New home for disabled veteran vandalized by teenagers!

2 juveniles arrested for allegedly vandalizing home under construction for disabled veteran in Hanson
WHDH News
SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

HANSON, MASS. (WHDH) - Two juveniles were arrested in Hanson, accused of vandalizing a home under construction for a disabled veteran.

The teenage boys, whose names were not released, smashed every single window on a house being built by Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors — the first one this charity has built here in Massachusetts.

“This house is for a veteran. He’s a single-leg amputee, and his home right now doesn’t work for him on several levels,” said Karalexis, the lead project manager. “So what our organization does, we come in here, we build a fully functional handicapped home.”

Karalexis says the damage is so extensive, it’ll set them back weeks.

The home is free for the wounded veteran, but it costs construction crews time and money.

“They’re all mortgage-free,” Karalexis said. “We purchase the house, and the only way to do that is with the generosity of corporations. Every penny counts and the pennies go toward the projects.”

They estimate the damage at $50,000.
read more here

Triple amputee part of dynamic duo

Power couple: Wife of airman who survived most catastrophic wounds in history vying for cover of Maxim magazine
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
September 24, 2018

Brian and Ashley often make trips to Walter Reed to visit other wounded veterans to provide hope and inspiration. In 2014, Brian was presented the George C. Lang Award for Courage for his many efforts to take care of and mentor wounded vets.

Ashley Kolfage met her husband-to-be, Brian, when she was working as a hostess at a Chili’s in the small west Texas city of San Angelo.

Ashley and Brian Kolfage practice surfing. The couple married in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Kolfage)

The two quickly became friends, but before any romance could take hold, Brian deployed to Iraq, where, on Sept. 11, 2004, he became the most severely wounded airman to survive any war in U.S. history after a 107mm enemy rocket landed just three feet away as he walked to get a drink of water.

Both of Brian’s legs were instantly shredded, he lost his dominant right hand and his lung collapsed.

Miraculously conscious after the explosion, the senior airman screamed for help. A close friend tried to keep him calm as medics rushed to help. All the while, Kolfage repeated that he just wanted to make it home to see his family.

Medics would go on to perform hours of life-saving surgery before placing Kolfage on a flight to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, where he arrived only 36 hours after being wounded, the fastest medevac to the U.S. from a war zone in history.
read more here

Amputee sunk to new low to re-enlist...in dive tank~

Amputee soldier takes re-enlistment oath at bottom of dive tank
AL.com
By Lee Roop
August 31, 2018

If you were looking for Huntsville soldier Michael Brown on Friday, you needed to search 30 feet under water in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's dive tank.

Two thumbs up from a re-committed soldier
Staff Sgt. Michael Brown gives two thumbs up when he surfaces after taking a re-enlistment oath at the bottom of a dive tank. Brown wanted to celebrate the passion he developed for diving since it became part of his rehabilitation from losing a lower leg in combat in Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Brown, a combat veteran and wounded warrior based at Redstone Arsenal, went to the bottom of the tank to take his oath of re-enlistment from fellow diver and Lt. Col Gary Blount.

Brown chose the center's Underwater Astronaut Trainer "as a fitting location to marry his two passions, the Army and scuba diving," the Army said in a press release. It's where Brown loves to be, and that's something of a surprise to him and everyone else.

"In 2007, two years after joining the army, my left leg was blown off below the knee," Brown explained after surfacing. It happened in Mosul, Iraq, 33 days after he deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. An RKG-3 anti-tank grenade hit Brown, and he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Hospital where military doctors have learned how to perform surgical miracles.

Brown got specially designed prosthetic leg and also something to think about. "I was taught to scuba dive as part of adaptive rehabilitation - to think outside the box about what my 'new normal' could be," Brown said Friday.
read more here

The Cohen Veterans Network shutting down clinics?

