Good evening, My name Is Carrie Hess-Jordan, I currently live in Buckhead GA., but when my soldier, Eric was injured in 2004, I was living in Dahlonega GA. North Georgia is truly where my heart is. On November 10, 2004 my son was headed out on a scout mission somewhere around F elluja h . He was in the Army and had only been in Iraq for 3 months when their 21/2 ton open bed truck hit/was hit by an IED. Eric was one of five soldiers in the truck that day. There were three soldiers in the front (cab) and two in the back. Eric was manning the Mark 19 gun in the rear of the truck, along with another soldier, also in the back, but towards the front of the back who was manning the machine gun. Eric knew this other soldier from his time in South Korea who just happened to be a medic. From what I understand they had not gotten to far into their mission when they were hit. Eric and the other soldiers I spoke with said they had never seen an IED that powerful before. That the sky lit up like never before and the sound was deafening. During the explosion, the truck was blown in the air throwing Eric out. When the truck came down, it landed and then rolled across Eric's chest . All their equipment, sand bags and Eric's gun landed on him. When the medic came around to finding Eric, all he saw was Eric's hand sticking out from under some sand bags. As he dug Eric out from under all their gear and got his 300 lb. gun off his chest he noticed that Eric's body was facing forward but his head was turned backwards. He knew that time was of the essence and started to work on Eric right away. He said that Eric was going in and out of consciousness but that he kept trying to keep him talking for both their sakes. As he was cutting off his cloths, Eric passed away. The medic knew he had to get air into Eric's lungs as they were filling up with blood so he intibated him through the lungs to get air in and the blood out. With great presence of mind, the medic managed to duck tap e Eric to the front seat of a truck and preformed CPR on him for 30 minutes to keep him "alive" until they got to Ballad and into triage. At some point during all of this, the medic was injured as well but was not aware of it until in Ballad when someone noticed that he was bleeding. The medic insisted that it was Eric's blood, not his, as all he was concerned about was my son, he didn't even realize that he too had been hurt. The other three soldiers that were in the front of the truck were for the most part unscathed. One of them actually had a knee injury and was later discharged but on that day, it seemed to be about Eric. After getting to Ballad the doctors were able to put Eric on a ventilator and get him somewhat stable. He was in very critical condition, was in a coma, but he was ALIVE! He had basically been deceased for about 30 minutes so you can imagine, not having oxygen to your brain for that long, the prognosis did not look good. Eric is a fighter and that day he was fighting for his life. In an amazingly short amount of time, the doctors were able to stabilize him enough to get him transported to Germany . While in Germany, a complete battery of tests were done to try to narrow down Eric's injuries. He actually started to respond at one point to someone but could not follow instructions and then relapsed into the coma again. But because he was in stable, critical, but stable condition, he was transported to Walter-Reed Army Hospital within 24 hours of his arrival in Germany. Eric was injured on a Wednesday, I was able to hold his hand and pray over him on Friday, two days later! If you don't know anything about how long it takes to get back to the states from Iraq, the average time is about ten days to two weeks. Eric was back in two days!!! For him to get back to the states in such a short amount of time is unheard of and amazing to say the least and as you read on you will see why. I have basically given you the "factual account" of what happened and have condensed it's contents for a variety of reasons. I have left out quite a bit of pertinent information that will stagger you when you learn about it........ and I did it for a reason. When you learn about all the events that lead up to that day and what has happened since, you will know that God is good. That he takes care of his sheep no matter where they are. No matter how far away from home, he has his hand upon them, leading and guiding their every footstep. I give God all the glory for my sons' life. For everything that we have been through, for everything we are going through and for all the things to come, I am thankful. The day I received the phone call that my son was injured, was both the worst and best day of my life. I know you are thinking, what could she possible mean, well I'll tell you. I am a born again Christian and as a child of God I have been given several gifts. One of them being the gift of prophecy. About a month before Eric's injury God revealed to me in a dream that he would be hurt, seriously hurt and for a while, but in the end, he would be whole again, he would be okay. That he would overcome all that everyone said he would never do, so when I say to you that it was both the worst and best day, you now understand what I mean by that. Because of my relationship with the Lord, I knew that what I had been shown, would come to pass and I also knew that in the end, he would be totally well again one day. Having that peace only comes from our Father above and I am so thankful that we have him to lean on and show us the way because without him, I don't know what I would have done. I don't know how I would have handled all the pain, and hurt and heartache that came from that day as well as the many days since then. While in Germany they did x-rays to see if he had any broken bones. MRI's for the brain injury and a whole gamete of other tests and we were told that not only did he have a head injury, but that he had several major broken bones but they never said anything about him being paralyzed! We knew he wasn't breathing on his own, but when you are hearing about all their injuries, your brain gets scrambled and you're doing everything you can just to make sure you are understanding everything they are telling you correctly so as to make sure you haven't missed anything, or not thought about