Wynonna Judd welcomed paralyzed veteran to new home

Paralyzed veteran gets free home in Murfreesboro

WKRN News
by: Stassy Olmos
Posted: Sep 22, 2019

“Five years ago, get a call two in the morning that he was in an accident all the way up in St. Louis,” Camacho’s friend Liam Cronin said in the ceremony Saturday, “Drive up the next day and spend the next day, and spend the next week sleeping on a hospital cot beside him.”

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) – It’s the simple things many of us take for granted, like getting in and out of bed or taking a shower all by ourselves, that paralyzed Army Sergeant Bryan Camacho hasn’t been able to do in years. ‘But, thanks to the nonprofit Homes for Our Troops, the solider now has a brand new home in Murfreesboro, with special amenities to help.

The Murfreesboro community welcomed their new neighbor on Saturday morning.

This homecoming much more encouraging than the last one 12 years ago when Sgt. Camacho returned from Iraq.

Camacho was first injured in 2007 as an Infantryman deployed with the 10th Mountain Division in Iraq. He was paralyzed from the waist down when his vehicle ran over an IED.

Slowly recovering in the U.S., Camacho was in another accident in 2014. His adapted truck spun out on ice and rolled, paralyzing him from the neck down.
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Florida veteran built IED and brought it to Bay Pines VA Hospital?

Florida man arrested for allegedly placing bomb at veterans hospital

ABC News
By LUKE BARR
Jun 5, 2019

A man in Florida was arrested for allegedly placing an improvised electronic device (IED) outside of a Veterans Administration hospital in Bay Pines.

Mark Edward Allen, 60, allegedly made the explosive device found at the hospital, as well as an IED found at a home in St. Petersburg, Florida, according to court documents. He made his initial court appearance on Tuesday.

Allen is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device.

Tampa police found the IED at the hospital on May 29. Later, Allen’s wife later called the St. Petersburg police and told them that her husband had made a bomb. While he was sleeping, she drove the IED to a friend’s house because she was "scared,” according to court documents.

Allen, a U.S. Army veteran, was captured on surveillance video allegedly placing the IED at the hospital, prosecutors say.
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Afghanistan Veteran makes history with this transplant

Injured veteran gets first complete penis and scrotum transplant
NBC News
by Maggie Fox
Apr.23.2018

“When I first woke up, I felt finally more normal… a level of confidence as well. Confidence… like finally I’m okay now.”

A veteran badly injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan is recovering from the first-ever transplant of a penis and scrotum, doctors said Monday.

Doctors perform a penis transplant on an injured Afghanistan veteran at Johns Hopkins University.Johns Hopkins Medicine

The soldier lost both legs above the knee, his penis and the area around it when the IED — improvised explosive device — blasted him.

But thanks to a donor and a team of transplant specialists who have been rehearsing for five years, the patient should recover near complete function of his penis, the doctors said.

According to a 2017 report in the Journal of Urology, more than 1,300 male veterans had suffered genital injuries sustained during action from 2001 to 2013 in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Two Soldiers Wounded in Afghanistan by IED

Two US troops wounded in Afghanistan after vehicle hits mine
The Guardian
Associated Press in Kandahar Afghanistan
October 8, 2016

So far seven US service members have died in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press tally.

Two US service members were wounded in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday when their vehicle struck a roadside mine, the military said.

They were “conducting a normal security patrol” near the airport on the outskirts of Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, when “their vehicle hit the improvised explosive device”, said the US military’s spokesman in Afghanistan, BrigGen Charles Cleveland.

“The individuals were evacuated from the scene of the incident to Jalalabad Airfield for treatment,” he said in a statement. The incident happened early on Saturday morning, he said.

According to procedure, the troops were not identified.

