Heroes Overcoming Obstacles

Limits are placed on us by Science, by Medicine, by our Parents, by our Teachers, and by our Peers. We are told that we can only go so far. Perhaps they are trying to force us to face facts. Perhaps they are trying to help us… Or perhaps they are clueless as to the inner strengths that guide each individual, pushing us to unbelievable feats.

My brother, born with birth defects was told he would never walk. He is now running marathons.

Jim Abbott, who pitched for 9 years in Major League Baseball, was born with only one hand.

… And the two Heroes listed below ~

 

Charlotte (N.C.) News & Observer
Nov. 20, 2007

Injured Marine cited as leader
By Jay Price

Three years ago this week, Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell was discharged from the hospital, wondering how much he was going to recover from a major head injury he suffered when a mortar shell landed on his tent in Iraq.

Now Esquire magazine is honoring the Marine as one of the “Best and Brightest of 2007” in its December issue, which appears on newsstands today.

The accompanying article isn’t just about Maxwell, who has become a legend at Camp Lejeune. It also offers a raw, R-rated glimpse of life inside the Wounded Warrior Barracks on the Marine base near Jacksonville.

Maxwell, 42, helped start the barracks after he was wounded. One day, after being released from the hospital and returning to Lejeune to recuperate, the former triathlete came upon a Marine who had been wounded and sent home.

The young man was alone and crying.That shouldn’t happen, Maxwell said, and he and Master Sgt. Ken Barnes started lobbying Marine leaders for housing so the wounded Marines could live together while they recovered in a supportive environment.

Concept expands
 

After they got the barracks started at Lejeune — it’s called Maxwell Hall– the concept spread to the West Coast, where the Marines at Camp Pendleton set up similar housing. Then this past spring, the Corps decided to start a nationwide wounded-warrior regiment, so that injured Marines would have a supportive unit around them.

The idea even spread to the Army, which has begun its own wounded-troops unit. Maxwell recently took an assignment as an adviser to the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. 

Among other duties, he’s the officer in charge of the regiment’s new call center, which opens this week. The center will take calls from wounded Marines and try to find solutions to their problems, Maxwell said.  It also will begin an effort to contact every Marine who has been injured since Sept. 11, 2001, in combat or otherwise, to see if he or she needs help of any kind.

The story in Esquire also includes Maxwell’s wife, Shannon, who has dedicated much of her own life to helping wounded troops. She founded a support group at Lejeune for the spouses of wounded Marines and was a co-founder of Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit organization that raises money for the wounded. Last week, she won an honor for her work from the National Military Family Association. ‘I don’t know why…’

The Esquire story also details the lives of the young Marines living in the barracks.  Maxwell said that he could have done without the sexual references but that the attention would help his cause.“I’ll take credit from anybody to put the word out,” said Maxwell, who still stumbles over his words sometimes.

“There are still guys out there who don’t know anything about this, and they’re just sitting there alone. “Reporters will call and want to do a Maxwell story because I’m the most well-known,” he said. “We get ’em out to the barracks, and they cry when they leave. It really gets them.”

Maxwell said he was a little bewildered that he had been picked by the magazine. “Esquire had this dinner up in New York last week, and I don’t know why I was a part of it,” he said. “They had all these geniuses there, people who had invented important stuff. “I just figured Marines ought to hang out together,” he said. “That’s not genius stuff.”

Well, Lt. Col Maxwell I disagree with you. What you are doing places you above “Genius Stuff.” Not to take anything away from Lt Col Maxwell, I would like to point out a new friend, Craig J. Phillips.Craig is also a survivor and a hero!  While overcoming great obstacles, he is reaching out and helping others.

Second Chance to Live  <– Please take some time and read about this wonderful man. He has succeeded in a world that decided his disabilty should limit him.  I will share the comments that Craig left for me: I am interested in providing encouragement to our veterans and the soldiers who have been wounded while protecting our great country. Additionally, I am interested in providing practical information and insight to assist their families.

