…about my manhood have just been reinforced. And how:
Perez, 21, lost his leg to a roadside bomb in Iraq more than a year ago, but despite the phantom pains that haunt him, he says he is determined to prove to the Army that he is no less of a man – and no less of a soldier.
“I’m not ready to get out yet,” he says. “I’m not going to let this little injury stop me from what I want to do.”
Perez is one of at least four amputees from the 82nd Airborne Division to re-enlist. With a new carbon-fiber prosthetic leg, Perez intends to show a medical board he can run an eight-minute mile, jump out of airplanes and pass all the other paratrooper tests that will allow him to go with his regiment to Afghanistan next year
When he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., for his rehabilitation, Perez asked a pair of generals who visited his bedside if it was possible for him to stay in the Army.
“They told me, ‘It’s all up to you, how much you want it’,” he says. “If I could do everything like a regular soldier, I could stay in.”
He wasted little time getting started. At one point, a visitor found him doing push-ups in bed. He trained himself to walk normally with his new leg, and then run with it.
Perez has to rise at least an hour earlier than his fellow soldiers to allow swelling from the previous day’s training to subside enough for his stump to fit into the prosthetic.
I am glad he is on my side.
Wow. That is all I can say. Wow.
He sounds busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest. (Sorry, couldn’t help it…)
Black Knight: “It’s merely a flesh wound.”
Arthur: “But you’re arm’s off!”
Black Night: “Come on, you pansy!”
Perez is a Soldier – make no mistake about that. You don’t find guys like this in conscript armies. He should be the poster-boy for why military service must remain voluntary.
We can rebuild him.
We have the technology.
Better than he was before.
Better . . . stronger . . . faster.
Sorry to be the one raining on the parade but …
1) Part of being a soldier is knowing that whatever you do or wherever you are, your buddies are there to back you up regardless of the circumstances – can this Perez individual guarantee to be there? I think not.
2) The impact of landing from a parachute drop is pretty goddamned hard: would this man’s artificial leg withstand the impact, or would his stump withstand the impact of a carbon fibre/resin prosthetic impacting upon it? I think not.
I don’t doubt his resolve at all, but I don’t think that even the 82nd Airborne needs an amputee as one of its troopers, gung-ho or not.
Julian, if he can pass the tests, why not? Your leg bones may be more breakable than his prosthesis. Even if his leg gets banged up, so do other troopers.
Besides, its not so much whether he gets jump-qualified again or not, its the way he handles adversity.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that you’ve not served in uniform. I can’t see anyone who has not wanting a guy like this in his unit. I know I would. (Assuming, as stated by others, he can meet the physical requirements.)
I agree that he will have a hard time meeting the physical requirements. But amputees accomplish amazing things, and I would not count him out yet.
“Besides, its not so much whether he gets jump-qualified again or not, its the way he handles adversity”
He already is Airborne and will always be, even if he is medically discharged. I was an ROTC cadet who was forced out of the program due to asthma. I went to jump school at Ft. Benning, and I passed. I may not have amounted to much in this world, and perhaps I never will, but I am airborne. Any man who claims otherwise had best be a better brawler than I. I am but a five-jump chump, but I am not a goddamn leg.
I envy this man. Even with his terrible wound, I would gladly trade places with him. I yearn so badly to have the privelige to defend my nation and my people in these times.
I would give anything to be the most junior private in the 82nd “All American” Airbone Division. Alvin York (not Airborne, but among perhaps the foremost of the 82nd Division’s most illustrious alumni) would be proud of this man, and I hope he gets his wish.
Nick says:
“He sounds busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest. ”
Actually, he sounds like a one-legged man who could WIN an ass-kicking contest.
I can’t imagine any unit not wanting this guy, if he can pass the tests. This kind of hard resolve doesn’t grow on trees.
I’m with the parade rain-forecaster above. If a regular guy gets injured, he might be able to heal. If this guy gets his leg damaged, will the Army foot the bill and the postage to get him a new knee joint or whatever? I’m all for his courage and resolve, and I really like the idea of his continued presence in the military that is still such an important part of his life and identity, but I don’t think he belongs in combat.
Make him an instructor, a recruiter (this guy can make it work even though he has some drawbacks from a first-impression sales point of view), or something. He is a man, has proven himself a man, and I don’t doubt that he will continue to prove it, but I wouldn’t send him into combat.
My grandfather’s sister Dorothy married a young guy named Mel back in the 1930’s. They were farmers in the small town my family centered around in those days. After Pearl Harbor, Mel volunteered for the Army and landed in Italy. During that campaign, he was badly injured by artillery and lost both his legs well above the knee.
I first remember meeting Mel at family functions in the 50’s. He walked with a stiff, rolling gait. My mother told me he had been badly wounded, and made a point that I shouldn’t gawk or ask any “What happened to your legs?” type questions.
