Overcoming Adversity

Below-knee amputee runs for berth in 2012 Paralympics

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (July 22,2009) -- Sgt. Jerrod Fields capped his track and field season by winning a gold medal at the 2009 Endeavor Games and setting his sights on the 2012 Paralympics.

Fields, a below-the-knee amputee sprinter in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, won the 100 meters with a time of 12.15 seconds June 13 in Edmond, Okla., site of the Endeavor Games for athletes with physical disabilities.

U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program Paralympic sprinter hopeful Sgt. Jerrod Fields works out at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. A below-the-knee amputee, Fields won a gold medal in the 100 meters with a time of 12.15 seconds at the Endeavor Games in Edmond, Okla., on June 13.  Photo Credit: Tim Hipps.

Earlier this spring, he finished second against an able-bodied field of collegiate sprinters with a 12.0 clocking in the 100 meters at the Occidental Invitational in Los Angeles, Calif.

Fields' coach, Al Joyner, believes his sprinter will flirt with world records on the road to London for the 2012 Parlympics.

"I think he's a potential world record-holder," Joyner said in early February. "I would put my money on him in both the 100 and 200."

There's little reason to doubt Joyner, an Olympic gold medalist and Jim Thorpe Award winner who helped his late wife, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and sister, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, sprint and jump for Olympic gold during their illustrious careers.

"I'm not going to let PTSD bring me down."

Wounded Corpsmen Trades Alcohol, Pills For Marathon

By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service

Navy corpsman Petty Officer Daniel "Doc" Jacobs surveys his supply of medications to restock the medic bags for his 14 junior corpsmen who care for five companies of Marines attending the school of infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Jacobs is a seriously wounded warrior who chose to stay on active duty despite his injuries. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., Nov. 1, 2008 — Navy Corpsman Daniel "Doc" Jacobs didn't know he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. But he knew he had a problem.

"I actually almost ended up killing myself because of it," Jacobs said.

He woke up one morning in late 2006 in a pool of his own urine and sweat after mixing his prescription medications with alcohol. He had blacked out and remembered nothing after the first couple of beers, Jacobs said.

Jacobs turned 21 that year and was recovering from the blast of a roadside bomb in Iraq and still was using a wheelchair. After his left leg was amputated, Jacobs said he started having a lot of pain. He had problems sleeping for several months, and when he did sleep, it was fitful and he had nightmares.

Mount Denali reenlistment

Climbing to the Top

On June 1, 2009, four Wounded Warriors, their two mentors and one guide began a quest to climb Mount McKinley, also known as Denali.

Even while fighting for their lives after being wounded in war, many Soldiers have not given up on continuing living life to the fullest. Many of them work to regain use of their limbs or learn how to function without them. The Wounded Warriors participating in Operation Denali 2009 dedicated themselves to taking it all the way to the top.

The mission of Operation Denali is for Warriors Wounded in the Global War on Terrorism to overcome devastating combat injuries and successfully summit 20,320 ft Denali, the highest mountain in North America.

One Soldier who participated in Operation Denali this year was Spc. David Shebib. He was severely injured in a road side bomb attack in Hawr Rajb, Iraq in December 2006. He suffered a severed carotid artery in addition to other life-threatening injuries. Doctors at Walter Reed thought his left side would be paralyzed. 

Sergeant Slaydon stared fate in the face

Wounded Airman, wife use lessons from adversity to help others

by Ian Graham  Defense Media Activity

7/22/2009 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- A wounded Airman and his wife plan to use the lessons they've learned about marriage and friendship through military service and adversity to help servicemembers who might be struggling after deployment or injury.

Tech. Sgt. Matthew Slaydon was wounded Oct. 24, 2007, while inspecting an improvised explosive device in Kirkuk, Iraq. He and his wife, Annette, spent 15 months at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio while he recovered from his injuries and figured out what life after the Air Force would mean.

"Fire can either burn you up or temper you," Sergeant Slaydon said. "Luckily, ... it tempered us. We've seen a lot of couples that it's burned up, and ate away. They've divorced and gone their own ways, and nobody's better for it."