My name is Craig J. Phillips. I am a traumatic brain injury survivor and a master’s level rehabilitation counselor. I sustained an open skull fracture with right frontal lobe damage and remained in a coma for 3 weeks at the age of 10 in August of 1967.

I underwent brain and skull surgery after waking from the coma. Follow-up cognitive and psyche-social testing revealed that I would not be able to succeed beyond high school. In 1967 Neurological Rehabilitation was not available to me, so I had to teach myself how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences. I completed high school on time and went on to obtain both my undergraduate and graduate degrees.

For an in depth view of my process please read my post, My Journey Thus Far Through out my lifetime I developed strategies to overcome many obstacles and in so doing I have achieved far beyond all reasonable expectations.

On February 6, 2007 at the encouragement of a friend I created Second Chance to Live.Second Chance to Live, which is located at Second Chance to Live presents topics in such a way to encourage, motivate and empower the reader to live life on life’s terms.

I believe our circumstances are not meant to keep us down, but to build us up. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I speak from my experience, strength and hope. As a professional, I provide information to encourage, motivate and empower both disabled and non-disabled individuals to not give up on their process. Please read my post, The Power of Identification My interest is to provide encouragement, hope, motivation and empowerment to veterans and their families.

Thank you for your time and kindness.
Have a simply phenomenal day!
Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
Second Chance to Live
Our circumstances are not meant to keep us down, but to build us up!

I believe peoples paths cross for a reason and that Craig stumbling onto my web site was no accident. Please pass on his links to those who are searching for help with Brain Trama. Having not only survived, but pushing to excel in life gives us a glimpse into the strengths that Craig carries. 

Two more fantastic sites to check out: Wounded Warrior Project and Life Transformed  If you have additional sites for our wounded Heroes, please post them in the comments and I will add them to my side bar.

Honoring a Hero on a Special Day

A Marine

I had just begun to know of Cannon Cargile and his wife Tami after he was wounded in Iraq. The day after he was wounded I received an email from Vince, a 101st Airborne Veteran and father of a fellow Marine, asking for prayers for Cannon and his family.

It was at this time that I began to receive glimpses of CW04 Cargile. Glimpses of Strength, Courage, and Leadership.

(from Cannon’s wife Tami)
On Saturday March 10th Cannon was traveling in an up-armored Humvee, riding in the front passenger’s seat.  His vehicle was 4th in a convoy driving through Fallujah Proper heading to OP Shock.  As they were passing the mosque’s, Cannon saw an insurgent jump put of hiding and run towards the road carrying an RPG on his shoulder.  The insurgent was dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask. Cannon yelled to his machine gunner in the turret, “RPG!  RPG!” But before the gunner could swing the turret to the right side of the vehicle, the RPG had been launched.  Cannon recalls seeing it coming at him, spiraling like a football.  He thought surely it would go over the bow, as most do since they are very inaccurate.  But this one kept coming, dipping towards him.  There was a deafening explosion.  

Cannon looked down at his arm in his lap to see it smoking and bleeding.  He thought he had lost his hand, for sure.  But he stayed with his men and yelled to them to see if they were alright.  When he found that they were OK, he let them know he was hit.  The gunner of the vehicle received shrapnel in his legs, the driver got shrapnel in his face, along with a grade 3 concussion and the two passengers in the rear of the vehicle also received concussions from the explosion. 

Fortunately Cannon had arranged for a corpsman to ride in his vehicle that day.  So, he was there to immediately treat Cannon’s injuries. He applied a tourniquet and pressure dressing to Cannon’s arm.  The Humvee was disabled by the blast so the vehicle ahead of them immediately hooked them up for a tow back to Fallujah Medical.  Cannon recalls his CO, (commanding officer) LtCol JD Martin steering and braking the disabled vehicle as they were being towed back to camp.  A miserably painful ride, which took about 25 minutes but LtCol Martin was there, doing his best to keep Cannon talking and his spirits up. 

