Hometown Hero

(My cousin John w/ his dad, my uncle.)
(John with his mom & dad.)

This post is about my cousin John. He is an Army Ranger, and was stationed in Afghanistan. We just heard he was critically wounded in a major battle that took place on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border in the mountains. The war really hits home when someone you love is wounded. There are so many men and women fighting for our freedom. We sit around and sip lattes debating the war and it's causes or purposes, but the bottom line is there are soldiers protecting our hard-won freedom and preventing the war from entering our home turf. I so hope these soldiers are greeted with the wave of respect, honor, and love that they deserve when they return home.

This is the recount of his battle and where he is as far as recovery. Please pray for his recovery both physically and mentally, his family, and his wife (the other Sarah Faulkenberry). And pray for the families that lost their son/fathers in that battle.

Just Added: Here is a news story that ran on the news last night. Click on the following link, go to the news section in the center of the page and click on “Midland Soldier Killed & Another injured”. I Can’t wait to see him and hug his neck.

"As you know, on Friday John and his squadron were ambushed by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. They were hit with an RPG (rocket propelled grenade). John was one of nine soldiers injured; one was killed in action, and there is one missing in action. Of the nine injured soldiers, John was one of three that were flown immediately to Germany. Shrapnel tore through his right thigh, breaking the bone in two places, tearing a lot of the thigh muscle out and severing the sciatic nerve. He is supposed to be flown to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC on Tuesday.

The good news is that they don’t expect him to lose his leg; however, they do expect it to be a long recovery process. Because of the sciatic nerve being severed, there will be some permanent damage and he will need to “reprogram” his brain on how to walk again.

I just got off the phone with Richard and Sara is with John now. They said every time he comes to, he’s still fighting the battle and telling them that he has lost his leg.
Here is what he remembers of the attack.
A platoon got ambushed and then a second platoon went out to join the fight. Then John was in what is called a “Quick Reactionary Force” and went out and they were engaged in the battle.
John recalls that the “killed in action” solider (a Captain) and the “missing in action” solider were both dead. John was putting the Captain in a Humvee when the RPG hit.
He remembers looking down and seeing his foot in a “wrong” position and he thought that his leg was blown off. (That’s why he keeps thinking his leg is gone when he wakes up.)

Today, they put plates and screws in the bottom portion of his leg but in the thigh bone they are going to have to put a rod in the bone to tie the two pieces together. They won’t do that until they get him to Walter Reed. There is good blood flow and good color in his foot, so that is a good sign.

I’ll be in Washington, DC on August 5th-8th and hopefully I will be able to get in to see him.

Keep John and Sara, and Richard and Teresa in your prayers. (They will be flying up to Washington DC on Wednesday, or when they know for sure that John is there.)

Love, Dad "

My family, on both sides, is now littered with decorated war heroes. My grandpa was a Colonel in the Air force. He was a Fighter Pilot and Bomber Pilot in WWII, Korea, & Vietnam. My Paw Paw was a US Army Airborne Ranger in WWII. And my brother Tommy earned an MSM award for the craziness that he took care of after Hurricane Katrina hit. I am proud of these men and grateful for their contribution to my safety and freedom. A luxury I do not take for granted.

I'll be teaching a sewing workshop today and that will be a nice distraction. :0)