Hedge Fund Billionaire Steve Cohen Is Spending Big to Help Veterans. Why Are People Angry?
Fortune
By ISAAC ARNSDORF
August 3, 2018

The story of the Cohen Network illustrates what could lie in store for veterans as Trump pursues his campaign pledge to place their care in the hands of the private sector.

The network’s original clinic, at New York University, got into a spat over who would own the patent rights from research that Cohen funded. And shortly after the hearing, Cohen mounted an aggressive lobbying campaign to get the government to subsidize the clinics.

Steven Cohen on the trading floor at Point72 Asset
Management in 2016.
Gillian Laub

But at that same moment, across the country, the Cohen Network was closing its clinic in Los Angeles less than a year after it opened. The Cohen Network’s leaders had alienated the staff there, former employees said, by telling them to prioritize healthier patients over homeless veterans. The shutdown was so hasty that former therapists said it left some patients in the lurch.

This article is a collaboration between Fortune and ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative news organization.

At a House hearing last year on post-traumatic stress disorder, a private organization showed up with an ambitious plan to help suffering veterans. The Cohen Veterans Network was opening a chain of free mental health clinics across the country, backed by $275 million from hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen.

By contrast to the high-profile scandals at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Cohen Network claimed 96% client satisfaction. In a statement for the hearing, the organization said its clinics “provide a desirable alternative” to the VA—a clear echo of President Trump’s campaign promise to let veterans skip the VA for “a private service provider of their own choice.”
read more here

Community builds home with love for wounded veteran

Army Vet gets 'notes of love' written directly on house
KLBK News
By: Emily Harrison
Posted: Aug 01, 2018

LUBBOCK, Texas - A wounded veteran received some uplifting words from the community Wednesday as volunteers left what they call "notes of love" on the walls of the house they're working to build him.

"We recognize the sacrifice the men and women make when they sign their name on that sheet of paper," said Senator Charles Perry. "They have to be willing to lay down their lives, and some are maimed for life, none of them come back unchanged." This includes Army Corporal Michael Vasquez, whose life changed after he was deployed. In 2008, he was sent to Afghanistan, where he was injured from the waist down after a grenade was thrown at his car. Vasquez said accepting the fact that he would never walk again was difficult.

"It was a really dark day," said Vasquez. "I was drinking and doing things I shouldn't. It just brought me down to a spot that I didn't want to be in."

However, he didn't let that keep him down. Vasquez started participating in hand-cycle races and speaking on behalf of other wounded veterans. For better or worse, he said, he's grateful about the opportunities he's been given because of his injuries.
read more here

Technology and tenacity help amputees stay in service!

Soldier amputees have more options for continued service
Joint Base San Antonio
U.S. Army Warrior Care and Transition
By Whitney Delbridge Nichels
July 26, 2018

FOB FRONTERAC, Afghanistan - Col. Todd R. Wood (right), commander of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, administers the oath of re-enlistment to Staff Sgt. Brian Beem (left), a cavalry scout assigned to the 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, during a special ceremony at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Nov. 9. Beem is a single leg amputee who has continued to serve despite his injury. He lost his leg after an improvised explosive device detonated during his 2006 deployment to Iraq.

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Thanks to advances in modern medicine and the availability of sturdier prosthetics, soldiers who are able to redeploy after amputation have a number of possible options for continued military service.

Army Staff Sgt. Brian Beem lost his leg in 2006 to an improvised explosive device in Iraq. "I thought my career was over," he said.

Beem credits his experiences at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, with helping him assess and eventually find options for returning to duty.

“It took me about a year to get up to speed with physical training, and I was feeling pretty confident,” he said. Within a short time, Beem was ready to deploy to Afghanistan with his unit. Although he was no longer on patrol as he was in previous deployments, he still played a vital role in battle staff operations.

