Video: Canadian grunts tackle PTSD, get help from Marines
April 12th, 2012 | Afghanistan Battle Rattle Infantry Marines Wounded warriors | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
In this week’s Marine Corps Times, you may have read with disgust the story of a man who lied his way into a circle of trust in Canada by posing as a Marine with PTSD.
Behind the story about the unscrupulous faker was the story of the REAL infantryman who became his victim. He is Cpl Chris Dupee, a GRUNT with eight years in the 3rd Royal Canadian Regiment who actually has PTSD. He is a combat vet and is on a mission to help others deal with it, too.
His organization is called Military Minds and his Facebook page of the same name is up to almost 5,000 likes — and climbing — after only three months. The video you just watched (above) has gone viral with more than 25,000 hits in two days. The struggling artists who performed the song are in awe of the response.
“It went full-retard,” said Dupee, who believes the popularity of the song, the web site and the Facebook page “shows people are listening.”
Dupee, who is on duty in Toronto now, started a mobile power washing company as a way of employing soldiers returning from Afghanistan, and when he realized that so many of his buddies needed a place to go where they could talk about their war zone experiences, he started the web site.
It’s not unlike so many of the organizations that have sprung up in the U.S. with wounded warriors helping other wounded. Stepping outside the traditional channels available for mental and emotional help, he said, “is what’s working for us, we’re being human about it, there’s no script, it’s a grassroots effort. We didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘hey, let’s start a PTSD movement.”
Canada’s regular force is about 65,000-strong (that includes navy, army and air force). In the more than 10 years since operations began in Afghanistan, 158 Canadians have been killed in action.
The people who pose as Marines always get caught because real Marines are like rabid pit bulls when it comes to digging them out. Those dogs alerted Dupee to the poser after Military Minds posted a video of him whining about his “war experiences.”
If there is one thing Dupee has learned from the experience of being stung by one of these dirtballs is that Military Minds is the only organization he fully trusts. He didn’t see this one coming, but he will see the next one… and he’s got some new friends in the Marine Corps who are only more than willing to help.
Military Minds, he said, “started as a Canadian movement, but it’s borderless. I built the stage for people who need a voice.”
Marines at Leatherneck concussion center heal, return to combat
April 7th, 2012 | Afghanistan Camp Leatherneck Embedded journalism Infantry Marines Safety Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Lance Cpl. Scott Anderson had been in Afghanistan about a month when he was “blown up.”
Lance Cpl. Scott Anderson, a rifleman with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, is recovering in Camp Leatherneck’s Concussion Restorative Care Center after being “blown up” in a March 26 blast. (James J. Lee / Staff)
The rifleman with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., was responding to a March 26 firefight as part of a quick reaction force when the six-wheel Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle he was rocked with an improvised explosive device, he said.
Anderson shook off the blast in northern Helmand province, jumping into the vehicle’s gun turret to return fire.
After the firefight, however, the Marine had lingering concussion symptoms. He was evacuated by helicopter to the military hospital at Camp Bastion, where a series of tests determined he didn’t have any life-threatening injuries. Anderson was reassigned to the Concussion Restorative Care Center at Camp Leatherneck, a relatively new facility that has allowed about 98 percent of the concussed troops it has seen to rest until they’re healthy and return to the field.
“They’ve taken good care of me,” Anderson said Friday at the center, where I found him and a few other troops watching a movie in an air-conditioned lounge. “I’m ready to get back out there to my guys.”
The center was established in August 2010, as the dangers of repeated concussions became more commonly known. It moved into a more polished facility near the camp’s barracks for wounded warriors in May 2011. It has treated 969 concussion patients since opening and kept 930 in theater, said Navy Cmdr. Todd May, the center’s top officer.
“Anybody who is in our region and on our door, we’re happy to take care of them,” he said.
The center doesn’t typically treat concussion patients who have more serious injuries requiring major surgeries or long-term treatment.
Instead, it provides a quiet place to recover and assesses troops’ symptoms, especially balance problems and sensitivity to light.