Mel was always friendly and quiet, but laughed at all the jokes, and got his fair share of teasing from my Grampa and uncle Art. He worked for the Veteran’s Administration, supervising an office that processed medical claims and assorted paperwork. He looked like a balding accountant who walked oddly.
The family was deferential to Mel in a quiet way—bringing his plate from the buffet so he didn’t have to stand in line, saving a parking space close to the house, sending one of the kids for another beer or ashtray so he didn’t have to get up again. I only found out later that Mel had also suffered spinal injuries that turned every day, every step, every movement into an adventure tour of the world of pain.
Mel died fairly young, around 60, from complications following one of the many surgeries he endured over the years. At his funeral, the younger generation was shocked to see a display of his citations and medals put together by his sons.
The balding “accountant” had been wounded more than once, received a battlefield commission, had ribbons and medals enough to fill a large display, leaving awestruck the youngsters who had received a gentle smile when they brought this unknown hero a cold beer. He never talked about himself, except to his wife and oldest sons, and not much to them, probably.
I know Mr Perez, and so do you. He’s the one who will not acept defeat. He will do what needs to be done to live out his dream. Emulate him every chance you get.
Life demands the courage to live it full throttle.
If Perez gets reinjured, there is a decent chance that all that will be lost is some metal and plastic. With American kevlar body armour a much higher proportion of wounds are to the limbs. Perez is now a smaller target!
Heck, an army of retrofitted trained quadruple amputies would be nigh invincible.
Julian, Jon
I am in awe of those hardcases. Beyond common courage, indeed.
TWG
Google Douglas Bader. Read. Remember Bader lost both legs, and did not quit.
As an ex-serviceman: I would rather have an amputee in my outfit than a shirker.
…and RCD, back to the first post…this eliminates any doubts you may have had about YOUR manhood, how?
The guy has amazing willpower….how does that reflect upon you? Or are you as brave and determined as he just because you share a sex chromosome…?
I shouldn’t be surprised…the war in Iraq has got you all beating your chests….(apologies for the “all” – some of you don’t, I know…)
John Ellis-
Uhm….
Uh..
Oh what’s the point.
Never mind.
Duncan,
Cogent argument, dude…LOL
RCD…care to comment on my point?
John Ellis –
Go back and read the first sentence of the post. He doesn’t say any doubts of his manhood have been removed. He says they have been REINFORCED.
Sort of the exact opposite.
(In other words, to spell it out, if he felt like a weenie before, he *really* feels like ne now…)
…Ah. OK, I humbly withdraw and apologise. You are quite right, and I now see the point of the post. Blame the wine, says me (copping out)…
What Ken said.
In vino veritas, eh, John?
RCD,
Fair cop. “In vino falsus”, perhaps…..;-)
My grovelling apologies are infinite…..
Hey, John, no harm no foul. It’s not like any of the rest of us have never misread a posting…
TO: John Ellis
RE: Y-Chroms R Us
“…are you as brave and determined as he just because you share a sex chromosome…?” — John Ellis
Could be. One never really knows for sure until you get inside the fight-or-flight circle with a dangerous opponent.
Whereas most women I can think of the circle is so tight, the fight aspect only involves their children.
So, after all, there IS a difference, where the tread makes contact with the pavement.
RE: Breast Beaters R Us
“I shouldn’t be surprised…the war in Iraq has got you all beating your chests….” — John Ellis
Personally? I think it only right that we breast-beaters should take manly pride in our men-at-arms. Especially if, in earlier times, we stood in their place, as they do in ours, today.
For my comrades-in-arms, in contact with our foes, I say, “Good hunting and good luck.”
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[Guns don’t kill people. I kill people. And I do it all for you. — US Army Airborne-Ranger-Infantry]
TO: RC Dean
RE: When In Doubt
I recommend starting small. Ever done a ropes course in an outfit like Outward Bound? I call it the Ranger Course for Civilians.
AND, as an added bonus, if you DO lose a limb, you too can be like that magnificent piece of work, Perez. Even if you ARE over 21.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
[You never know how far you can go, until you’ve gone too far.]
To Jon and Julian,
I also have not served in the military in any capacity, tho I do have some very close friends who have and currently are serving. In spite of my inexperience, I do know one key thing. Soldiering, just like nearly any other walk of life, is mostly mental game. Boot camp is not designed to get you in great physical shape, even tho it does. It is designed to train your mind, and to make you push past standard physical limits.
This man, Perez, hs got the mental game down better than most, and I submit that this is what makes him more than qualified. I would rather have an entire unit of injured and infirm men with powerful wills, intelligent minds, and solid experience, than to have a bunch of high school jocks that are in great shape but dont know anything about combat. Military service is physically taxing, and that is why testing is in place, but never underestimate the power of the human mind. Also, dont underestimate the body, I once knew a man disabled in an accident. He still had but lost the use of his right arm and much of the use of his right leg. He ran pretty well, and he could bench press over 200 pounds (90kg) with his left arm alone. The body compensates, and the mind rules all.
First thing that came to my mind…
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
Henry V, Act IV, Scene III