Community comes together for Staff Sgt. Kyle Malin

Thanks all around, as Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Malin and family show gratitude to Lakeville community
By Rachel Wedlund

When Army Staff Sergeant Kyle Malin is thanked for his military service, he responds as many veterans do - with humility.

At a homecoming party Saturday night for Malin, 28, at Lakeville's VFW Post 210, he told a grateful Vietnam veteran, "Hey, all I did was step in the wrong spot."

Malin's parents planned the party not for people to thank Malin, but for him and his parents to express their gratitude to the community for its help after his injury in the line of duty.

Malin's life changed forever last summer in the pomegranate and grape fields of the Afghanabad Valley in Afghanistan. The Lakeville native and father of two was a month into a tour with the Army's 101st Airborne Unit on that July day. His team was coming to the aid of a wounded soldier when Malin stepped on an improvised explosive device He ended up losing both legs.

"I remember hearing a really loud noise and being thrashed into a sandstorm," Kyle Malin said. "The next thing I knew, I was waking up in Walter Reed (Army Medical Center)."

Jon Malin, Kyle's father and high school wrestling coach, said the support of family, friends and community - who raised more than $50,000 for the Malins with a golf benefit last fall - has helped Kyle and his family stay strong during Kyle's recovery.
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Thanks all around