Wounded Soldier's Mom refused to abandon son or hope

We read them as numbers. Families know them by names, lives, dreams, hopes and out of love. We forget them and get on with our own lives as if they don't really matter. Families give up everything because of how much they actually do matter to them. That's part of the problem in this country. We say we support the troops until they become wounded. We say military families deserve all the support we can give them but never really think of what they're asked to do and what do not do in return for it.

If you look at your own life and think that you really haven't paid attention, read this article and know what has been happening while you didn't.

Forever after: A warrior wounded, a family challenged
By MEGAN MCCLOSKEY
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 13, 2012

One bullet.

One choice.

One American military family shattered.

On Oct. 26, 2005, Army Spc. Erik Schei was shot in the head during a patrol in Iraq. The doctors said he would never recover from the catastrophic brain injury. They urged the family to take the 21-year-old off life support.

But his mother refused to abandon hope.

Christine Schei’s choice to take her wounded son home forever altered her family. Her younger son vowed to finish his brother’s mission, only to end up gravely wounded himself. Her 4-year-old daughter lost her childhood. Her husband lost his career, and his peace of mind.

Thousands of American servicemembers have been seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 12 years of war. But the collateral damage from those wounds extends much further, challenging the families of the wounded for a lifetime.
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