The incident follows the death earlier this week of a US service member, also in Nangarhar, where American military are involved in counter-terrorism operations against Islamic State and the Taliban.
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Virginia Iraq Veteran's New Home Comes With Many Blessings

Messages of love posted on Iraq war veteran's new smart home in Virginia
ABC7
BY RICHARD REEVE
SEPTEMBER 7TH 2016

STAFFORD, Va. (ABC7) — The laughter of children, a barking black lab, and animated snippets of conversation:

It was almost as if Marine Corps veteran Garrett Jones and his family had already moved in to their new smart home.

“It's filled with love,” says Chris Kuban, a spokesperson for the Gary Sinise Foundation. “It's filled with love from the community.”

On a sunny Wednesday morning, Jones, his wife Allison, and their three children attended a ‘wall of honor’ event at the specially-built home in Stafford.

“A lot of good has come from an unfortunate circumstance,” Jones says.

On July 23, 2007, just two weeks before he was scheduled to return home from Iraq, Jones, a Marine corporal, stepped on an IED.
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First U.S. Penis Transplant To Be Wounded Soldier

Wounded U.S. soldier soon to receive first U.S. penis transplant 
BALTIMORE 
BY REUTERS STAFF 
February 18, 2016

"When you meet these guys and you realize what they've given for the country, it makes a lot of sense," Dr. Richard Redett, a plastic surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital who will help perform the operation, told Reuters.

A U.S. soldier wounded in an explosion will be the first person in the United States to receive a penis transplant, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital said, which could open the way for about 60 other servicemen with genital injuries to have this surgery.

Dr. Richard Redett in an undated photo.

REUTERS/JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE

Surgeons hope a donated organ from a recently deceased man will provide full function including urination, sensation and sex. The surgery requires joining nerves and blood vessels under a microscope.
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Wounded Iraq Veteran Uses Scars to Help PTSD veterans With Unseen Ones

Veteran wounded in Iraq: 'my scars are a blessing'
WNYT.com
By: Anna Meiler
11/04/2015

One day, after yet another painful reconstructive surgery Harris realized he needed to change his way of thinking for himself and his five children.

LATHAM - When terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, a generation of soldiers was born.

“I joined because it was the right thing to do,” said Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris.

Like thousands of others, that call of duty took Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris to the deserts of Iraq. In 2007 he was on his second deployment when an IED obliterated his Humvee, killing three of his close friends.

Harris was knocked unconscious and when he woke up, he had no idea how badly he was injured, until he saw his reflection in a pair of glasses.

“My face was charred black, my nose was gone, my ears were gone, I had blood running out of my nose, my mouth, my eyes and I just couldn't believe that was me that I was looking at,” said Harris.

Harris describes the three years that followed as a rollercoaster of painful surgeries and emotions. He taught himself to talk again, how to walk and how to eat. But, it was still hard for him to look in the mirror.

“I felt like Frankenstein,” he said.
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Marine Changed by War, Changed by Disrespect, Changed Again by Love

This shows the difference love, respect and appreciation can make. A 20 year old had been sent to Iraq. An IED blew up leaving him with a visible price tag for the Independence bought by those who risked their lives to retain it. He came home and was shown disrespect back then but as you'll see, nothing ended for this veteran and his family.

Disfigured veteran deals with disrespect at home
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya and Alan Gomez
April 25, 2013

BELTSVILLE, MD. — Six years have passed since a roadside bomb set Ronny "Tony" Porta on fire in Iraq when he was 20, and he's still trying to find his way home. Each reflection in the mirror bears witness to why that is not easy.

Marine Cpl. Ronny Porta was severely burned in May 2007 in Al Asad, Iraq, when his Humvee hit an improvised explosive device. Two other Marines died in the attack. (Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

Every stranger who points or stares, every teenager who mocks with the word "monster" or couple that whisper behind his back that the disfigurement is the price for invading a country, tells Porta he hasn't quite left the battlefield behind.

"This is home for me," says Porta, 26, who grew up in suburban-Washington Beltsville after his family emigrated from Peru. "But sometimes, it's kind of hard saying, 'I am home.'"

