Hearts of gold

Image courtesy: Staff Sgt. Sadie Bleistein

Spc. Patricia Fowler didn't even realize she was hit when enemy fire struck her team's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on May 6. Five rounds hit the chopper as Fowler and fellow troops flew above Afghanistan's violent Helmand province on a medevac mission. When they landed, Fowler and the soldiers examining her found two bullet holes in her head gear.

Soon, the pain became more apparent. Spc. Tracy Weeden reports that a round that hit off part of the helicopter's window caused head trauma when it hammered against Spc. Fowler's helmet. There was also shrapnel embedded in her shoulder. For anyone, even a Screaming Eagle that had spent over two years in the Army, this was a frightening ordeal that a few extra inches in any direction could have made much worse.

On August 5, a group of volunteer warriors gathered to honor the B Company, Task Force Shadow UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief. In an emotional ceremony filled with handshakes, hugs, and salutes, Spc. Patricia Fowler received a Purple Heart. This brave woman is still serving in support of America's post-9/11 struggle against terrorism.

That very same day, at Georgia's Fort Stewart, there was a somber, deeply reflective mood as two American heroes received Purple Hearts for their actions in Iraq. Sgt. Franklin Carabello Jr. (pictured below) and Capt. Matthew Boudro were wounded in separate spring incidents. Capt. Boudro, who was badly burned in a May 13 roadside bomb attack near Mosul, is already back in Iraq to complete his deployment as part of Operation New Dawn. According to an article by Jennifer Hartwig, Sgt. Carabello's wounds have prevented him from returning.

The April 7 attack near Mosul, which fractured Carabello's leg and tore up his knee, also broke the hearts of several families. 1st Lt. Robert Collins and Spc. William Anthony Blount were killed when the improvised explosive device detonated. I attended the funeral procession for 1st Lt. Collins on April 15 in Tyrone, Georgia, and saw first-hand how a battlefield tragedy thousands of miles away instantly transforms a community on the homefront.

Sgt. Carabello thought of his friends as the Purple Heart was pinned on his uniform.

"I'm thankful to be alive and to be here, especially because we lost two men in the same truck," Sgt. Carabello said. "I'll wear this [medal] in their honor."

The decorated soldier believes a return to Iraq would be the best way to salute his fallen comrades. As he undergoes physical therapy for his leg injuries, Carabello has been told by doctors and superiors that he won't be leaving the United States anytime soon. But the volunteer warrior refuses to let up.

"Every day since coming back on rear detachment, Sgt. Carabello comes to me and asked me to go back," said Capt. Bruce Erickson, 1/64 Armor rear detachment commander. "Unfortunately, he is unable to because of doctor's orders, but that hasn't stopped him from asking."

The Oval Office address President Obama delivered Tuesday night about the end of combat operations in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and economic concerns at home is still being debated by pundits in the press. Yet to me, the incredible personal stories of troops like Spc. Patricia Fowler, Capt. Matthew Boudro, 1st. Lt. Robert Collins, Spc. William Anthony Blount, and Sgt. Franklin Carabello Jr. are often missing from speeches by politicians and the ensuing debates on cable news. To understand what America has gone through since September 11, 2001, look no further than the brave men and women of our military and their families.

Image courtesy: Jennifer Hartwig