Staff Sgt. Matthew Slaydon prior to the attack which robbed him of his sight and one arm, and left him with a multitude of facial lacerations and a collapsed lung. Sergeant Slaydon was on a six-month deployment as an explosive ordnance disposal technician when on Oct. 24, 2007, an IED detonated 2 feet from his face. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Senior Master Sgt. Eddie Dominguez

The issues the couple has faced while working with the medical system and the government, as well as Sergeant Slaydon's own personal struggles, have given them a new direction in life: to serve those who face the same problems.

"What makes our country great is the concept of the servant-leader," he said. "Since my injury, I've truly, truly learned the greatest thing I can do is serve my fellow man. And to serve those who wear the uniform is a blessing."

"Why did I survive?"

Sergeant major shares special bond with AW2 Soldiers

By Devin Fisher, Fort Carson Mountaineer

FORT CARSON, Colo. - Four years after flat lining twice on the operating table in Balad, Iraq, the Army Wounded Warrior Program Sergeant Major is still battling with the question, "Why did I survive?"

Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgersen, who celebrated his fourth "alive day" anniversary Jan. 26, still wonders why he survived after two rocket-propelled grenades struck his Humvee but his gunner, Sgt. William Scott Kinzer Jr., did not.

"I know they call it survivor's guilt, but whatever they call it, no matter how much you talk about it, it is still there," Jurgersen said.

Jurgersen's injuries from Jan. 26, 2005, included a compressed skull fracture, which left him with a traumatic brain injury; his left leg being amputated above the knee, severe damage to his right knee, his right hand had been fractured and burned, a finger nearly being ripped off and several shrapnel wounds and burns to other parts of his body.

Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgensen stresses abilities, not disabilities, on Army poster.  By: US Army.

Jurgersen was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, where he was stabilized and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he remained in critical condition. He regained consciousness five days later.

He recalls his wife standing at his bedside when he awoke from the coma.

SF Soldier becomes the first amputee to complete Jumpmaster Course

By SFC Jason B. Baker

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service Feb. 6, 2008) – For most Soldiers when they join the Army there are a set of schools they set their eyes on as goals to complete. Schools like, Air Assault, Ranger and Pathfinder. For any airborne qualified non-commissioned officer the natural goal would be the Jumpmaster Course.

RAEFORD, NC -- Right, Maj. Robert Blease, team chief, 274th Forward Sugrical Team talks with Sgt. 1st Class Mike Fairfax, Special Forces Operations & Intelligence Sergeant, Operations Detachment, 3rd Special Forces Group following an airborne operation over P.K. Drop Zone, Raeford, North Carolina Dec. 3, 2008. Blease, an orthopaedic surgean has performed surgery on Fairfax and played an intregal role in his rehabilitation. (Photo by Ken Kassens)

For one NCO achieving this goal faced more than just a minor set back; but Sgt. 1st Class John (Mike) Fairfax, Special Forces Intelligence NCO, Headquarters Support Company, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), became the first amputee Soldier to successfully complete the Jumpmaster Course, Nov.15 and performed his first duty Dec. 3.

For Fairfax, this journey began the summer of 2005 in a remote region of Afghanistan when his truck was struck by an improvised explosive device. In the attack he suffered a severe injury to his right leg, as well as injuries to his right eye and left lung. His team’s medic, Sgt. 1st Class Derrick Coyme, quickly went to work to stop the massive bleeding caused by the severed femoral artery. Just before going unconscious Fairfax faced the realistic possibility he may not survive the attack, due to his heavy loss of blood and the team’s remote location.

Fortunately, he survived, and his next memory is waking to the voice of his wife at his bedside in the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Fairfax knew he was not in the best condition, but felt committed to recovering from his injuries.

“It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t get back to a team,” said Farifax. “My only goal was to get better and continue on with business as usual.”

Initially, Fairfax still had his right leg, through several surgeries and battles with infection, doctors were able to save it and he began the long road of rehabilitation.

December of that same year, Fairfax returned to the group and his leadership gave him one mission: “go get better.”

By June 2006 Fairfax was back to work, but spent over a year struggling with the pain of the injured leg. After several surgeries to repair the leg to make it more functional and reduce the pain had failed, a friend and fellow amputee joked that he should just cut the leg off.