Two months ago, a man approached Porta in a Home Depot. He stood studying the burns on Porta's face and asked if a car accident was to blame. Porta, wearing a Marine Corps sweatshirt, said, no, it was an IED explosion in Iraq.

What really stuck with Porta and angers him still were the words the man said next: "Was it worth it?" Is it so difficult, Porta asks, to see that those who volunteer in defense of the nation know it can carry a price? "Freedom is not free," he says, echoing an age-old American refrain.
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Disfigured by war, veteran now says 'I found my place'
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
July 3, 2015

LOVETTSVILLE, Va. — Ronny "Tony" Porta was searching for a place where people could see past the disfigurement left by war, where cruel mutterings about his appearance or unfeeling questions about whether such wounds were "worth it" did not exist.

More than two years later, Porta says, "I found my place."

Porta, 28, a medically retired Marine corporal, stumbled upon this northernmost Virginia village in the windy, rolling countryside 55 miles from the nation's capital nearly two years ago. His head, face and much of his body were horribly scarred by a fiery roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2007 that killed two other Marines. He lost his right arm and was left with only a few gnarled fingers on his left hand.

But in Lovettsville, Porta has been embraced without reservation.

The pinnacle of acceptance comes this Fourth of July weekend as Porta, his wife, son and mother settle into a state-of-the-art "smart" home built by grateful donors on a hill just outside the town limits. "I found the place where I want to spend the rest of my life," he said Wednesday as he watched the finishing touches put to his new home.


A town procession of a color guard, motorcycle escort and local dignitaries formally delivered Porta and his family to the doorstep of his new house Friday from another he's rented in Lovettsville since 2013. "It's become obviously a major event," said Mike Chapman, sheriff of surrounding Loudoun County, who plans to ride his motorcycle. "Everybody jumped on board."
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Amputee Afghanistan Veteran Skateboards Again!

How Sergeant Stubbs learned to skateboard again:
Inspirational video shows Afghanistan veteran's painstaking determination to get back on his board after losing both legs in front line explosion
Ian Parkinson, 24, from Arizona, lost both legs when he stepped on an IED
He was on patrol near Kandahar in June 2011 when the device exploded
Ian, who calls himself Sergeant Stubbs, lost both legs at the knee
He has had 24 major operations and spent two years in rehabilitation
In March 2012 he stepped back on his skateboard for the first time

Using his 'stubbies' - prosthetics - Ian is re-learning to skateboard again
Ian said without his friends and family he couldn't have made it through
He credits his wife and high school sweetheart Ashley as being his 'rock'
Daily Mail
By LIZZIE PARRY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 13 December 2014

His is a tale of triumph over adversity.

Growing up there were just two things that were certain in Ian Parkinson's mind - the army and skateboarding.

For as long as he can remember, the now 24-year-old from Arizona, wanted to be a soldier.

He admired the uniform, looked up to veterans, and watched and read anything he could about the military. The only other thing captivating his young imagination was skateboarding.

But as a teenager, Ian could never imagine how both would change his life.

In June 2011, while serving with the US Army in Afghanistan, Ian lost both his legs after stepping on to an IED.
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Green Bay Packers Honors Solder Who Saved Lives on Multiple Deployments

Soldier whose work saves lives in Lambeau spotlight tonight
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
By Meg Jones
December 8, 2014

Family photo
Lt. Col. Patrick Stamm (center) is seen in Iraq in 2009. He’ll attend Monday night's Packers game at Lambeau Field through Operation Fan Mail.

Green Bay — Lt. Col. Patrick Stamm was an Air Force brat who spent his four years of high school in four different schools as his fighter pilot father moved the family from base to base.

One of those stops was Markesan High School, west of Fond du Lac, where he spent his sophomore year.

His father, who was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Markesan, instilled in him a love for America and the Green Bay Packers. Stamm remembers watching the Packers play at Milwaukee's County Stadium and catching a game in San Diego.

