Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Wounded combat medic's love story ended too soon

Wounded Warrior, Married in Mesquite, Dies
Posting Date: 01/31/2012

By John Taylor
Army medic Kevin Hardin died Jan. 22 of
injuries sustained in Iraq. He and his wife
Lillian received a storybook wedding a year ago
thanks to the Eureka and the Mesquite
community. Photo provided.
Slightly more than a year has passed since the storybook wedding in Mesquite of former Army medic Kevin Hardin to the woman who cared for him at Walter Reed Army Hospital after he was severely injured when a rocket propelled grenade slammed into his Humvee during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq in 2007.

Hardin spent two years in the hospital and was forced to undergo 32 surgeries and a lengthy, painful rehabilitation. During his recovery, Hardin met Lillian May who cared for him through the painful times. Over the course of two years Hardin was receiving medical treatments, the couple fell in love.

In August, 2009, Hardin proposed to May but the reality was he was severely injured including injuries to both arms, a fused wrist and loss of fingers. He also had several pieces of shrapnel in his brain which were inoperable. After being medically retired from the military, he was without a job.
read more here

19 comments:

  1. Thank you for taking the time to honor this vet and read our heart warming story from the Mesquite Citizen Journal, Mesquite, Nevada.

    John Taylor

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    1. I saw the SYTTD airing today 5-15-2024 and was from the very beginning proud of the couple's deep love, the unselfish commitment Kevin had to his country and Lillian's and Kevin's love. Such young people having to deal with the cruel, horrible, hateful side of war. The fact that he was so gravely injured yet not full of anger, hatred or regret is a true hero's mindset. Not to say he shouldn't feel these emotions, it would be understandable. Lillian is a hero as well. She fell in love with Kevin, the man despite his wounds. She nurtured him with compassion, love, understanding and in doing so brought joy to his world. They were each other's soul. Over and over, Kevin said that he wouldn't know what he would have done if he had never met her. We all have our struggles in our lives, married or not, but the struggles they had began when a young man unselfishly entered the military. My heart goes out to Kevin & Lillian but also to all our vets, wounded or not you all gave unselfishly to keep us safe! I stand and salute you all. I never take our Vet's for granted-they are our greatest hero's -our best, truest assets. Thank You and God bless.

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  2. There are so many stories out there that never get the coverage they deserve. That's why this blog is here. I don't know why all of a sudden this got so many hits considering it went up in February, but I am glad a lot of people got to read Hardin's story.
    Your site should be very proud of the way this story was told.

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  3. I just saw his storybook wedding on #SYTTD and I was in tears... I saw real love & then to see that he paased away... OMG, Its been a year but my condolences to the family .

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    1. I was just watching that episode today..i was in tears about his story and the help and support the noth of them were given.
      Gone to soon.

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  4. I just saw that episode of "Say Yes to the Dress"... and cried my eyes out. Then I went up to my computer and found the YouTube memorial videos of him that his family and friends posted, and I cried some more. Such a great guy, such a great love, it's nearly unbearable. Sending love out to his wife and family and friends and comrades in arms... you have friends out here you've never met, and we support you and grieve with you.

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    1. Thats exactly what i did.

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    2. As did I. My jaw dropped when I read the 'In Memory Of...' My condolences and love to his wife, Lilian and both their families.

      In Kevin's memory and all the other Kevins' we must stop this scourge. Make it a number one priority to take care of our soldiers when they return.

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  5. Thank you for letting me know. I was really confused on why so many were reading this story after all this time. It was read over 9,000 times this week alone. I am really glad about that since this story is so emotional.

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    1. Its so sad.he did so much for his country to be so close to getting home safe and this accident happen.but he found love and then a tragedy separated him from his true love.she loves you kevin and so do we.
      God bless you and your family..Always

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  6. i have just watch the episode of say yes to the dress i thought thier story was they lived happily ever after until i saw the end memoriam.what a heartbreaking loss. he's in God's now.

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  7. I just saw their episode of Say Yes to the Dress. They looked sincerely in love and it's much more than my brain could comprehend. It was perfect until the memoriam showed up and it broke my heart to know that he passed away so soon. My heart goes out for that Kevin and Lillian. He's in a better place now. They'll both be in my prayers. (Teary-eyed while typing)

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  8. I found episodes of Say yes to Dress on dailymotion to share you girls !

    here is the channel to watch episodes ; dailymotion.com/phy-her2015

    Enjoy it :)

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  9. Saw this story on "Say Yes To The Dress" as well, and was touched by how much they loved each other. So very, very sorry to read that Kevin passed away. My love and condolences to his wife and family. Eileen O'Connor.

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    1. He was so young and had so much more to give his wife.
      God bless them.

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  10. My wife and I just finished watching the SYTTD episode and I ended up on line looking, as many have, to see if Kevin was the husband. We both were saddened to find out he had passed away so soon after the wedding. I have read many comments on this site and several others that talk about how sad this situation has been and I agree on the surface it can make even the most hardened cry. However, I felt the need to point out another aspect that I believe has been ignored. While Kevin's injuries were traumatic, and eventually the cause of his passing, they were also the reason this couple was fortunate enough to find each other. As his caregiver, she was given the opportunity to meet and fall in love, as did Kevin. We often find ourselves asking why God took someone from us so soon. But we forget, it was He who brought them together in the first place and it was his plan, not ours, that gave them this wonderful opportunity. Mourn yes, but we should also celebrate this wonderful love story and, if we all truly believe in eternal life, they will only be apart for a short time in terms of spending eternity together. This is not the end for Kevin and Lillian, as I say with the loss of a loved one, "Until we meet again".

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