In the months that followed, I received updates and more stories conveying a deep appreciation of Cannon’s service. My radar peeked. Who exactly is this man? I began to dig, to make phone calls and send out emails. I knew this Marine had a story (or two) that should be shared.

I received this beautiful tribute from a fellow Marine Gunner, Nick Vitale of which I will share in part:

Thank you for writing to me concerning my friend Cannon.  He is indeed a great Marine, a great husband and great dad.  The fact that that I am one of only 52 Marine Gunners (Infantry Weapons Officers) in the entire Marine Corps, is directly attributable to Cannon – also a Marine Gunner. 

… within the context of describing “Cannon the man,” that he consistently puts the needs of his family, his friends and the Marine Corps above his own personal needs. He is tireless in his professional efforts to ensure that the implied and specified duties of his job are carried out. This of course translates into multiple combat tours spanning 25+ years, decorations for valor, countless hours away from his family and unimaginable, self and institutional induced stress. Through it all he has managed to “crack the code” so to speak on maintaining his humanity, humor and dignity. 

Countless Marines, of all ranks and jobs, are alive today because of his technical and tactical competence, his warrior ethos, his dedication and his love of Corps and County. Besides my immediate family there are not many people who I would willingly take a bullet for – Cannon Cargile is one of those people.

and Nick’s kind words for Cannon’s wife Tami:

I have been in the Marine Corps over 22 years and I have never seen a more supportive, informed and savvy military wife than Tami.  This is all the more interesting because she is by no means a “camp follower” or a “text book” military spouse.  She is supportive of him without being sucked into the maelstrom of officially “key volunteering” but is always ready to assist anyone who needs help. (Additionally, she does a great job of ensuring that the stress of work does not follow Cannon home.)
Her almost daily updates on his condition, disposition and prognosis often leave me baffled and running to a dictionary to figure out what she is saying.  Not many wives’ would be able to force doctors and nurses to conduct tests and procedures that they did not feel were warranted.
Furthermore, her demeanor and formal nurse training allows her to do many non-traditional “things” such as change bloody bandages, argue with staffers about pain management and coordinate the logistical concerns for a never ending stream of well-wishers and other visitors.  I do not think she has had a decent nights sleep (or a sleep of longer than four hours) since Cannon was wounded. She is an amazing lady.

The deep pride and love that those around him have for Cannon is evident. The fact that not one person will give a “personable” story, just amplifies my feelings that they want to ensure nothing is printed that would make Cannon appear anything but the excellent Marine he is.  

Every single Marine I have emailed say basically the same two things:

“He is an elite Marine.”

and

“Besides my immediate family there are not many people who I would willingly take a bullet for – Cannon Cargile is one of those people.”

Something deep down keeps telling me that this is a very special man and deserves to be represented with nothing but the best in my writing. I have held onto this post for quite some time now. Hoping for a moment of brilliance to give Cannon proper recognition for all he has accomplished.

The simple description is perhaps the best;

CW04 Cannon Cargile is a Marine in every sense of the word.

God Bless the Cargile family

 Pictured above: Cannon, Sec. Rice, His wife Tami on the far right 

Today, I cannot think of a better person to honor.

Sir you make us all proud of those, such as yourself, who put on the uniform and step up and serve for each and every one of us.

Thanks and Praise

With permission from Michael Yon @  Michael Yon Online I am sharing the beautiful photo and story below. 

Thanks and Praise:
I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John’s Church in Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.

“A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from “Chosen” Company 2-12 Infantry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John’s, an occasion all viewed as a sign of hope.
The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.”

The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers. (Videotape to follow.)”    On Michael’s Website

A 4-9 Trooper wearing the Black and White!

I love the following story as it combines two of my passions; our Warriors and Sports!

Back in the day (way back)  I too wore stripes. Although I never made it past highschool officiating, I have no regrets. Now I am content to sit back and moan about the missed calls from my livingroom.