“It was really gratifying to be able to deploy,” he said. “It’s possible, but it’s not easy. The process is there for those who have the perseverance.”
read more here

Disabled Army Vet kicked heroin to be heroic to daughter

Veteran goes from spending $500 a day on heroin to owning a business
News4Jax
By Chris Parenteau - Reporter
July 25, 2018

"God is the only reason I came through it," Tipper said. "And I think there is always a plan and that things may seem insurmountable to be able to come past an addiction, but it’s definitely doable."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A United States Army veteran went from spending $500 a day on heroin to owning a business.

Kendall Tipper shared his story about how the opioid crisis affected him with News4Jax on Wednesday. The former soldier talked about how he broke his addiction and turned his life around.

Day-to-day, Tipper works as a chauffeur, driving a black car for Tipper Transportation, the company he started.

But to getting to where he is today wasn't easy.

"A lot of times, I would catch myself thinking, 'Am I going to be on drugs forever?'" Tipper said.

After he graduated from First Coast High School, Tipper enrolled at Florida State College at Jacksonville, but he quickly knew it wasn’t for him. That’s when he enlisted in the U.S. Army.

"I need the discipline and I didn’t have it at the time," he said.
read more here

Firefighter-Marine Veteran Killed in Motorcycle Crash

Firefighter killed in Lincoln crash was Marine veteran
KCRA 3 News
July 13, 2018

South Placer Fire: David Volk received Purple Heart Citation after being injured in Iraq

LINCOLN, Calif. (KCRA) — A South Placer firefighter who was killed Friday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on a Highway 65 off-ramp was a Marine who was wounded in Iraq, according to the fire district.

David Volk, 31, died after his motorcycle crashed on the Lincoln Boulevard off-ramp, the fire department said in a released statement.

It's unclear what time the crash happened, but the scene was discovered sometime around 6 a.m. Friday.

"We're kind of looking at everything. There's some physical evidence, there's some skid marks. So, we have to look at everything before we can make that determination," California Highway Patrol Office David Martinez said.
read more here

Caregiver wife battles for combat wounded husband

Hidden Heroes: When her husband was injured in Afghanistan, she fought to get him the care he needed 
Johnson City Press 
Hannah Swayze
July 8, 2018

Soon, Susan also realized, they had to move. The family was living in Fort Bragg at the time, and there, military life was unescapable. They decided to look for another place to live and they heard about the Mountain Home Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

“Once we came here it was like the Disney World of VAs,” said Susan. Susan says their lives look a lot different now.

Hannah Swayze
This is a photo collage that Susan created to show their doctors and counselors to illustrate really what Jason has gone through. The first top left photo is Justin before the injuries and the other three surrounding it are the aftermath of the explosion. "I realized as I became justin's advocate and I became his voice that words simply won't describe what he had survived," said Susan.

Susan Freeman became her husband Justin’s caregiver after he returned from war. He was severely injured after his truck was shattered by a 1,000-pound improvised explosive device, or IED, in 2009, though looking at him and talking to him today, you might not notice more than a limp.

Justin, a U.S. Army veteran, said it was the largest successfully detonated IED that had been used in Afghanistan at that point in the war.

The explosion left Justin severely injured. He suffered damage to his brain and spinal cord and various other places throughout his body. It wasn't until after he painfully finished out his deployment and returned to the United States that he and his family realized just how much damage had been done.

“When he walked off the plane I could see that he was just broken,” said Susan. “He was broken mentally and physically and spiritually broken.”

When Justin returned, he was put in rehabilitation, going to appointment after appointment. It wasn't long before Susan realized that he wasn't really getting better.

Justin was grieving the loss of his career in the Army and struggling both physically and mentally. His injuries were numerous: nerve damage in his shoulder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more. His mental health plummeted.
read more here

Iraq War Veteran Built Memorial By Name

Iraq War veteran‘s breathtaking tribute to the fallen: ‘It’s truly amazing’
CBS 6 News
BY GREG MCQUADE
JULY 1, 2018

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- On the banks of Gregory’s Mill Pond, veteran James Howard has found a slice of heaven on earth.

