Maimed OIF vet mulls future in Marine Corps

[thedrifter]

Maimed OIF vet mulls future in Marine Corps
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 2003125205950
Story by Lance Cpl. K.T. Tran



MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Gunnery Sgt. David J. Dill never saw it coming.

He knew the dangers. He'd trained to disarm them for years. But bad luck, bad timing and the dangerous nature of clearing minefields caught up to him.

Dill, the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion's Sapper Course, lost his lower left leg to an Iraqi land mine during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 19 ? year veteran was on a mine-marking assignment with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion when the explosion occurred.

"I was proud to go to Iraq to fight for what I believe in," Dill said. "But it was definitely an eye-opening experience for me."

Dill was born June 1, 1963, in Peoria, Ill. At 21, he had no clue where life would take him ? until he stepped foot into a Marine recruiter's office and signed up to be a combat engineer.

He thought he'd make 20 years and retire ? until the explosion knocked him to the ground and changed the course of his future.

His wife, Christine, said her husband called right after his operation to inform her about his accident.

"He jumped right into gunny mode when the land mine went off," Christine said of the stories related to her. "When his fellow Marines rushed to assist him, he halted them to ensure their safety."

She added that Dill was surrounded by land mines. It took 30 minutes for Marines to evacuate him from the danger zone.

Dill was left shattered. His lower left leg was a tangle of bone, torn flesh and blood. Later, it would be completely removed.

Recovery is slow and frustrating, but Dill is able to partake in activities he enjoys. He golfs, fishes and hunts and keeps a regular workout schedule at the gym.

Still, not all is normal. At home, Dill sometimes struggles with routine everyday activities, Christine said. Activites that were once second nature and easily tackled are now major hurdles for the combat engineer.

Running is frustrating for Dill. He used to enjoy stretching out his legs for long runs.

She tries to help her husband during these hard times.

"You do what you have to do for the people you love," Christine said.

Dill, a sapper instructor, said he was expecting a medical discharge after he returned from deployment. But now, since he is close to retiring, he's hoping to be allowed to finish out his 20-year career.

Besides, he can still do his job, he said. A colleague confirmed it.

"The injury has not affected Gunny Dill's working performance at all," said Staff Sgt. Raymond A. Valdez, a Sapper instructor who lost his left eye during the same explosion.

For Dill, his work's not done in the Marine Corps. He's still got experience and nearly 20 years' worth of lessons to impart to young Marines. It's a passion that drives him to teach courses now.

"I would like to pass on some of the values I got from the Marine Corps to the next generation," Dill said.

"I definitely have no regrets in my Marine Corps career," Dill said. "We don't join the Marine Corps to get injured. We just join knowing there is a risk."



Gunnery Sgt. Dave J. Dill, staff noncomissioned officer-in-charge of 1st Combat Engineer Battalion's Sapper Course, strives to remain in the Corps after losing his left leg in combat. Photo by: Lance Cpl. K.T. Tran

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Sempers,

Roger