Most Operation Fan Mail recipients are nominated by family or friends.

Stamm, however, was nominated by his battalion commander in Afghanistan. Col. Patrick Kelly, who became a lifelong Packers fan after watching the Ice Bowl on television from the Bronx as a 7-year-old, had attended a game in 2012 through Operation Fan Mail. He wanted to pass the thrill on to Stamm.
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Life After War “Lots of struggles. Lots of anger. Lots of impatience,”

Largest conference of wounded vets
UT San Diego
By Jeanette Steele
OCT. 6, 2014

“I’ve had more downs than ups,”
says one Chula Vista veteran in attendance

Army veteran Shiloh Harris speaks at the Road to Recovery conference. Deployed with the 10th Mountain Division, Harris was wounded by an IED in Iraq, retired, and has become a motivational speaker to returning veterans.
John Gastaldo/U-T San Diego/Zuma

CORONADO — For Richard Silva, injured during 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq, the road to recovery has been long.

Actually, he is still on it.

“I’ve had more downs than ups,” said Silva, 42 of Chula Vista, who still walks with a cane. He just received full disability status from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs after a long paperwork ordeal.

It has also been a trek for his wife of 23 years, Carmen, and their 21-year-old daughter, Sarah, who is certain that she has “secondary post-traumatic stress disorder” from absorbing the shock of her father’s physical and mental wounds.

“It’s come at great cost,” Richard Silva, a former infantryman, said Monday. He was diagnosed with PTSD, traumatic brain injury and severe survivor’s guilt after losing teammates from Camp Pendleton’s 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.

“Lots of struggles. Lots of anger. Lots of impatience,” he said. “Financially. My marriage. For me to open up to my kids and admit I needed help.”

These are some of the uncomfortable topics on the agenda at this week’s Road to Recovery Conference in Coronado.

More than 50 injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are here for what may be the nation’s largest gathering for combat-wounded troops.

The event — organized by the Virginia-based, nonprofit Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes — is being held on the West Coast for the first time.
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Veterans Not Aware PTSD Service Dogs Not Covered by VA?

"VA says no service dogs benefits warranted for PTSD sufferers" came out in 2012.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will pay service-dog benefits to veterans with vision, hearing or mobility-related injuries but not to veterans suffering only with post-traumatic-stress-disorder and other mental health disabilities.

A 67-page, final draft of rules concerning veterans in need of service dogs was published today in the Federal Register and will become final in 30 days. In justifying its decision, the VA cited “nationally established” and “widely accepted” training protocols for sight, hearing and mobility-assistance dogs and the lack of similar training protocols for mental health service dogs.

In addition, because there is little clinical research on mental health service dogs, the “VA has not yet been able to determine that these dogs provide medical benefit to veterans with mental illness.”

So why was this veteran shocked because he didn't know about this?

Local veteran with PTSD finds peace with his service dog, but learns VA won’t cover cost
Q13FOX
BY Q13 FOX NEWS STAFF AND TINA PATEL
OCTOBER 1, 2014

Local veteran with PTSD finds peace with his service dog, but learns VA won’t cover cost

SEATTLE — A local veteran diagnosed with crippling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has finally found some relief — but it didn’t come in the form of a pill.

Instead, he found peace with a service dog.

But as Tina Patel reports, he was shocked to learn his VA benefits wouldn’t cover the cost.

Veterans have been fighting to have the VA approve of service dogs for PTSD for years. In 2010 there was a bill presented and passed to have a pilot study done.

Franken's Service Dog for Vets Bill Passes Senate
The Senate passed Sen. Al Franken's first piece of legislation, a bill aimed at providing service dogs to more disabled veterans.

The Service Dogs for Veterans Act would create a pilot program within the Veterans Administration. The VA would partner with non-profit groups which train service dogs.

The bill was incorporated into the Defense Authorization bill for fiscal year 2010 and passed as part of the larger bill.

But as you can see above, it did little good.

