Military Officer - April 2006 - (Page 69)

ties, with more than 1,200 injured in 2005. These young, injured servicemembers “were hurting. They felt isolated and alone. They missed their units. They felt guilty for leaving their team in the combat zone,” Maxwell says. “That’s hard to deal with when you’re 19 years old and the only team you’ve ever served with is still in Iraq.” Maxwell, who admits to bouts of depression and anger during his recovery, was able to get them talking — so well that the Marine Corps encouraged him to stay on active duty to provide support to Lejeune’s injured servicemembers. Maxwell was especially worried about the Marines and sailors who were discharged from the hospital but still on convalescent leave, undergoing regular medical care and rehabilitation. “I thought we could keep them together to form a new support team by housing them in one barracks,” says Maxwell. And so work began to refurbish a barracks into housing for the wounded with ramps and grab bars, wheelchair accessibility, and transportation to medical appointments and physical therapy. On Nov. 15, 2005, Maxwell Hall opened, and Maxwell and his family were on hand to cut the ribbon. move the injured more quickly to combat hospitals, often within that critical “golden hour” after an injury. But even as American servicemembers are better protected from fatal injuries, the enemy’s weapons of choice are devastating to exposed body parts. Land mines, RPGs, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are causing horriﬁc injuries. The initial blast can rip off limbs and send shrapnel and other debris ﬂying at such velocity that it shatters limbs, shreds bone, and destroys tissue. Dust, sand, and dirt also are blown into the wound, which can lead to severe infection. The bomb’s shock wave can rattle the brain and vital organs and cause internal bleeding. After life-saving treatment is performed on the ﬁeld and at combat hospitals, the injured are ﬂown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where further trauma care takes place. Once stabilized, usually within three to ﬁve days, the Jackson’s daughters decorated his prosthetic legs (below left). Marine Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell (below right) suffered traumatic brain injury in Iraq. (bottom) Army Capt. David Rozelle, left, and Jack Farley, center, visit a soldier at Walter Reed. Devastating injuries Jackson and Maxwell are just two of 16,742 servicemembers wounded in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and 688 wounded in action in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) as of Feb. 17, 2006. The survival rate for U.S. servicemembers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan is 90 percent — higher than in any previous war. Advances in body armor and battleﬁeld medicine are saving servicemembers who might otherwise have died in previous wars. Surgical ﬁeld hospitals are closer to combat, and medics are better equipped and trained. Improved evacuation chains PHOTOS: CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT, CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/ AP; SEAN SHANAHAN; SEAN SHANAHAN APRIL 2006 MILITARY OFFICER 69

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - April 2006

Military Officer - April 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Lap of Luxury Magic Carpet of the Rails Blue Ridge Wonderland Salud, Santé, Cin Cin! Cover Story: Wounded Warriors On Duty MOAA Scholarship Donors MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Calendar Advertising Index Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - April 2006

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