The facility also offers both telephones and Internet access for patients to communicate with family and counseling for troops who are struggling to process the near-death experiences they’ve had. The center has logged at least 855 mental health sessions since it opened, and also holds group meetings where patients compare stories and discuss their recoveries, May said.
The center also cares for patients with other medical conditions. One recent patient had pneumonia, while another was recovering from an appendectomy performed at nearby Bastion.
Overall, the facility has seen at least 2,180 patients since August 2010, May said. Its average concussion patient returns to duty in 11 days.
One-armed warrior will battle in 2012 Warrior Games
April 6th, 2012 | Battle Rattle Competitions Marines Wounded warriors | Posted by Gidget Fuentes
Former Cpl. Mark O' Brien won gold in archery at the 2012 Marine Corps Trials at Camp Pendleton. He'll compete at the upcoming Warrior Games. (USMC photo by Tony Lazzaro)
As a kid, like many Marines, Mark O’Brien loved to trek through the woods near his home in upstate New York. He often hunted with his father and brother and his preferred choice of weapon: A hunting bow.
Then came Nov. 8, 2004, when then-Cpl. O’Brien was deployed in Ramadi with his rifle squad with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. An insurgent’s rocket-propelled grenade exploded the Humvee he was riding in, sending shrapnel through his body that severed his right arm and right leg and nearly killed him. His story was featured in the 2005 TV documentary, “Coming Home.”
Through his long recovery, through medical wards and physical therapy as he transitioned back to civilian life, O’Brien found that being a double amputee didn’t mean he was limited in what he could do. “I wanted to just get back into doing things that I loved,” says the 29-year-old married father of two boys who works and travels around the country as a motivational speaker.
And that included archery. So through trial and error, and with the help of his father, brother and prosthetist, O’Brien crafted a trigger mechanism with a strap around his bicep so he could shoot the bow using his prosthetic arm – and his teeth. “I wanted often to do it, for a long time. The first time out, it was so exhilarating,” he says of the first foray into the woods to hunt. “It was very surreal just to sit there. I ended up getting a deer that year. It was just so exciting.”
The prototypes that O’Brien has developed let him push, instead of pull, the bow in order to release the arrow. It’s a unique setup, for sure, but it works. While he often practices at the Double J Archery range near his home in Marilla, N.Y., a town so small it has only one red blinking light, he draws curious stares when practicing or competing at other ranges.
“Everybody kind of looks at you weird when I walk up with one arm, and then I start shooting,” he says. A keen focus on the mission – the target – is all he needs to shut out everything else. “I am usually the only guy there with one arm and one leg. I focus on what I want to do, and I just keep working on it. I don’t want to give up on it.”
All that practice has paid off. This spring, O’Brien will represent the Marine Corps at the 2012 Warrior Games, which will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was selected to the team after winning gold during the All-Marine trials held at Camp Pendleton. “It’s good to get out and represent the Marine Corps and be a part of something,” he says.
“I just hope to kick the Army’s ass,” he adds, without hesitation. “I’m going to pretty much try to destroy the competition.”
Fuel TV posts profile of former Marine and UFC fighter Brian Stann
March 21st, 2012 | Battle Rattle Infantry Iraq Mixed marital arts Sports Veterans Wounded warriors | Posted by James Sanborn
Fuel TV has posted the Brian Stann profile that aired last night. In it, the former Marine officer turned pro-MMA fighter recounts his time in Iraq including a six-day battle for which he was awarded the Silver Star.
Video: Wounded warrior Kyle Carpenter knocks out pullups
March 7th, 2012 | Afghanistan Marines Marjah Wounded warriors | Posted by Sara Davidson
Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter knocks out pull-ups -- using an arm that was broken in more than 30 places in 2010. (YouTube screen grab)
In January, Marine Corps Times profiled Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter. The wounded warrior has undergone more than 30 surgeries since sustaining catastrophic injuries in a November 2010 grenade blast near Marjah, Afghanistan, but maintains a strikingly cheerful outlook on life.