Marine's Best Friend Lost Limb to Save Him

A Marine's Best Friend
Parade
SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

Military dogs are often our troops’ first line of defense, sniffing out hidden bombs in some of the most dangerous places on earth. This excerpt from the new book Top Dog by Maria Goodavage recalls the ­sacrifice and bravery of a smart German Shepherd–­Belgian Malinois mix, who led Special Forces ­soldiers onto a battlefield in Afghanistan’s Helmand River valley in March of 2012. But it also captures the loyalty and trust that develop between a dog and her handler and the deep, loving bond that lasts a lifetime.

Rod never left Lucca's side as she recovered from surgery.

(Courtesy of Juan Rodgriguez)

Marine Cpl. Juan “Rod” Rodriguez crunched across the dry farm field, his right hand resting on the M4 rifle strapped to his chest. He kept clear of the path that meandered through hard clumps of dirt that looked nothing like the rich soil of his New England roots. The road less traveled—ideally, no road at all—was the safest from homemade bombs sowed by the Taliban.

Rod watched his dog Lucca, who was 30 feet ahead, inspecting for IEDs. Unlike much of the agricultural land around here, this field was barren. In the distance, a compound, a tree line, some worn-down mountains.

Rod could see Lucca trotting with a purpose, nose down, tail up. She was an old pro at the business of sniffing IEDs off leash. “Good girl, Mama Lucca,” he said under his breath.

Lucca Bear. Lucca Pie. Bearcat Jones. Mama Lucca. The Special Forces ­soldiers Rod was working with had come to know Lucca by all the terms of endearment she had inspired during her career. She had led more than 400 missions, and no one had been hurt by an IED when they were with her.

Mama Lucca was the name that had stuck lately. She was the only one that the Green Berets felt comfortable hugging after a tough day. The maternal moniker was a natural fit.

A cloud of gray smoke erupted before Rod heard the explosion. “No!” Rod shouted, squeezing his helmet between his hands. Radios around him buzzed into a frenzy, but he didn’t hear words. As the curtain of debris curled away, he could see Lucca had dragged herself up and was standing, dazed, alive. Rod dashed toward her, not thinking about IEDs that might be between them. Lucca could take only a few steps before Rod swept her up in his arms.

A History of Canines in Combat

When called, these tail-wagging warriors ­became battlefield heroes

Sgt. Stubby served through 17 battles in World War I, leading medics to the wounded and saving his regiment from a gas attack. He made the front page of newspapers back home when he caught a German spy literally by the seat of his pants.

Smoky, a Yorkie discovered in a foxhole in New Guinea during World War II, accompanied Cpl. William A. Wynne (often riding in his backpack) for nearly two years through the South Pacific. When Wynne was hospitalized, Smoky lifted the spirits of other patients and even went on rounds. She’s considered the first therapy dog.

Nemo protected his handler, Robert Thorneburg, during a fight with Viet Cong in South Vietnam. Despite a gunshot wound and an injury that would lead to the loss of his eye, the 85-pound German Shepherd crawled on top of his injured handler until help ­arrived.
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Wounded Iraq Veteran Getting Dream Wedding Day

Community steps up for wounded warrior’s wedding
Tampa Bay Online
Tribune Staff Ronnie Blair
Published: September 12, 2014

Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Wounded veteran Jacob Leach and Brittany Polinsky will be married at Old McMicky’s Farm. Local businesses and individuals helped to grow their prize package. Krista Rosado

ODESSA — The explosion happened as Jacob Leach drove a Humvee in the area of Ramadi, Iraq.

An improvised explosive device made from two 155mm shells had been planted along his route. The IED could be detonated remotely with the push of a button.

Someone pushed the button.

“It lifted the vehicle up and put us back down,” Leach said.

The concussion rattled his brain and left him with some loss of hearing, but he and the other two soldiers aboard the Humvee survived and walked away. The destroyed Humvee required a tow.

For Leach, a disabled veteran, it was just another day in Iraq, where he spent 15 months.