Warrant Officer School Accepts First Amputee

First U.S. Army Amputee Accepted to U.S. Army Warrant Officer School

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg  Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2009 – The U.S. Army Warrant Officer School soon will welcome a new accession of warrant officers this spring, and one will bring with him a new perspective to the Army officer corps. Staff Sgt. Jonathan Holsey is the first amputee accepted into the U.S. Army Warrant Officer School. Holsey, who lost his leg following a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq, is to report to the school at Fort Rucker, Ala., in April 2009. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Staff Sgt. Johnathan Holsey became the first amputee accepted by the Warrant Officer School in Fort Rucker, Ala., where he is to report in April. He is currently assigned to Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va. Along with other wounded warriors, he’s scheduled to be a guest on today's "Oprah Winfrey Show.” Holsey was injured Nov. 11, 2004, in Iraq where he was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment. A roadside bomb caused severe damage to his left leg. Two weeks after arriving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, and one day before Thanksgiving, the doctors told Holsey they needed to remove his leg due to severe infection. “I remember the day when the doctor came in,” he recalled. “I remember the doctor coming in on the 22nd of November and … he told me that it was best that we amputate, but it was [my] choice.” Holsey said losing his leg was particularly challenging for him and his children. But through faith and family support, he was able to persevere and come through stronger and more focused. “Family is very important to the recovery process,” he added. Hosey has thought a lot about his recovery and how he can continue to meet the challenges of being an amputee. “I’m blessed in my recovery, and I try to challenge myself to figure it out,” he said. “Even though you might have lost your leg it doesn’t mean you can’t do … things. You just have to figure out how to balance it or figure out how to do it.” Nearly five months after his injury, Holsey was fitted for his first prosthetic leg. He learned how to manage without a leg by participating in some of the hospital’s coordinated activities, such as skiing and fishing. “You have all these questions … things you probably never thought of,” he said. “Before I became an amputee, I can honestly say I never met one and probably never knew [one].” Since his injury, Holsey has continued facing challenges head-on, never shying away from them, while seamlessly pursuing his desire to serve his country. “I have always liked being in front,” Holsey said. “I never accepted things as being mediocre.” In March 2006, soon after completing his rehabilitation at Walter Reed, Holsey attended the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, or BNCOC. His journey to become the first amputee accepted to Warrant Officer School was materializing. “It was an interesting thing for me, because I was one of the first [human resources] soldiers to go as an amputee,” Holsey said. “I felt that even though I wanted to stay -- I wanted to be a soldier regardless -- this is what we do. I wanted to go the next rank and knew this was something I had to do.” Holsey said that BNCOC was interesting for him and the trainers, who initially questioned whether he would complete his annual physical fitness test. “BNCOC, for me, was pretty interesting,” he said. “They were like, ‘You are an amputee. How do we give you your PT test?’” Holsey wanted to participate in physical training and sought guidance from his immediate supervisors so he could perform his annual test. Holsey said he remains on active duty in part because of the people he has met throughout his career. In fact, he said, one soldier he mentored contacted him many years later just to thank him for his leadership. “He said, ‘Thank you for being there throughout all of the things that I put you through’ and ‘You were still my sergeant, no matter what,’” Holsey said. “I think that was one of the most memorable things that … made me realize this is why I want to stay around.’” (This is the sixth installment of the Wounded Warrior Diaries series. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg is assigned to the Emerging Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

Related Articles: Wounded Warrior Diaries

Canine Handler's Rehab Leads Back To Iraq

Canine Handler Battles Injuries to Return to Duty

Christopher Burrell, Sgt., U.S. Army

U.S. Army Sgt. Chris Burrell is focused on his rehabilitation since losing a leg in an explosion in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood on Dec. 26, 2007. Courtesy photo

WASHINGTON, Nov. 18, 2008 – Despite losing a leg in combat, Army Sgt. Chris Alvin Burrell is focusing on his rehabilitation to one day return to what he calls his “normal day of work.”

“My main focus right now is to heal properly and quickly in the right timeframe, and just make sure I’m healed to where I can return to duty,” said Burrell, who is assigned to the 16th Military Police Brigade’s 108th MP Company, Airborne Air Assault on Fort Bragg, N.C.

Prior to his injury, Burrell was an MP in Iraq. The best part of the job, he said, was working with the military dogs, which is something he hopes to return to soon.