dailymail.co.uk today?

A young man by the name of Matthew Weston was serving in Afghanistan when he had the most unfortunate experience of stepping on an IED (improvised explosive device). Amazingly he survived the incident, but it cost him both of his legs, his right arm, and most of his hearing. He has been labeled “the most seriously injured soldier to survive the conflict in Afghanistan.” Disabled at the young age of 20 years. His initial prospect of surviving his injuries wasn’t good, and his family was encouraged to prepare for the worst. Matt pulled through, and his family is thrilled just to have him around – never mind his life-changing injuries.

But apparently there are others who don’t feel this joy. Ever since returning to his home in Britain, Matt has been the subject of taunts and jeers. Teenagers have been hurling insults at him regarding his loss of limbs from the IED. How can they be so heartless? The article has examples of the awful words that Matt has been hearing coming from these terrible teenage lips.
She [Matt's mother] said: ‘When we took him out people said things like “Haven’t you forgotten something? Oh yeah, your legs.”

‘One shouted at him “If you didn’t want to be blown up, don’t go to war.” It’s disgusting.’
Disgusting is right. These insults reveal a mindset of misinformation in these youth. Perhaps they (or more likely, their parents) don’t agree with the political reasons that young soldiers are being sent overseas. Or perhaps these kids are anti-military. But these aren’t reasons (or excuses) to verbally abuse those who have chosen to show their patriotism by signing on with military factions. These soldiers felt it was right to join, enough said. I commend them for that.

So when a soldier comes home wounded, physically or emotionally, we owe them every bit of support that we can give them.

March 2008

Michael Fumento, who’s written about Monsoor and combat operations in Ramadi, reported on his Internet blog over the weekend that Monsoor’s family would receive the posthumous award on the fallen SEAL’s behalf during a White House ceremony April 8. (source)
I can’t imagine what must go through a person’s head when they make such a life-shattering decision. What would it be like to know that your comrades’ lives are in your hands, and only you can save them – but at the expense of your own life? And to know, in those last few seconds as you hug that live explosive, that soon you will be discovering that last great mystery? For a person to make such a choice is truly the bravest and most selfless act a human being can perform.

Michael Monsoor gave no less than his greatest gift. Until that moment, he had lived helping his comrades. Monsoor had received the Silver Star in 2006 for risking his life to save a fellow SEAL who was injured during a firefight in Ramadi.

Two young men made a pact. If one outlived the other, the survivor was to wear a dress to the deceased’s funeral. But too soon that pact was honored.

Barry Delaney lost his friend Private Kevin Elliott, who last month was killed in Afghanistan while on foot patrol. He was only 24 years old. Barry went all out in his fulfillment of the pact, donning a lime green dress, pink leg warmers and black boots. As the saluting shots were fired to commemorate a military death, Barry knelt by his friend’s grave and wept.

Read the full story here.

Photo taken moments after Kate Nesbitt saved a soldiers life

COURAGEOUS Kate Nesbitt takes a well-earned breather on the battlefield – her face covered with the blood of the soldier whose life she has just saved.

Navy medic Kate, 21, was snapped moments after a heroic rescue in Afghanistan which has earned her a Military Cross.

The brave blonde dashed 70 yards across a war zone to reach fallen Corporal John List, who was choking to death on his own blood.
An enemy bullet had ricocheted off Cpl List’s body armour into his mouth – smashing his jaw and tongue.

Despite heavy fire from Taliban machine guns, Kate worked for 45 minutes to save his life.

She stemmed the bleeding and then expertly performed a tricky procedure to open a second airway through the soldier’s nose.

Able Seaman Kate, from Plymouth, is the first Wren to receive the Military Cross. (source)

Medics truly are special people. They take their duty seriously, even to the point of risking bodily harm in order to perform it. They are someone who has dedicated themselves to the un-warlike ideals of healing, but who won’t hesitate to throw themselves into the violent fray when needed.
These field medics deserve all the praise and recognition that they can get. I’m glad that this brave woman received the Military Cross. She more than deserved it.

Words can’t quite describe the awesomeness here. Sergeant Noel Connolly was serving in Afghanistan last November when he spotted a suspicious looking man on a motorbike. The motorcyclist looked lost, and that set Connolly on high alert.

[Connolly] said:  ‘I was near the school when I caught a fleeting glimpse of a motorbike. I told all my lads to expect a bomber.

When the man came back for another pass, Connolly challenged him. He stopped the bike and made a move for the toggle switch installed on the bike. Did Connolly go for his gun? Oh no, guns aren’t for real men. Instead he Chuck Norris-style tackles the man sitting on 154 pounds of explosives, bodily removing him from the bike.

Connolly doesn’t think he’s done anything brave or heroic. But we’re all entitled to disagree with him, and this week he will be awarded the Military Cross in honor of his actions.

A journalist and his translator had been captured when they were covering the NATO airstrike that resulted in approximately 70 people killed. They were taken by Taliban members and were being held in northern Afghanistan. In the fray of the rescue, a soldier was killed along with the journalist’s translator, Sultan Munadi.
A British soldier serving with the special forces support group has been killed during a pre-dawn raid to free a British journalist being held by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan, it was confirmed today.

Brown said Farrell was “now safe and well, receiving support from embassy staff and undergoing medical checks.” Read on…

Despite her injuries, Lance Corporal Clarke stayed in the danger zone to help injured comrades

This story hit the internet yesterday via the Daily Mail.co.uk website. It never ceases to amaze me how these men and women can bravely put their well-being, or even their lives, on the line to help out a fellow soldier or an innocent civilian. In this story of heroism, Lance Corporal Sally Clarke put her team members before herself and was able to save seven fellow soldiers. Oh, and did I mention she had several pieces of shrapnel lodged in her shoulder and back the whole time?

Lance Corporal Sally Clarke, of 2 Rifles, ignored the searing pain caused by the shards embedded in her shoulder and back and set about treating the rest of her patrol.

The worst hit was Corporal Paul Mather who incredibly managed to radio instructions for jets circling above to open fire on Taliban insurgents despite bleeding heavily from wounds the size of his fist.

Corporal Mather, 28, and Lance Corporal Clarke, 22, from Cheltenham, were on patrol south of Sangin when insurgents fired rocket propelled grenades over a wall as soldiers dealt with an anti-tank mine.

Hot flying shrapnel sliced open Corporal Mather’s body, leaving gaping holes across his arms, legs and buttocks.

He said: ‘It hurt like hell, but once the explosions stopped and my hearing came back, I managed to climb through a ditch towards a group of soldiers treating other casualties.

‘I had a hole in my left bicep, so the medics applied a field dressing and tourniquet to stem the blood flow.’

Despite being entitled to get out as soon as she was hit Lance Corporal Clarke refused, insisting she would not leave the patrol without a medic.

She said: ‘I didn’t feel like my injuries were bad enough to go back to the hospital, particularly as I was the only medic on the ground at the time.

‘I couldn’t leave them on their own – I came out here to support the troops on the ground and give them medical care when they needed it the most.’