| Battered, but not broken |
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| Wednesday, 04 July 2007 | |||
Domingo Soto-Santana didn't have time to worry about the fact that his left arm had been blown off and that his “battle buddy” was dead. As far as the enemy was concerned, he was next. So Soto-Santana, the remains of his left arm hemorrhaging blood, pressed the wound against the hot exposed metal of what once was a car seat as a fire raged in the backseat of his Army vehicle.
Soto-Santana, who sustained his injuries on May 28, 2005, is one of thousands of young soldiers who have experienced similar tragedies during the war in Iraq. There's 29-year-old Army Staff Sgt. Dan Barnes, who lost both legs on Sept. 4, 2006, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his patrolling vehicle, sending shrapnel into the car and shredding his legs. There's 30-year-old Army Sgt. 1st Class Tawan Williamson, who on June 12, 2006, lost his left leg when an IED blew up under the floorboard of his vehicle. Then, of course, there's Soto-Santana, now 24, who was simply responding to a call on a suspicious vehicle on that day in 2005. By the time Soto-Santana and a fellow soldier located the cause of suspicion, it was too late. Soto-Santana's “battle buddy” was standing on the IED and died instantly upon its explosion. Soto-Santana, who was searching the front of the vehicle and lost his arm in the explosion, remembers those moments vividly. “I heard a click,” said Soto-Santana, from Puerto Rico. “In that moment, I ran and jumped inside the car because I knew something was going to go off. When it went off, it was too late. But it was so quick, we didn't even see it coming, and it took my arm when I was jumping inside.” Even so, Soto-Santana and many other wounded veterans consider themselves fortunate. After all, they, unlike many other brave soldiers who have fought for our country, still have their lives. “As soon as the (explosion) happened and my legs went numb, I knew something was going on,” said Williamson, who hails from Chicago. “I was just thanking God that I was still alive. I never try to view it as a negative because I was just thanking God that I'd be back with my family.” Williamson, Soto-Santana and numerous other soldiers now spend the majority of their days at the Center for the Intrepid, a $50 million, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center that provides physical therapy services for wounded troops. Williamson, who has a wife and five children, actually helped cut the ribbon at the Center for the Intrepid dedication ceremony in January, an event that featured presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain and actors Denzel Washington and Rosie O'Donnell, among others. The Center for the Intrepid features a number of rehabilitation options, including a pool, a rock wall and a weight room. For an injured soldier like Williamson, the facility has helped him realize that he can still lead the life he once did. “That's the way I like to be,” he said, “to continue my life and be able to do what I used to do. I can run. I can shoot the basketball and do anything I used to. I'm capable of doing a lot of things.” Even Barnes, without both legs, is viewing his situation in a positive light. “I'm not burned, and there's nothing else wrong,” said Barnes, who calls Missouri home. “I still have my mental state.” Of course, with the soldiers having lost limbs, strangers are sure to take notice. “As far as people around me and the outside world, some (reaction) is good and some is bad,” Williamson said. “You get the stares and all that stuff, but it's just normal life. People are going to stare regardless.” But not everyone has kept their distance. “You get it a lot, where people walk up to you and thank you,” said Barnes, who's married with two children. “Sometimes, people don't even say anything. They just shake your hand and walk away.” Barnes, Williamson and Soto-Santana are not oblivious to today's political climate. They are all well aware of the divisive issue that is the Iraq war and also are aware that many view the war as a lost cause. But that isn't deterring them: Williamson and Soto-Santana each plan on reporting back to active duty once they are physically able. “With what's portrayed over here in the (U.S.), all you really hear is the bad stuff,” Barnes said. “You don't hear the good things that are going on or that we're doing over there, like setting up electricity, making schools or giving (Iraqis) medical treatments that they haven't gotten in who knows how long. All you see is the bad stuff.” Nevertheless, Barnes understands his role as a member of the military during this controversial time. “You have to understand that you may not agree with the decisions of the president,” he said, “but that's your job, and that's what you've got to do.” And, Soto-Santana said, you've also got to complete the mission. “My mission was to stand up and keep fighting, to get it done,” he said. “That's our mission, and we go (to Iraq) for a reason. Our other mission is to stay alive.” Clint Hale | 210SA Editor's note: Today's stories mark the beginning of an occasional series called “Home of the Brave.” Many of the men and women who serve in the military are young; many of them have spouses and children. Some of them joined the military to fight terrorists; some of them had other reasons entirely. All of them deserve to have their stories heard.
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