The folks at Old McMicky’s Farm, though, think his service is worth celebrating. They chose Leach and his fiancee, Brittany Polinsky, to receive the farm’s $40,000 “Mission I Do” prize package, which includes a wedding dress, rings, wedding cake, entertainment and reception.

The farm teamed up with Vincent Jackson, a wide receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and several local businesses to provide the prize package, which originally was valued at $25,000 but grew as more businesses added their support.

“The fact the community came together for something like this is amazing,” Leach said. “They have done nothing but make our lives easy.”

The wedding will be at the farm Nov. 16.
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Iraq Veteran Gets Beard Transplant After Burn Wounds

'I want to look normal': Army vet whose facial hair was burned off by a roadside bomb gets a beard for the first time in 10 years after transplant
Joseph Jones lost his facial follicles in 2004 when he was injured in by roadside bomb in Iraq
Jones had his procedure covered by the little known Faces of Honor program for vets from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
More than 3,000 follicles were transplanted to Jones' face over the eight-hour procedure
Process will restore Jones' eyebrows and beard
Daily Mail
By MAIL ONLINE REPORTER
2 September 2014

Dr. Jeffrey Epstein marks Army vet Joseph Jones on the areas he plans to transplant new hair follicles where Jones was injured in combat

For the first time in more than a decade, Army veteran Joseph Jones was able to recognize bits of his old face in the mirror following a eight-hour procedure to repair damage to his face sustained by a roadside bomb.

Over the course of the surgery, performed in South Miami, roughly 3,000 follicles were transplanted from to Jones' face, returning the beard and eyebrows he had before the explosion that burned them away while serving in the Iraq war.

Jones was the beneficiary of Faces of Honor program, an initiative from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery to help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
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IED claimed Marine's legs, not his sense of humor

NJ Marine who lost his legs 'the same jokester self,' fellow Marine says
New Jersey.com
By Justin Zaremba
August 09, 2014

U.S. Marine Sgt. Aaron Alonso lost both his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan on Feb. 8. Since then, he's made gains in his recovery, even climbing the Lincoln Memorial without the aid of prostheses. Pictured, Alonso, left, with fellow Marines.
(Courtesy of Zachary Shook)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — It's been six months since U.S. Marine Sgt. Aaron Alonso lost his legs after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan, but, despite the injuries and the recovery process, he's "the same jokester self," according to a Marine who was formerly under Alonso's command.

Alonso, a Jefferson native, served as Zachary Shook's section leader in Afghanistan from Dec. 8 until Feb. 8, when he was critically injured.

"He was a very knowledgeable man and always looked after his Marines," Shook said. "In combat he always encouraged us to keep high in spirits and led us to critical attacks on the enemy."

Shook, a lance corporal, told NJ.com that a sweep for improvised explosive devices in a compound in Nad Ali, Afghanistan was conducted by two Marines and an improvised explosive detection dog, Fidler, minutes before the incident. The Marines and the dog failed to detect the device because it had rained recently, Shook said.

Alonso then went into the compound to ground guide a MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle) into the corner, but "as (Alonso) reached the corner, he stepped on a 20-pound IED," Shook said.

Two Marines then ran over and put tourniquets on Alonso's legs and a physician bandaged his wounds while awaiting a casualty evacuation helicopter, Shook said.

Both of Alonso's legs were amputated in the explosion and he sustained extensive abdominal injuries in the blast.
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Program for TBI veterans saved for now with new VA funding

VA reform bill saves program for veterans with TBI
Stars and Stripes
By Travis J. Tritten
Published: August 4, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Thursday will sign into law landmark reform of the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, but the stroke of his executive pen will also save an unrelated effort to rehabilitate veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

The massive $16.3-billion VA overhaul passed by Congress last week included a measure sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Dean Heller, R-Nev., extending for three years a unique VA pilot program that provides assisted living and therapy to those with moderate to severe TBI.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that Obama will sign the bill during an event at Fort Belvoir, Va.

