Sunday, July 31, 2005

What would you do if mortar shrapnel tore into your skull?

Some see heroes. Others are outraged. There are many levels of twistedness laced throughout this article. In the end, I want to know when will those responsible for sending our troops to Iraq be held accountable for this foolishness.

"Relax, relax," Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell said, resting his hand on the corporal's shoulder. "Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Doing good, sir. How about you?"

"I feel like I got no brain left," Maxwell said. "My brain got whacked pretty good. I kind of have to fake it to get by."

On Oct. 7 in central Iraq, mortar shrapnel tore into Maxwell's skull, causing severe brain damage, and lacerated the left side of his body. Seventeen days later, a rocket exploded near Ferguson in western Iraq, shredding his lower left leg.

The two Marines had never met before the 40-year-old colonel sought out the 22-year-old corporal in the physical therapy ward of the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune this month. Their encounter was part of an extraordinary endeavor by a Marine officer with a faulty memory and a speech impediment, in which the walking wounded help care for injured comrades.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shame on you for using this article to make your crass anti-American point.

I wonder what Lt. Col. Maxwell, who knows a hell of a lot more about Iraq than you could even fantasize, would have to say about the war and the policy that got us there. I suspect he would support the President -- most members of our military do,

Anonymous said...


Rhymes With Right, your link is broken. I don't understand your comment. War is politics by other means. Are you saying that you're against political accountability? or against reporting what Marines say? Please clarify.

Nedhead, I'm no Amazon.com book-selecting bot but from your reading list I conclude that you may like Philip K. Dick. He wrote ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' Dead now, he was an idea gerbil spinning out wonderful stuff, many made into movies.

Words said...

I'm outraged by the ignorance of some of your commentators.
Some folks just can't handle reality.