Comments on: Iraq War Quadruple Amputee Says He's "Fortunate"
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- I have written a blog about this soldier: As I travel life's road
http://jocelyn53.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/as-i-travel-lifes-road/
Today I went to The Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC. In the elevator I saw this very young soldier, only 24, limbs almost cut up to his thighs, without arms, and without one eye. The left arm was cut just below the elbow and a prosthetic arm was in placed, while the other one was cut almost to the armpit. The prosthetic arm, he used to feed himself, move his chair around and do his private thing in the bathroom. When I saw him in the elevator, I wanted to cry aloud.
The ravages of war, that few people really know about. I have been to this Hospital several times and I have seen soldiers, mutilated, yet living.
I felt so small, when I saw this man today. I was told he was hit by a bomb in Iraq. The only one surviving man so far in this war, hit by bomb with out both arms and both legs and without one eye.
You may say life is unfair. Destiny? Is this his destiny? If this has happened to me, just the thought of it, makes me feel half dead.
I had my own share of tough times, but nothing compared to what I saw today. The young soldier seemed so small in his wheel chair, that other than the torso, it was just the movement of his head that seemed to make contact with the world around him.
I remember when I was a fresh graduate in college and the family was in great struggle. It was martial law time and the food and jobs were scarce. Even the company that my father worked for, though not sequestered by the government, still was in great distress.
Rice a basic commodity, was rationed. Salaries were not paid in full because there was not enough cash available in the bank.
It was New Year?s Day. January 1. Some neighbors were able to celebrate the event of the night before. We had a pig in our backyard that my mother used to keep. We fed her with the left over foods thrown by our nearest neighbor. We kept a plastic container in their outside kitchen for collection every morning.
That morning, my mother saw a freshly thrown carcass of a roasted pig in one of the plastic containers for left overs from one of our neighbors. She left the neighbor?s kitchen with a smile on her lips. The night before, we celebrated New Year?s Eve, with a big bottle of Coca Cola and a pack of bread.
We woke up with a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. My mother, instead of feeding the pig with the carcass of a roasted pig that came from the plastic container from our neighbor?s kitchen, she washed it and cut it into nice little pieces, put in some sweet smelling herbs that grew in our backyard and presto, we had a breakfast so good that we have not tasted for a long time.
Despite the good smell of the food, I felt small that morning. My spirit was so low and I really felt sorry for myself and for my family, that I thought we were the lowly creatures in earth eating the left overs of the neighbors. Just how I felt for the soldier today, I wanted to cry aloud then.
But it did not take long. It was one of those crisis in our lives that fueled me to strive even more. Not too long, I got a good job, and that incident became the ? family joke? that took center stage whenever there was a gathering of some sort in the household.
This is just one of those milestones in my life that will never be forgotten. I will find it hard to forget, not because I have suffered from it, but because I rose above it.
But how one can rise in a situation where there is no more. I have heard that this young soldier will get a Medical Aid/Insurance the best that the US Army can give. All available Therapies will be accorded to him. Monitary values are not far, for sure.
One thing is also sure, all those material things available to him will not make his arms grow, nor his legs nor his one eye. And he knows this.
Yet, this young man, a soldier par excellence, upon entering the elevator greeted us all. ?Good morning?.
Romans 11:33 (King James Version)
33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Thanks be to God! - Reply to this comment
- Brendan, please accept the thanks of an Air Force family and of a grateful country. You have sacrificed so much, yet you are an inspiration to all! What courage and spirit you possess! You are teaching us all not to give up or feel overwhelmed by the troubles that befall us in life.
May God bless you and your fiance with a bright future full of love. - Reply to this comment
- I just want to thank u brendon...you are truly a hero for us here in the USA....all that u have lost and not bitter...that is unreal....you are an awesome example...u can still have joy in lifes trials....PTL...thanks again...
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- I would just like to thank you, Brendan, for serving our country. You are a true inspiration. I have disabilities and try to look at it as a disABILITY because while I may be disabled in this and that area, I am more able to do things in other areas. I put my thoughts down in poetry better than speaking them.
Please keep up your positive attitude. You are a hero. - Reply to this comment
- Brendan, you are a true hero and an inspiration. Thank you for your service. May God Bless you and Kate with a wonderful life.
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- What a true American Hero! He is following in the spirit of another hero. I had the honor to know PFC James W. Wilson (18) who lost both arms and both legs in an Army Air Force bomber crash here in Vermont during World War Two. PFC Wilson (1925 - 2000) later finished high school then college and went on to have a very successful career as an attorney until retirement. I plan to send Brendan some materials about PFC Wilson that will let him know that his positive attitude and rugged determination match and maybe exceed those of Wilson. I believe PFC Wilson would have loved to meet Brendan.
Incidentally, a soldier by the name of Fred Hensel was the only other American to lose both arms and both legs during WWII. There was also one in the Civil War but I don't have his name handy. - Reply to this comment
- Sir,
I humbly submit to you my deepest thanks. - Reply to this comment
- Brendan, you are an inspiration and we wish you best of success in life with Kate, your recovery, education, and future endeavors. Your attitude shines above the darkness of war and your injuries. Best Regards, Marathon Ski for DAV Team.
fyi - My family is performing a fundraiser for Disabled American Veterans in July of this year. We are skiing the 981 mile length of the Ohio River to raise donations and awareness for Disabled American Veterans, dubbed "Marathon Ski for DAV". - Reply to this comment
- Thank you so much for your service to our country and for sharing your amazing spirit with us. Bless you!
For information about limb loss, prosthetics, the ACA Youth Camp and the ACA Peer Visitation Program, contact the nonprofit organization The Amputee Coalition of America, at 888/267-5669 or visit them at Amputee-Coalition.org. - Reply to this comment
- I am a liberal who is set against the war, and have campaigned against it. That said, though I disagree with the soldiers, I wish them no harm. This is not a post filled with hate, but with concern and pride. Mr. Marracco is a a true inspiration to those of us with disabilities. I have two, though the are nearly as troubling as are this man's. I wish him Godspeed - and I must say it, I hope we can bring our men and women home soon. I would also suggest he look into getting a service dog; my Golden Retriever Buster has been a Godsend to me. Dogs can do so many things for a person, from fetching them things they need to providing emotional support. Just a thought.
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