Over 300,000 servicemembers have suffered TBI since 2000, according to the Department of Defense, and the injuries have become a grim signature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where improvised explosive devices were widely used to attack convoys and foot patrols.

As such injuries ballooned, Congress directed the VA to test out how assisted-living services could help veterans with rehabilitation, quality of life, and reintegration. In 2011, the department signed up 20 certified residential brain injury rehabilitation providers for services at 150 sites across the United States.
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Three Tour Iraq Veteran, Critical Condition After Being Shot

UPDATE

Antioch: Community members raise funds for war vet shot near home

IRAQ VET WHO SERVED THREE TOURS OF DUTY, SHOT IN ANTIOCH
ABC7 San Francisco
By Laura Anthony
Friday, August 01, 2014

ANTIOCH, Calif. (KGO) -- Brandon Del Fiorentino is in critical condition after being shot on Golf Course Road in Antioch early Friday morning. It's the fourth shooting in Antioch in 48 hours.

"It's horrible that that would happen to him here. that he would survive his tours of duty and then come here and get shot," said Dorothy Harden, a neighbor who lives across the street from him.

The Marine veteran and Purple Heart recipient was shot multiple times while walking near his Antioch home.

Del Fiorentino served three tours in Iraq as a scout sniper instructor. He received a purple heart after suffering a severe head injury from an IED explosion.
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Humor Helps Wounded Green Beret

Humor helps wounded Green Beret cope 
Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
By Elaine Williams
Published: July 27, 2014

Staff Sgt. Cody Ensley is awarded the Purple Heart, for wounds he received while performing his duties in Afghanistan, by Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell at San Antonio Military Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio Jan. 3, 2014.
PETER J. BERARDIU.S. ARMY

Laughter comes easily to U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Ensley, less than a year after he nearly lost his life in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device detonated.

Words are still a struggle, something that can be frustrating for the Green Beret who was fluent in Spanish and had mastered a smattering of an Arabic dialect used in the region where he was deployed.

Sitting close to his wife at the home of friends, Ensley, 26, a 2006 Lewiston High School graduate, answered questions, often with single words, during his first visit to Idaho since the attack.

"He knows what he wants to say, but that speech center is so damaged, he just can't get it out," said his wife, Ashley Ensley. "We play charades a lot."

The Ensleys planned to see his family, catch up with friends and attend a fundraiser at Canter's Inn in Lewiston. The trip is a celebration of how far Ensley has come.
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Inspirational Double Amputee Iraq Veteran Up for Cover for Men's Health

Local veteran in the running to grace the cover of Men's Health magazine
MyFOX Alabama
By Vanessa Araiza
Posted: Jul 24, 2014

ALABASTER, AL (WBRC)
To his three children, Noah Galloway is just Dad. But soon the Iraq veteran and double amputee may be the very first reader to ever grace the cover of Men's Health Magazine.

In the past, athletes and celebrities have only been the ones to draw readers' attention.

When asked what his children thought of the coveted spot Galloway said they don't see it as a big deal.

"As long as I take them to the park that's all that really matters," said Galloway. "I've tried explaining it to them and they're like, 'Yeah, OK.'"

If you didn't know him or his story you wouldn't know the struggles he's overcome since being injured in 2003 when an IED struck the humvee he was riding in.

"In 2007-2008 if you would have said I was even in the running to be on the cover of Men's Health magazine I would have said you're crazy, there's no way," said Galloway.

Galloway said he's always wanted to be in the magazine he's read for years but it wasn't until the loss of his arm and leg he felt he truly had a story to tell.

"After I was injured and then I got back in shape I always felt like I had a legitimate reason to be on Men's Health because I designed all my workouts. Everything I've done I've done on my own, " said Galloway.

After sinking to his lowest in 2007 and 2008, Galloway took a different approach on life. That new outlook not only put him in great shape but it pushed him and inspired others.
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