Best of luck to you Sir. We look forward to watching you in the NBA (and booing when you call a foul on Jason Kidd!)

Cavalry Sergeant has sights set on NBA
By Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim
2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. PAO
            FORWARD OPERATING BASE PROSPERITY, Iraq – Of the hundreds of rooms inside the main palace on Forward Operating Base Prosperity, there is one in particular, a room that emits that kind of sound that sounds like muffled club-like music just before you enter.

            The sign outside the door reads, “Boom Boom Room.”  In fact, it’s merely a supply room, but it’s considered one of the best in the brigade. It’s the best because the person who runs it says it’s the best, and he says it the loudest.

            Staff Sgt. Jessie L. Jackson Jr., the supply sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, is that guy who travels with an entourage of Sgts. Antwan Wilmont and Jason Shriner, and Pfc. David Pough, everywhere he goes. Though his 6-foot-5 frame is striking, it stands subordinate to his ability to make heads turn as his voice carries itself throughout whatever room he is in.

            “People say, ‘Sergeant Jack might be loud, but he’ll help us,’” said Jackson. “I look at my blessings. If I give to others, I get it back tenfold.”

            During his deployment, Jackson has been spending almost every night officiating FOB Prosperity’s intramural flag football games, but with all his achievements on and off the field, he’s learned that all the guidance and advice he’s been given through many of the contacts in his vast network of family, friends and colleagues is starting to pay off.

            “When people started looking at me, people said I looked like an NFL official,” he said. “1st. Sgt. Patrick made me the head official; he gave me a rule book.”

            He was asked to help out when 1st Sgt. Kenneth Patrick, Co. E, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, saw him as a basketball referee, and what began is possibly a new career path for Jackson.

            Growing up in Shreveport, La., Jackson spent almost his entire life surrounded by basketball. While attending Captain Shreve High School, in Shreveport, he and his team won the Louisiana State High School basketball championship. His talents on the court took him to Louisiana State University-Shreveport, where he played on their basketball team as a small forward. Yet, it wasn’t long until he succumbed to life on the streets.

            After only a semester at LSU-Shreveport, he quickly found himself in a courtroom rather than a basketball court.

            “I was in jail for 30 days waiting on my court date,” he recounted. “The judge gave me a choice to join the military or go to prison. So, at 17 years old, my parents went with me to the Marine Corps recruiting station; that’s how my military career started.”

            As a Marine, he was also in the supply world. He spent some of that time playing on the All-Marine Basketball Team, but after eight years, he left as a corporal and decided to transition into the Army.

            He arrived at Fort Hood, Texas in 2001 and started as a supply clerk with 2nd Squadron, 12th Cavalry Regiment, which was then a 2nd BCT battalion.

            “As a young clerk, he had a busy supply room there,” said Sgt. 1st Class Kendrick Jones, 4-9 Cav.’s S-4 Logisitics noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “He was just the loud guy in the corner. He wasn’t as knowledgeable in supply as he should have been at that time.”

            When Jones, of Longview, Texas, first came to the squadron, Jackson had just been promoted to sergeant, and he felt that, although Jackson had the potential, he wasn’t working to his full capacity. So, he challenged him, just as he did with his other supply clerks. Jackson gives much of the credit to his success to Jones and said the most important thing he learned was how to prioritize.

            “When I first arrived to the unit, there was a bunch of supply NCOs who didn’t care. I’m not going to lie, I was one of them,” admits Jackson. “I have to give credit to my … ‘circle of trust’ … like Sergeant First Class (Kendrick) Jones.’

            ‘He would tell us, if you want to stand up above the rest, here’s what you have to do. He would give us sergeant’s time [training] and quiz us – make us go back to the regs (regulations).”

            Jackson, who refers to Jones as his mentor, calls him the “king” because of his experience and knowledge of not only the supply realm but also the countless life lessons he’s passed onto him.