something you would normally ask about. Just trying to take it all in. I just remember going numb. Thinking not my son..., not my son, then feeling the power of the Holy Spirit minister to my soul. I was told that he had a closed head injury. They asked how long it would take for me to get to an airport and then told me that they did not expect Eric to live. That I needed to get all my affairs in order and to get ready as quickly as I could because I would need to leave in a moments notice to go to be with him and that hopefully, I would be able to see him alive, as again, they really did not think he was going to live. I kept asking what they meant by a closed head injury and unfortunately at that time, the Army really didn't have a whole lot of information about what happened. Basically they said he that he had a head injury, that closed meant that there was not external damage, it was all inside. Sometime along the way when Eric was being transported, Eric's brain began to swell. They had to crack his scull and insert at stint to relieve the pressure from his brain. They did not know what or how it happened, just that he had been hurt. It wasn't until later on in the day on Wednesday that I learned more about what happened. I was able to speak with Eric's Platoon Sgt.'s wife, who actually put me on a three-way call with his old Platoon Sgt. and was able to understand a little more about what took place that day. Eric had just been promoted that morning to scout, this was his first mission and because he was now a scout and not just in the infantry, he was transferred to a new unit early that morning. The only person that he knew was the medic, that saved his life. Isn't God good? What are the changes that they would be together again that day and that the medic would be in that back of the truck with Eric? Truly, God was in control that day. During the next two days, more information came in. It was discovered that an IED blast had gone off , thus the closed head injury as well as others that we had yet to learn about. I left to go to see Eric on Friday November 12, 2004, in the morning. I met my ex-husband and other son in D.C. and we all went to the hospital together. Eric had not gotten there yet, so again, it was a waiting game. After he arrived and the doctor's looked at him they came out to talk to all of us. They wanted us to understand that because of the severity of Eric's injuries and that fact that he was without oxygen to the brain for so long, that IF he lived, he would probably be in a permanent vegetative state. They said they were going to run more tests, even ones that were already done just to be sure and would get back to us. I remember asking if I could see him and talk to him. The doctor said yes, but that in all likelihood, Eric would not be able to understand me or even know who I was as he was in a coma and ha d extensive brain damage. Again I told the doctor, I wanted to talk to Eric and told the doctor, he will know who I am and he will respond! I know the doctor was thinking I was in shock, that I wasn't thinking correctly because I was so adamant, that he gave me a funny look and said you need to understand how bad it is. At that point, the overwhelming peace of the Holy Spirit come over me and in a calm voice I said "I want to talk to him". I knew from the depths of my soul, that he was going to be okay and that he would respond to me because God had already told me he was going to be okay and God doesn't lie. I knew that God was at work and that I needed to get in there and talk to him and pray for him. The Holy Spirit also told me that I needed to touch Eric. That he constantly had to have one of us touch him, no matter how long he was there, he needed to be touched. So the three of us, the doctor and some nurses went into Eric's room. As we walked in I felt sick at seeing all the tubes running through him and seeing him on the ventilator, but I was so happy just to see him and know that he was alive that the sick feeling fled very quickly. I walked over to his side, grabbed his left hand, his father and brother were around the bed as well and were also touching him, all of us trying to be strong for him, when I thought....what am I going to say? At that point God started speaking to Eric through me. Basically what was said was " Eric it's mom, no, you are not dreaming, you are really hearing my voice. You were injured in Iraq, but you are safe now. You are not in enemy territory, you are safe. You are in a hospital in Washington D.C.. You were hurt very badly but you are going to be okay". I looked down at his left hand and said to him. Eric if you can hear me, squeeze my hand, I'm holding your left hand squeeze my hand to which.........he squeezed my hand!! Glory be to God!!!!!! I don't need to tell you that the doctor and everyone that was in there were in shock, and my response was, I told you he would know me and understand me. That is the power of God my friends! I can tell you that was probably one of the happiest moments in my life and one of the longest nights I think I have ever had. It was during that night that we learned that Eric had broken his back and that he was paralyzed and that we would need to make a some major decisions about surgery and quickly. The next few days were filled with more tests, learning about more injuries and making life changing decisions. I am happy to say that Eric is still with us and is doing better than anyone ever expected. He has done things that they said he would not ever be able to do again and continues to get better everyday. I know you have heard a lot of bad things about Walter Reed Hospital but I must say, when we were there, they were phenomenal. Eric received excellent care, and the housing that my ex-husband and son stayed in was clean. Nothing like what has been reported of late. Since Walter Reed, Eric has been to the Tampa VA Hospital and is now at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. God continues to work in our lives by continuing to heal him more and more every day. He is now driving, has his own vehicle, was attending college and as of about 3 weeks ago, doing Para Step WALKING!!!!! Yes I said walking. (Assisted walking with a special walker). God has truly blessed us in many ways on this journey. He continues to be by our