“It's very, very secluded [and] kind of tucked away. That's why I love it,” Howard said. “I roll right down to the lake and take it all in. It's medicinal out here. I think it does that for many people that come visit too.”

The Iraq War veteran, who is one with nature at the pond, enjoys sharing his "happy place" with others.

“Every day I wake up and I’m just thankful,” Howard said.

As a result, twice a month, Howard welcomes veterans from McGuire VA Medical Center as an escape through his non-profit, Veterans and Athletes United.

But Howard always dreamed of building an addition. Not a pool or man cave, but something more meaningful dedicated to those who will never have a chance to visit.

“It was extremely powerful to go down there and see it for the first time,” Howard said.

The new 28-foot Fallen Heroes Memorial has been a dream of Howard's for four years.

The memorial, funded and built by veterans and volunteer groups, honors the 6,941 service members killed in the War on Terror.
read more here

Stolen Valor Fake Vietnam Veteran

He collected nearly $200K posing as a Vietnam vet with 2 Purple Hearts — but he never served
The News and Observer (Tribune News Service)
By AARON MOODY
Published: June 27, 2018

A Charleston, S.C. man collected nearly $200,000 in VA benefits over the past few years while listed as a Navy medic who received two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.

Keith R. Hudson Charleston County Sheriff's Office

But Keith R. Hudson, 70, was never in the military, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina said Wednesday.

“This is a particularly awful type of white collar crime,” U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon said in a news release. “Veteran health benefits are for those who served our nation in the military. The VA has limited numbers of physicians and resources. There is not much to spare.”

Hudson pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the VA of $197,237. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
read more here

New Yorker Reporter Resigned,,,after blaming others

Ok! So a reporter shared something that turned out to not be true, and now, she is blaming others for doing it?
I screw up all the time because I believe reporters. That is my bad for not taking the time to make sure what they share is in fact true. OK, honestly, I also screw up all by myself but I do try to get it right. I eat crow so often, I carry a salt shaker! 

This person is paid to report news not jump all over something she saw on social media and share as if it is true. 

Writer resigns from ‘New Yorker’ after twitter flap over Pasco Marine’s tattoo
Tampa Bay Times
Howard Altman
Times staff writer
Published: June 22, 2018

Lavin said she "was also a useful foil: a fat Jewish feminist with a Harvard education. ICE said I ‘baselessly slandered an American hero,’ artificially pitted me against a disabled veteran, and engineered a conservative news cycle in which I was a villain."

Talia Lavin, whose tweet about a Pasco veteran’s tattoo implied he was a Nazi, has apologized to him and resigned from her position as a fact-checker at the New Yorker magazine.

But in another tweet, Thursday evening, Lavin also lashed out at the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, saying it unfairly targeted her in its own tweet about combat-wounded veteran Justin Gaertner.

"This has been a wild and difficult week," Lavin said in the tweet. "I owe ICE agent Justin Gaertner a sincere apology for spreading an rumor about his tattoo. However, I do not think it is acceptable for a federal agency to target a private citizen for a good faith, hastily rectified error."

A Twitter storm erupted last weekend after Lavin’s tweet about a cross-shaped tattoo on Gaertner’s elbow drew a response from ICE saying she had "essentially labeled him a Nazi."

Later, Lavin tweeted, "I had become a weapon used to discredit my colleagues and the vital work they do holding power to account. As a result, I have resigned after three years at the New Yorker."

But she also insisted that ICE misled people about her role in the controversy.

"ICE also lied about me, saying I originated the scrutiny of Gaertner’s tattoo," she said in a tweet.
read more here

Marine tattoo of Titan 2 caused viral lie

Reminder: It is not true just because you read it on social media!

Nazi or not? Tattoo sparks Twitter storm over wounded Pasco veteran 
Tampa Bay Times
Howard Altman
June 19, 2018

The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is pushing back against a social media post implying that a combat-wounded New Port Richey veteran has a Nazi symbol tattooed on his arm.

