One doesn’t normally expect to find articles of an inspirational nature in an in-flight magazine.
On a flight yesterday, I started my perfunctory flipping of pages of the “American Way” magazine, and there, tucked among descriptions of alluring vacation paradises, interesting travelogues and colorful promotions for fine dining and wining, were not one, but two gripping and inspiring stories about our wounded warriors.
What stopped my page-flipping was a full page photo of a double amputee hand cycling on a low-to-the-ground tricycle past the Washington Monument. The title of the accompanying story obviously had nothing to do with vacationing, dining or wining. It read in big letters: “THE ONE THING THAT CAN NEVER TRULY BE BROKEN: A SOLDIER’S SPIRIT.”
And that’s exactly what the stories are about. They are about the amazing, enduring, unbreakable spirit of our troops who return from Iraq and Afghanistan with wounds, burns, missing limbs, and other horrific combat injuries—injuries and calamities that would break and defeat many of us. They are stories about heroes who not only pick themselves up and learn to live and thrive despite their traumatic injuries, but who also help and inspire their wounded buddies to do likewise.
It is the story of Andrew Kinard, a 26 year-old retired Marine First Lieutenant who lost both his legs to an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq three years ago; who has undergone more than 60 surgeries since then; and who participates in “Soldier Ride,” an initiative of the veterans’ advocacy group, the Wounded Warrior Project.
Through his participation in Soldier Ride and in other projects and activities, double amputee Kinard helps fellow veterans with traumatic injuries participate in multiday bicycle tours across the country. Tours which according to Ethan Rouen, the author of this excellent article, “aren’t as much about getting the injured into the sun for a couple of days as they are about getting them out of their beds for the rest of their lives.”
“We’re here to help each other out, but we’re also training each other as role models,” says Kinard, “We’re empowering each other to take care of one another.”
And that’s exactly what these veterans do.
Take for example retired First Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell, the first woman to be injured by an IED in Iraq. According to American Way, she lost her left leg in Baghdad, was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and today, after three months of inpatient treatment and an additional nine months of physical therapy, she is taking care of other wounded warriors.
She is now a resident prosthetic practitioner, “fitting other amputees with artificial limbs.” She is also an avid skier, a competitive swimmer, a triathlete—and she joins other Wounded Warrior cyclists on Tours like this one which counted 43 wounded veterans.
Then, on the very last page of this October 15 issue of American Way, we see B.J Jackson standing tall and “Walking Tall” in his beige shorts, on clearly visible prosthetics covered with cartoon characters.
We read how this Iraq war-veteran had both his legs amputated below the knees after his Humvee hit a landmine in Baghdad. We read how, despite his own tragedy (he has undergone nine surgeries), despite his own financial issues and family commitments, this young hero—he is only 28—considers himself fortunate and continues to help other injured veterans.
According to American Way, “I meet guys with 40, 50, 60 surgeries—mostly guys with burn injuries. I may hurt physically,” B.J. says, “but there are guys who are mentally scarred.”
To learn more about Soldier Ride and the Wounded Warrior Project, please log on to www.woundedwarriorproject.org.
To read both articles, please go to www.americanwaymag.com.
Thank you, American Airlines, for taking space in your fine magazine to tell the stories of our wounded warriors—stories of amazing sacrifice and courage.
And thank you for, in your Editor’s Note, encouraging all of us to support and honor our brave warriors.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.