Back Home!!!

[tdeane]

Say Hey Patriot Files Family!

I am home now after being medevac'd out of Iraq back in March.

I spent a month at Walter Reed before they sent me to medhold at Fort Benning. Benning then turned me over to CBHCO in Alabama (where Guard/Reserves injured or wounded can return home on active duty for more extensive care and treatment).

All that I will say about what happened, wrong place - wrong time.

I had surgery on June 16th to repair ankle, tendon and nerve and am out of action until Aug 16th. You bet I am driving Andria nuts!!!

I was informed that due to the extent of the surgery I will never really be 100% again. I was asked if I wanted to continue to serve in the Guard and said YES!!! I was then informed that I will have to go in front of a medboard after total heal time (3 months) which should be October and that I should consider a new MOS since it will be highly unlikely that I will be able to perfrom as a Medic again (because of weight carrying from being a litter bearer). So, here's hoping everything works out.

I posted some more pictures in the Gallery and just waiting for them to get put on. I posted two pictures of my left ankle so you can see my trophy from Iraq that I'll have for the remainder of my life. A nice 6 and 1/2 scar!!! Yippie.

Hope everyone is well...my unit, the 128th Med, is still over there with a little over 90 days to go before rotating back home!

[Bill Farnie]

Doc ..... don't ya just hate those wrong place ... wrong time things?

Glad your home and safe. Thank you for your service

[DMZ-LT]

Welcome Home. Thank you. Heal well and fast. Thank you again

[Bernadette]

Welcome Home and thank you for your service! Glad your ok and back in the states.

We sure appreciate all your photos.

[David]

Welcome back Deane. That is a nasty scar, you will have to tell us what happened eventually. Glad you made it back in otherwise good condition. Get well soon

[sn-e3]

Welcome home Doc thanks for serving again

[Jerry D]

Welcome Home and thank you for your service

[Keith_Hixson]

I'm so glad we have men willing to serve their country.
Thank you. Glad you are home safe and mostly sound.

It sounds like to me that you were suppose to jump not and not hit the deck. Confused?

Keith

[sn-e3]

So DocDeane just what exactly happened .? road side bomb?

[tdeane]

As injuries go, mine was rather freakish.

Just walking to the DFAC one day and left foot buckled and and damn near hit the deck...

Went to sick call next day and Navy doc called it a sprain...

Same thing happened two months later and the great Army doc's in Tallil did a more extensive search and found that I had a partial posterior tendon tear and nerve damage to the left foot along with a hairline fracture on heel bone. Here's my wrong place - wong time thinking. Wrong place - Iraq, wrong time - when I was enjoying my tour and racking up convoy miles and loving it.

So, the doc in Tallil said, "I am ending your tour." and two weeks later I was on a medevac flight out of Iraq and to Walter Reed...and here I am.

I have been very impressed with the way the Army has handled my case...wasnt happy though that I was pulled out of Iraq and tour ended but my commander said that I was no good to him hurt since I was a medic and he had concerns that if I stayed and it came down to it, would I able to run for cover or carry my buddy's weight or an injured soldiers weight on a ground evac.

I was angry for a month but after I was told of the extent of the injury and if it wasnt repaired now I would be facing serious problems in the very near future.

From Tallil to Walter Reed to Fort Benning to CBHCO in Birmingham the Army has taken very good care of me.

I know it's not one of those "real injuries/wounds" but at least I'll have something to show for it.