Most of the quotes in that story from Carpenter came from an interview I did with him at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He was refreshingly candid about his struggles — and that he had a number of goals left to meet.
One of those goals was doing pull-ups again, even after his right arm was broken in more than 30 places by the grenade explosion. He’s written about it before on his Facebook page, Operation Kyle, and no doubt put hundreds of hours of work to strengthen his arm enough to do them.
For that reason, it’s great to see this new video:
As Kyle himself would quickly point out, he’s just one of many wounded warriors putting in this kind of work to recover from devastating injuries. Just a little daily motivation for all of us.
Wounded warrior Marines star in ‘Still in the Fight’ music video
February 1st, 2012 | Afghanistan Pop culture Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Corps Times posted my long-form story about Lance Cpls. Kyle Carpenter and Nick Eufrazio on Sunday. By now, you’ve hopefully heard their story: they were hit by a grenade blast in Afghanistan in November 2010, and Marines serving alongside them that day in combat insist Carpenter deserves the Medal of Honor. The Marine Corps acknowledges it is investigating what happened.
One of the things I mentioned in the story was Carpenter appearing in the music video for “Still in the Fight,” a song by Lt. Col. Mike Corrado. It’s worth a look, if you haven’t seen it. Carpenter, who has undergone more than 30 surgeries after sustaining catastrophic damage to his neck, face and arm, appears with retired Master Sgt. William “Spanky” Gibson and Cpl. Aaron Mankin in an upbeat song dedicated to their fellow wounded warriors.
As I write this, the song has been viewed more than 37,000 times on YouTube. It’s also for sale on iTunes, with proceeds going to the Fisher House Foundation. The organization offers the families of wounded warriors housing and support near military hospitals while their loved ones undergo treatment.
Carpenter spoke highly of Corrado, calling him “the man” during our interview. As reported in the story posted Sunday, Carpenter also said there’s no sense dwelling on his injuries.
“I think for guys who get severely injured and can’t move forward, it’s because the ‘what-ifs’ absolutely destroy their recovery,” he said. “It’s human nature for everyone to say ‘what if,’ but I try to snap out of it as quickly as I can because I’m never going to be able to go back and change what has happened.”
Video: Marine Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, injured by a grenade, discusses his recovery
January 17th, 2012 | Afghanistan Awards Marjah Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter speaks with Marine Corps Times about injuries he sustained in a grenade blast in Afghanistan. (Photo by Colin Kelly/Staff)
As mentioned on this blog yesterday, this week’s Marine Corps Times cover story focuses on Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, the Marine infantryman who has achieved a miraculous recovery after sustaining a grenade blast near Marjah, Afghanistan, in November 2010.
Marine Corps Times has taken some heat for reporting that there are questions over whether Carpenter covered the grenade to protect his buddy, Lance Cpl. Nick Eufrazio. Actions along those lines have yielded prestigious valor awards in the past, obviously.
Those questions exist, though, at least in the minds of some in the Corps. Additional Marine sources have reaffirmed that since the story was published yesterday. Both lance corporals are heroes nevertheless, but Marine officials acknowledge they are uncertain what happened and still investigating.
That doesn’t take away from Carpenter’s sacrifice, though — or the inspiring way he carries himself now. I sat down with him at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for the story, and was blown away by his optimism and grace. When you see this video, I think you will be, too.
We’ll have another story about this incident in next week’s paper featuring comments from other Marines who were in the compound when the grenade exploded. This story isn’t going away anytime soon.
Video: The 236th Marine Corps Birthday Message
October 20th, 2011 | Afghanistan History and heritage Marjah The CMC The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps Washington World War II Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
The Marine Corps Birthday is still a few weeks away, but the service extended one tradition tonight by posting its annual birthday video message.
Featuring narration by Commandant Gen. Jim Amos and Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps’ top enlisted Marine, it honors Marines everywhere, with special appreciation set aside for those who served in World War II and since the attacks on 9/11.