Justin Gaertner of New Port Richey, who lost his legs to an explosion in Afghanistan, trained as a forensic analyst to fight online pedophiles through the Department of Homeland Security. [CHRIS URSO | Staff (2015)]

In a tweet Monday afternoon, ICE officials denied the veteran is associated with Nazis. It quotes Justin Gaertner, a Marine who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011, saying that the tattoo is not an Iron Cross but a "Titan 2" design, the symbol of his platoon.

Gaertner has been featured in news stories about a public-private program to investigate pedophiles, called the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative Child-Rescue Corps or HERO. Created by U.S. Special Operations Command, Homeland Security Investigations and the National Association to Protect Children, the program trains wounded, ill and injured commandos in computer forensics and law enforcement skills to help in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.
read more here

Group gave Army veteran Jon Vandeyacht new motorcycle

Local group donates motorcycle to Wisconsin veteran
WKOW 27 ABC News
By Scott Behrens
May 6, 2018

MADISON (WKOW) -- A local organization is coming together to support a Wisconsin veteran.

The Madison-area group Hogs for Heroes is donating a motorcycle to Army veteran Jon Vandeyacht, from Omro, as a thank you for serving our country.

"I escaped death five times," said Vandeyacht.

Vandeyacht served three tours in combat in Iraq.

"With the IED's at any given moment you could blow up and be dead," Vandeyacht told 27 News.

He's lost friends along the way.

Vandeyacht said, "I had a truck in front of me that got blown up and the blast rocked ours so bad that it knocked me into tomorrow, that's scary that's the hardest part."

Five years ago Vandeyacht had to retire after being seriously hurt.
read more here

Combat wounded veteran needed fundraiser for medical care?

This could be one of the worst reporting jobs of the week. There is no explanation as to why this Marine veteran needs financial help to get medical treatment. 

Wounded veterans get 5 years of free medical care, plus if they have a service connected VA claim, they get free care too. If they are 100%, all of their healthcare is covered.

It would have been a lot more helpful to know if he needs help because he is fighting the VA to have his claim approved or not. 

If he is going to one of the over 400,000 charities for veterans out there, then they are supposed to be providing the help for free. Isn't that what they are getting all the donations for?

So who let this veteran down or is it all of the above?

Fundraiser to help injured West Michigan veteran get medical treatment
FOX 17 NEWS
APRIL 28, 2018

GREENVILLE, Mich. -- Dozens of families are supporting a West Michigan veteran who served fourteen years as a United States Marine. On Saturday, they joined together to help raise funds for medical treatments for injuries occurring during his time protecting the nation.

Chris Van Dyken, a United States Marine veteran, reacted to the many people who met in Greenville to support and fund medical treatment, and therapy care he needs.

His wife Morgan is one of many who is helping make it happen.

“I’m so thankful for her. With some of the stuff that’s happened in the past, I almost feel like I don’t deserve her,” said Chris. “But she stays beside me, hopes everything is going to be better, and gives me hope.”

During his time in service, he was injured from an r-p-g blast in 2005 in Iraq and in 2009 from an explosion in Afghanistan.
read more here

Widow keeps mission and love going on and on

After his death, combat veteran's family keeps his mission going
News4Jax
By Mary Baer
Jodi Mohrmann Anchor Managing Editor of special projects
April 23, 2018

"Most people dream of the kind of love that I had and I feel blessed that even though it was cut short I had that much time with him." Kristle Helmuth

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. - Nate Helmuth came home from war with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, but instead of giving up, the combat veteran chose to help others like him. With his wife, Kristle, and their two children by their side, they worked tirelessly helping one military veteran at a time.

The couple, both U.S. Army veterans, also instilled patriotism and country into their children.

Photos of their 12-year-old son Nate Jr., assisting in lowering the Stars and Stripes at Coppergate Elementary went viral last fall as Hurricane Irma approached.