            “He taught me everything I know about supply,” Jackson said. “He took me from a line unit and sent me to the ‘beast:’ HHT; it’s a beast because of the countless, countless hours.”

            Jones, who is on his way to retiring, said that today, Jackson is one of their best supply sergeants, and that he sees the mentoring and guidance he’s passing onto other supply clerk in the squadron and around the brigade.

            “He’s one of our top guys – I mean, all my guys are sharp. He’s a mentor; a lot go to him for help,” Jones said. “He’s got a lot of the young Soldiers around him; they are supply sergeants and clerks. They look at him as a mentor – the same thing I did with him, he does with them. I didn’t know if he was listening, but now he says, ‘hey Sergeant Jones, I remember you saying this …’ He’s come a long way, and he recognized that.”

            Jackson is the first to say that he has in fact come a long way — not only in the military but more importantly in life. 

            His fast living days have all been a thing of the past since the birth of his son. He claims that more than anything, he wants to be not only a father-figure in his son’s life but a daddy.

            “My son was a big reason I turned a 180,” he said. “I live for him. Everything I do is for him. I don’t want him to experience what I had to.”

            Through Jackson’s life experiences, he has come to the point where he said his goals are not only attainable, but that he’s doing everything in his power to reach for them.

            Although he is working on his personal goals, he can never really escape his upbringing of wanting to help others.

            Growing up with five other siblings taught him to take care of others. His upbringing was received from a former Marine Corps first sergeant in his father. Something he describes as very “strict.”

            “My father ruled with an iron fist,” he said. “He was very strict, but he was very compassionate.”

            Though, the life lessons preached to his son wouldn’t really be practiced until later on in life, Jackson finally adopted his father’s sayings as his own philosophy in how he deals with people in his life now.

            “When I was growing up, my father had a saying. My father said, ‘if you want to gain anything, you have to give,’” he said. “People say, ‘why can we rely on you?’ I never know when I’ll need something.”

            Jackson spends most of his time giving back to the Soldiers through both his day, as a supply sergeant, and his night job as a referee. Although Jackson has spent most of his time as a flag football referee, he hopes to move up to the NBA as basketball is his first love.

            Upon his return to Texas, where he and his 8-year-old son Jessie III call home now, he plans on going to a sporting official seminar in Austin. Since he’s already taken his certification test online and received his license to call games, he’s a step closer to meeting his goal of taking on high school basketball games, but for now, he’s happy just giving his time as the “ref,” as he loves to be called, out on a dusty piece of real estate Soldiers play football on.

            “I’d like to take it as far as I can go. My goal is trying to get to the NBA,” he said. “For now, I change and go out to the games because I know how important sports are to these Soldiers.”

Shreveport, La., native Staff Sgt. Jessie Jackson Jr., Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Shreveport, La., officiates a flag football game at Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs)

Staff Sgt. Jessie Jackson Jr., Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Shreveport, La., officiates a flag football game at Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs)

Shreveport, La., native Staff Sgt. Jessie Jackson Jr. (right), Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, helps Philadelphia native Sgt. 1st Class James Brown, also from HHT, 4-9 Cav., with a hand receipt in the “Boom Boom Room” on Forward Operating Base Prosperity in central Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs)  

Wings Over Houston!!!

On Saturday the fabulous Mr. J… aka… The Love of My Life, took me out on a date to Wings Over Houston.

I felt like a child who had been let loose in a candy store! I am fascinated by history and here it was all around me.

We began the morning snapping pictures of the old war birds.

We stopped and spoke with several Veterans.

On the right is COL (RET.) Robert Walker USMC… On the left is another Marine COL who just returned from Iraq. (I am embarrassed to say that I did not catch his name)

We moved on and visited with part of the WWII Living History Crew

Pictured left to right – COL Miles Root, Maj Kim Lampkin, Capt Renee Powel, and Maj David Lampkin

We talked some wonderful Air Cav Soldiers into standing for a picture. Love those Stetsons!