Watch it here:
The commandant and sergeant major filmed pieces of the message in New York City and in the Washington, D.C., area at both the World War II Memorial and the Pentagon. They also filmed part of it in Marjah, Afghanistan, on Sept. 11.
It’s a bit early yet, but happy birthday, Marines. In the meantime, check out some of these behind-the-scenes photographs the Corps released as the video was being filmed:
Commandant Gen. Jim Amos and Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps' top enlisted Marine, film part of the 2011 birthday message at the National War War II Memorial on July 28. (Photo by Lance Cp. Cody Fodale/Marine Corps)
Sgt. Maj. Barrett reviews birthday message remarks before filming part of the message Aug. 12 at the Pentagon. (Photo by Sgt. Christopher Green/Marine Corps)
The commandant and sergeant major prepare to be filmed on a building near Ground Zero in New York City. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tia Dufour/Marine Corps)
Marine: ‘I’ve got the world at my prosthetic feet’
October 10th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Cpl. Tyler Southern celebrates Aug. 20, 2010, after returning to his home in Jacksonville, Fla, after being wounded in combat. (Photo by By Bob Self/Florida Times-Union via the Associated Press)
The Huffington Post launched a 10-part series today called “Beyond the Battlefield,” promised as an “exploration of the physical and emotional challenges, victories and setbacks that catastrophically wounded soldiers encounter after returning home from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
If the first piece is any indication, it’ll be a good one. Respected defense reporter David Wood focuses on Cpl. Tyler Southern, who was an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, on May 5, 2010, when his body was rocked by an improvised explosive device in Now Zad district.
Southern was nearly killed and lost both legs and his right arm — but he has endured.
A key passage:
He was unconscious for 14 days after being blown up. “I went to sleep on the 4th [the night before the blast] and I woke up on the 18th in Bethesda,” he said. “In between, I don’t remember a thing.”
When he did claw his way into consciousness, no one knew if he would awake with his full brain capacity or whether his near-death experiences had left him in a vegetative state. Doctors urged him along: “Say your name, Tyler. Say your name.” No response. “Tyler, say your name!” Nothing. His mom stood watch at the foot of the bed, gripping the rail. Finally she burst out, “Tyler! Say hi to your mama!”
Tyler stirred.
“Hi Mama,” he croaked.
Tears streaming, she bent over him, shielding him from the sight of his missing legs. “You were injured in Afghanistan,” she whispered. “You’re missing both legs and one arm. You’re okay.”
Compare that with the version of Southern that we see in this video:
Southern’s assessment of his current life is remarkable.
“If anything, this would be Chapter 2,” he said. “This is page one of Chapter 2. You know, I did my adolesence and my childhood, and now I just got married recently.
“I’ve got the world at my prosthetic feet.”
Remembering on Memorial Day
May 27th, 2011 | Afghanistan Infantry Wounded warriors | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Lt. Col. Michael J. Gann, the operations officer for Afghan National Security Forces Development, Regional Command Southwest, honors the late Lt. Col. Benjamin Palmer during a May 25 memorial service aboard Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan Nygaard)
A year ago today, I was at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, grateful that I had made it through a hairy three-week embed in the former Taliban stronghold of Marjah unharmed.
I haven’t been back to Afghanistan since, although another trip looks promising for the fall. I’ve continued to man this blog, though, and readers have continued to share their thoughts on the sacrifices that are necessary during long, hard deployments.
Frequently on Friday, you’ll find a new installment here of Bored Marine Video, which highlights the lighter sides of being a Marine. On Memorial Day weekend, however, that seemed wildly inappropriate.
The most recent Marine casualties announced are Lt. Col. Benjamin Palmer and Sgt. Kevin Balduf, who were reportedly slain by a member of the Afghan National Civil Order Police in a random act of violence May 12. There are scores of others since last Memorial Day, however, including many who died in Sangin, Marjah and other parts of Helmand province.
This post goes out to all the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in the last year — and their families. Thank you.