sides, opening up new doors not only for Eric but for others as well and has provided us with an opportunity to help others. I was fortunate enough to have another mom of a wounded soldier help me through this process. And to her I am grateful because she knew what I was feeling and had already walked down some of those roads so she could point me in the right direction as well as help me with what Eric was feeling and going through. I'm writing this letter to let you know that God is there for you too. That I will be there to help you if you ever need it. I have walked in those footsteps of being a wounded soldiers mom and know what it is you are going to feel and have to face. I can tell you what to expect of their behavior in certain situations, what to ask and how to get answers as well as provide information , and hold your hand. I will be here to answer your call @ 2:00 a.m. in the morning when you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone who will just listen to you. Because of this journey, God has placed me in a position to help others. Because of Eric's injury, new doors have been opened up to our soldiers that were not open before as far as treatment and help for them. Eric is in a program called "Beyond Therapy" @ Shepherd Center in Atlanta. It is an out-patient program that helps paraplegics and quadriplegics that have been injured for a while, regain movement again. This program was not offered to our soldiers before but through God, that door is now open and the VA is paying for our soldiers to get treatment there not only for the Beyond Therapy Program but in their Out-Patient Program and the Traumatic Brain Injury Department as well. I am also working with two non-profit organizations that help our soldiers and have access to information and funding for specialized equipment and proven therapies for those soldiers that he VA says they can't have or will not fund. I pray that you will never have to call me. That you will never have to go through seeing your loved one suffer a catastrophic injury, but if you do, know that I am here to help you. That I will do whatever I can to make your road a little easier. Our God is a mighty God and there is nothing that he can't do. Through Faith comes strengthening. I know that my calling is to help others that are going through this same kind of crisis and to make new strides in getting our soldiers what they need. I truly believe that we are on the cutting edge of a new avenues of treatment and therapies our soldiers. For me, nothing is too great a sacrifice to help my son. God has put a burden on my heart to help others and through his will, through me, his works will be accomplished because I serve a mighty God and he is my savior. I choose to walk where he leads me and do his will. Today as we remember all those that have fallen, defending this great country that we live in, let us always remember that the cost they have given up, so that we could live in a land that is safe, is the highest sacrifice of all. That they unselfishly gave of themselves, asking nothing in return so that their families could be free. Our fore fathers had a great vision for our country when they created the Constitution of These United States, and it is these selfless men and women that serve in our military that make our county the great nation that it is. Let us all work together to help each other in our times of need. Let us always remember that God is love and that those that have fallen will never be forgotten. I hope that through my sharing I will have provided some comfort and help to all those that are in need. I have spoken with one of the moms that started this site and will be in contact from now on.I will post some pictures and updates as well. If you need me, please feel free to email me a georgiagirl200142@yahoo.com I check my email on a regular basis as I work from home on my computer so I will get back in touch with you quickly. My thanks to the many moms and others that make this site available. It is truly a blessing and a road to healing. Know that each of you has a special place in my heart and that you will be in my prayers always. Thank you for honoring our soldiers and their family and friends with this much needed site and for being there for them. To all those that proudly serve in our Armed Forces, a sincere "Thank You" and know that a special prayers is being said for you each and every day. With much love and in His service, God bless America, Carrie Hess-Jordan A wounded soldiers mom ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I think the worst day I had in Iraq was the 15th of May, 2006 (or thereabouts). We were returning on convoy from Warhorse and heading back home. I was dozing off at the wheel, which I was apt to do when I was on those long, boring drives when suddenly the biggest fireball I have ever seen erupted before us. While at Warhorse, our fuel trucks filled up and I thought one of them had just exploded. Two thousand and three hundred gallons of diesel fuel. I was in shock! I didn't even realize that the 5-ton in front of us had slammed on its brakes. I hit my brakes hard, but was too late. I had to swerve to avoid smashing my uparmored humvee into "Big Ugly" and ended up tearing the driver side rear-view mirror off. We started shooting up any and everything while trying to assess just what had happened. Sometimes you have to give your enemy credit when credit is due. You always hear about artillery rounds being detonated, or bombs. In this case, the insurgents detonated a 55-gallon drum full of gasoline. With fragmentation-type IEDs, you always have a chance no matter how small. But all the uparmor in the world isn't going to save you when you have a tidal wave of flaming fuel splash through your window. In the end, two of our soldiers ended up getting burned, but both survived. The paper said we were moving fuel and ammo during that convoy. They were half right, fuel and porta-potties. See how easy it is? Your turn to share! Soldier in Iraq ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Psalm 91 Testimony by Kay G., a Marine Mom (2005) About a year ago l met this Army Mom, Judith Cook, who was helping her son’s Army unit - the 16th Transportation Unit from Ft. Sill, OK - get ready to deploy to Iraq. Judith’s son, Nick, who is a