Now, the father that taught his son Nate Jr. and his daughter, Kinley, to respect the flag, is gone.

"I think we always knew that there was that chance that things would be more serious than they were and maybe we would lose him," Kristle said.

They lost Nate just four months ago. On Jan. 6, the 36-year-old unexpectedly collapsed in their home; he lost his life to the wounds he suffered years earlier in Iraq.

Besides Nate's PTSD and his traumatic brain injury caused by an explosion in Iraq, he inhaled chlorine.

"Basically it just shredded his lungs," said Kristle. "He couldn't breathe."

They were injuries that dashed his dream to be a Blackhawk helicopter mechanic.
read more here

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.
read more here

Operation Proper Exit "mission to find closure"

Leaving the AOR on their own terms

By Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Published April 11, 2018

The combat veterans were escorted by Medal of Honor recipient and wounded warrior, Master Sgt. (Ret.) Leroy Petry. This event was Petry’s 24th trip escorting service members on behalf of OPE. Since the inception of OPE in 2009, more than 120 injured service members have returned to Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the unique initiative designed for wounded service members who are thriving in recovery and are capable of returning to theater.

Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) -- Eight wounded warriors, who have visible and invisible injuries from combat, were on a mission to find closure by returning to the place of their traumatic incident through Operation Proper Exit, April 4-8, 2018.

The combat veterans briefly visited an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia and departed on a U.S. Air Force C-130 enroute to Bagram, Afghanistan to take part in the 24th iteration of the event. The participants shared their stories of resiliency with deployed service members at multiple forward operating bases in the area of responsibility and returned to the site of their combat injury or the medical facility where they were treated.

“I’ve been given an opportunity to go back to complete my mission and walk off the battlefield with my head held high,” said Spc. Justin Lane, former U.S. Army combat engineer.


The journey not only provided closure for those who suffered obvious physical injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, it also allowed a unique perspective from service members in support elements.read more here

Disabled Florida veteran gets home upgraded by "Military Makeover"

Disabled Iraq War veteran Aaron Cornelius, floral shirt, is greeted by Marcus Luttrell, also an Iraq War veteran, as he is presented with Military Makeover's renovation of his home in Bradenton

Inspirational Hero Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal

James C. Roberts wrote in The Washington Post about heroes who should be wearing the Medal of Honor around their necks.

The fact that not a single living Iraq War veteran has received the Medal of Honor is a serious injustice to the 1.5 million Americans who served in that conflict.

This story brought to mind the fact our National Media stations, calling their programs "news" need a refresher on what they used to find important enough to cover. 

The one group, who represent what can be achieved when people work together, are those who risk their lives side by side no matter what. Would be great if the news stations would remember that when all they want to cover is political divisions in this country.

When you read about Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal, you'll wish you saw the report on your news station.

"Emblematic is the story of Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal. On Nov. 13, 2004, then-1st Sgt. Kasal entered an enemy-occupied building in Fallujah, a death trap our troops had dubbed “Hell House,” to assist fellow Marines who were pinned down by a superior enemy force. Under withering fire, Kasal killed an insurgent immediately; then, while dragging a wounded Marine to safety, he was struck with seven rounds of small-arms fire. Severely wounded, Kasal used the few bandages he had to treat his injured comrade rather than himself."

A seriously injured 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal, center, is carried by fellow Marines from a house in Fallujah, Iraq. (Lucian Read)

"When the insurgents lobbed a grenade at them, Kasal rolled on top of the wounded Marine, absorbing the impact of the blast and suffering 43 shrapnel wounds. He refused to leave the house until all of the other Marines were safe. A photograph taken of Kasal staggering from the house, pistol in hand, supported by fellow Marines, his uniform soaked in blood, became an iconic image of the Iraq War." read more here

Mr. Roberts, thank you for telling this story. I saw this picture a long time ago and always wondered what happened to him.