was injured in November 2007 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. I was commanding the vanguard of a combat team leaving a patrol base to conduct a night operation in the Zharay district. Shortly after our departure and ‘shake-out’ into formation, my command vehicle was hit by a Command-Wired IED that defeated the armour and safety systems aboard our Light Armoured Vehicles. The initial blast and subsequent fire that spread to the ammunition and explosives we were carrying generated three Killed-in-Action (KIA) and three Wounded- in-Action (WIA) personnel.
All the leadership component within our vehicle was either injured or dead, and the vehicle driver was the only individual able to move us to cover by dragging us behind a concrete block. Our platoon medic was amongst the KIAs, and it took approximately 20 minutes before the company medical technician could reach our position and begin stabilizing the condition of the three WIAs. One of the WIAs, had multiple fractures and was not …show more content…
However, the answer lay in a completely opposite direction. I needed to be discharged and return home to gain weight, to raise my confidence in my abilities, and to find a mental balance. As the result of the decision to allow me to return home, I gained weight and muscle mass very quickly, while my sleep normalized and my morale improved. Hospitals are excellent at their core work, namely, saving lives. Once that is done, and especially for a soldier, what is required to rehabilitate, when medically possible, is time with family at home, and consistent work hours at a rehabilitation centre. Hospitals and rehab centres alone do not ensure that patients are made stronger and more confident. It also created a healthy balance from our recent exposure at the Institut to much older civilians with cancer or diabetes, who had very different goals than most repatriated military
All the leadership component within our vehicle was either injured or dead, and the vehicle driver was the only individual able to move us to cover by dragging us behind a concrete block. Our platoon medic was amongst the KIAs, and it took approximately 20 minutes before the company medical technician could reach our position and begin stabilizing the condition of the three WIAs. One of the WIAs, had multiple fractures and was not …show more content…
However, the answer lay in a completely opposite direction. I needed to be discharged and return home to gain weight, to raise my confidence in my abilities, and to find a mental balance. As the result of the decision to allow me to return home, I gained weight and muscle mass very quickly, while my sleep normalized and my morale improved. Hospitals are excellent at their core work, namely, saving lives. Once that is done, and especially for a soldier, what is required to rehabilitate, when medically possible, is time with family at home, and consistent work hours at a rehabilitation centre. Hospitals and rehab centres alone do not ensure that patients are made stronger and more confident. It also created a healthy balance from our recent exposure at the Institut to much older civilians with cancer or diabetes, who had very different goals than most repatriated military