Captain, had 150 soldiers in this unit. The Commander’s wife contacted Judith and told her that because of what this unit does (delivers supplies, etc.) and where they would be in Iraq - the road between the Baghdad Airport and Abu Ghraib - they were expecting extremely high casualties. She was wondering if Judith would start making comfort quilts for the families of soldiers they expected to be killed in action or severely injured. Judith asked what sort of casualty rate that they were expecting. The Commander’s wife said 50%, FIFTY PERCENT - that is 75 men and women!!! So Judith was looking on the Internet and came across some camouflage bandanas with the 91st Psalm printed on them. The 91st Psalm is considered the Psalm of Protection for troops. Judith hand-delivered the bandanas to these soldiers and made them promise to say this Psalm EVERY day before their missions. Both the officers and soldiers said this Psalm together. During the deployment, Nick’s unit was attacked almost on a daily basis - with IEDs, mortars as well as snipers. There were countless stories of mortars that never detonated; mortars that exploded near by but no shrapnel injuries to Nick’s group; ambushes on their humvees - no injuries. Day after day these soldiers gathered and prayed this Psalm. After almost one year in Iraq, Nick and his unit returned home. All 150 soldiers came home!!! They did not lose ONE soldier, nor were any of them injured! I’m sure this story will never show up on the news, but I just wanted to share it with you. The power of prayer is awesome! To order Ps. 91 bandanas, go to www.dreamci.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support "Red Fridays." Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said "hi." The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying "your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon." The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American. RED FRIDAYS --- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United State s on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever; certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is, ?we need your support and your prayers?. Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday. IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON. IF YOU COULD CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON --- IT IS YOUR CHOICE. WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED ---- SO WEAR RED! --- MAY GOD HELP AMERICA TO BECOME ONE NATION, UNDER GOD. HAVE A GREAT DAY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know we are all busy but if you can remember, give it a try, every little bit helps. Someone has said if Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace? There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time; 8:00 PM Central; 7:00 PM Mountain; and/or 6:00 PM Pacific; stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying. Pray for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for the return to a Godly nation. Pray for the president that he will have wisdom, knowledge understanding, Godly council, peace and safety. Pray that God will reveal the location of all terrorists and weapons within the U.S.A. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR BELIEVING FRIENDS. GOD BLESS YOU. IF 9;00 PM EASTERN TIME JUST DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU, PICK A TIME AND PRAY ANYWAY. GOD IS NOT BOUND BY TIME OR SPACE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm Tired" BY: Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army 101st Airborne Division Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq, I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq to finish my tour. I left Baghdad, and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam. Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired: I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican, who lack the courage, fortitude and character to see these difficult tasks through. I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough. I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Support the Troops' by wanting them to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved. I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the battlefield. I'm tired that so many Americans think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a democracy overnight. I'm tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go to the voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanent Parliament. I'm tired of the so called 'Elite Left' that prolongs this war by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War. I'm tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers, a family whose loved ones gave their life in a just and noble cause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardly protesters is beyond shameful. I'm tired that my generation, the Baby Boom -- Vietnam generation, who have such a weak backbone that they can't stomach seeing the difficult tasks through to victory. I'm tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captives than they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies. I'm tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by the press, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front-page news. Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation didn't learn from history that there is no substitute for victory. Sincerely, Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Army 101st Airborne Division Please send to all your e-mail friends. This needs to get all over the U S A Vified @ http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/repya.asp LIEUTENANT COLONEL ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello, my name is SGT Fleming. I am a US Army Infantry soldier, combat wounded, currently being Medically Boarded out of the military at Brooke Army Medical Center. I just wanted to say thank you for your continued support. Your website is amazing. God bless you and your family in all you do. My website is: www.briancfleming. com I encourage you to take a look at it. I think you will really enjoy it. God bless! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keeping it in Perspective GOOD MILITARY EMAIL |
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