Operation Proper Exit
Story by Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman, 06.25.2009
 JOINT
BASE BALAD, Iraq - It was the third charge, the third
explosion of a roadside bomb that took off his leg.
The last time Sgt. Christopher A. Burrell was in Iraq he was
pulled from a burning vehicle in Sadr City, a neighborhood in
Baghdad. A tourniquet applied by another Soldier saved his
life, but a nurse here at the Air Force Theater Hospital had
to break the tragic news - his left leg was gone, taken by an
explosively formed projectile.
Now, almost a year and a half later, and after months of
rehabilitation and physical therapy at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center in Washington, Burrell returned to Iraq with
five other amputee combat veterans as part of Operation Proper
Exit.
"I don't remember much, but I remember my nurse," Burrell
said, remembering the incident, which occurred December 2007.
"Shelly. She was an angel, there to comfort me when I was in a
difficult spot."
Operation Proper Exit, a pilot program sponsored by the Army
and the Troops First Foundation, allows Soldiers wounded in
combat to return to Iraq. The goal of the program is to give
these Soldiers an opportunity for closure, and to see the
progress made in securing and stabilizing the country, Burrell
said.
"It kind of helps you heal mentally and emotionally, to close
that chapter in your life so you can move on," he said. "The
progress that's been made - it shows that we made a sacrifice
but it was for a reason."
The six amputee combat veterans, who were accompanied by
civilians with the Troops First Foundation, toured the Air
Force Theater Hospital here, speaking with medical personnel.
Most of the Soldiers received some kind of treatment here
before they moved to Germany for further medical care.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jamal Hogan, a nurse, said he remembered
providing medical care for two of the Soldiers himself during
a previous deployment in 2007.
"It's awesome," he said with a smile, hugging one of his
former patients. "To know that people made it - he's alive,
walking around. That means a lot to me."
Following the hospital tour, the amputee combat veterans
participated in a town hall-style meeting which began with a
standing ovation of approximately 200 Soldiers here at a
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation facility.
After telling the audience their own personal war stories, the
veterans fielded questions which ranged from how they dealt
with physical recovery to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to
their long-term goals. Sgt. Robert Brown, who lost his right
leg to sniper fire in September 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq, said he
was training to qualify for the U.S. rowing team at the 2012
London Paralympics games.
Toward the end of the meeting, a young Soldier stood up and
asked them, with everything they've experienced, if they would
be willing to return for another tour in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Every one of the amputee combat veterans nodded.
"Sure, we'd go back," one of them said. "We're here with you
right now, aren't we?" |
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