 

We moved into the concession area and ran into George Watts, a member of the Commemorative Air Force.  He told us about his missions flying B-25 & B-26 medium bombers, and the P-39 Fighters.

Mr. J was grateful when we moved to our seats to watch the air show. I will be honest, most of the time I was very lucky to catch anything moving in my lens. Those boogers are fast! All I can say about the F-18 Super Hornet is WOW!

The AH64 Apache demo was impressive as well!

Alas, it was hot and extremely humid and like a child, I became restless. I began wandering thru the display tents and got an autograph for my L’il Trooper!

 

Thanks Ladies, I am sure he will love it.

Two pilots with the Canadian Air Force let me cross the ropes for a close up picture.

 

They send their well wishes to all of the Troops!

 

I wandered back to take a couple pictures of the Tora! Tora! Tora! reenactment, but became too enthralled with the show to take many pictures.

LtCol (RET.) Fred B. Machol – WWII Veteran

Part of the reenactment crew

 
And I saved the best for last… I wandered into the Autograph tent and met the most wonderful group of Veterans!

 SSgt Stan Bruin and his wife
He flew 24 missions as a tail gunner on B-17 Bombers. On Feb. 25th, 1945 his plane was shot down over Munich and on the way to his first POW camp was forced to march through the heart of Nuremburg. (Sir, I cannot wait to watch your interview on DVD tonight!)

 

Three charming Pearl Harbor Survivors!
I am pulling their names from their signatures (so, I hope I spell them correctly)
Left to right; L.E. LaGerre, E.E. Vaughn, and G.M. Hemingway

Yes, Mr. Vaugh, I caught your wink! You are such a charmer. Mr Hemingway was only 17 on the day that Pearl harbor was attacked. He said that the percussion of a ship being bombed 1/2 a mile off shore was so strong that it knocked him off his feet. They each showed me on the map where they were and what they were doing when the attacks occurred. I could have spent all day listening to them tell of their experiences!

On the left: LtCol Vince Lipovsky – a Veteran of both WWII and the Korean conflict. Besides the 66 combat missions that he flew during WWII, LtCol Lipovsky also flew missions with Charles Lindberg and 33 photo recon missions during Korea.

He asked me to send a personal message to our L’il Trooper; “Tell your son, that LtCol Lipovsky wishes him a safe mission.”

He said that he was very upset when he shipped off to Korea that he did not take the opportunity to give his Mom a hug. He said her tear stained face was stuck in his mind the entire time he was away.

On the right in the photo is Capt John B. Lee _ he was a P-51 Fighter pilot in WWII. He flew 52 combat missions escorting the B-17 and B-24 Bombers. I have a fantastic autographed photo of Capt Lee in his flight suit taken back in the 30’s!

Sgt David Stedman – I could just hug this man! He showed me his scrap book, including letters and cards that he sent home. He also showed me the telegram that his mother received when he was Missing in Action. He explained the horror that his mother went thru until he was able to send her word that he was ok.

He then showed me a special little book (see picture) that his girlfriend gave him before he deployed. He married her when he returned home and they have been together for 60 years. She said the book would protect him while he was at war. (I know… it is so romantic)   

Capt. James A “Pete” Mullinax – a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress pilot. His 9th mission was to attack the heavily defended ball bearing plants at Schwienfort, Germany on October 14, 1943. After releasing the bombs on his target his B-17 was attacked forcing him and his crew to bail out over enemy territory. He was captured and spent the remainder of the war in a POW camp.

I am only on chapter three of his book and can hardly wait to pick it back up tonight!

There were so many more, but I had so many stories dancing in my head and could not retain any more.

Oh the rich history of our great nation! I hope we can all grab bits of it when presented with the opportunities.

To all the Veterans that I met on Saturday… and those who I missed: Thank you for all that you have done to make our Nation strong and safe. My heart is filled with eternal gratitude for the many sacrifices.

And to the Fantastic Mr. J: Thank you for helping me experience so much in such a short time. Luv ya always!