September 1, 2006 found the (then) Private First Class (PFC) Richard Yarosh manning the turret of a Bradley assault vehicle. He was back out on patrol going down a road they had been on "a million times." PFC Yaroshand his group had been in Iraq since December of 2005. He joined the Army as a Cavalry scout back in 2004. PFC Yarosh started as a driver when they first arrived in Iraq, later becoming the gunner. They had been patrolling in Abu Ghraib region of Iraq when the Bradley he manned was hit by a roadside bomb. PFC Yaroshs' life took an unexpected turn.
The fuel tank blew, engulfing not only the Bradley in flames, but also Yarosh, who jumped blindly from the turret. In the process of jumping from the Bradley, Yarosh broke his leg, severing an artery. To compound that, he was on fire, engulfed in flames.
Rolling around in the dirt next to the vehicle, Sgt. Yarosh couldn't get the fire on his body out. There was too much fuel around him. He finally gave up trying to put out the flames, instead choosing to lie there, excepting that this might be the end for him.
"I wasn't in pain. I could accept the fact that I was going to go. This was how the Lord would take me," he said.
For reasons unknown to even himself, Yarosh took one more roll to his right, which ended up causing him to fall into a canal, extinguishing the flames. As other soldiers reached him and pulled him from the canal, his body armor fell away, nothing left but ash. Nothing short of a miracle, Richard Yarosh was still alive! Sgt. Luis Montes another soldier who also was injured at the same time, later died.
Richard spent two years of his life at Brooke Army Medical Center, an Army burn unit, undergoing full-time treatment and rehabilitation. As a result of severing an artery in his leg when he jumped from the turret of the Bradley vehicle in 2006, part of his right leg had to be amputated. He sustained burns over 60% of his body, including his head, upper body, arms and hands.
Today, his hands are bent and rigid, with the tips of several digits missing. He lost his ears and the tip of his nose. He has multiple scars on his face and endures many stares as a result when he goes out. “I know people are curious,” he said. “They’ll stop in their tracks and look. I guess I can understand. I probably would have stared, too.”
Retired Sgt. Richard Yarosh has not let any of these changes in his life stop him. In fact, he agreed to sit for a portrait which will be hung in the Smithsonian Art Gallery this week.
Artist Mathew Mitchell has completed 30 portraits out of his intended 100 of servicemen and others who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He began this project 4 years ago. Yarosh's painting is number 23 of 30 that Mitchell has so far completed out of his planned 100 portraits. The paintings are a classic pose of the person's head, shoulders and upper body.
"There's a huge amount of people who have been deeply touched by these wars in America, and these wars are obviously some of the most formative events in the world," said Mitchell.
"Yet, most people in America don't need to pay attention to these wars whatsoever. They don't feel compelled."
When you see the portrait of Sgt. Yarosh, you feel his pride, as captured by the artist. Retired Sgt. Rich Yarosh is another hero who has not let his injuries keep him down!
"It was perfect. I couldn't believe that he captured me," he said. "It captures my pride. I'm proud of the way I look. I'm proud of the reason for the way I look."
View a photo of his portrait that is now on display at the National Portrait Gallery, in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition exhibition on the second floor.
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