Wounded Soldiers leave Afghanistan on their own terms [Image 3 of 11]

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, AFGHANISTAN

05.28.2014

Photo by Staff Sgt. Lyndsey Prax 

ISAF Regional Command South

Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Cole Rich fires a mini-gun with guidance from a U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier during a visit to Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan, May 28. Rich was a participant in Operation Proper Exit, a Troop’s First Foundation initiative that allows service members who are severely injured in the line of duty to return to the battlefield and leave on their own terms. In 2002, Rich was on a routine patrol when a 7.62 x 54mm round struck the back of his head, pushing bone fragments into the visual cortex of his brain. He spent the past 12 years recovering and is now partially blind and suffers from a severe seizure disorder. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Lyndsey Prax)

• Date Taken: 05.28.2014
• Date Posted: 06.02.2014 06:44
• Photo ID: 1375136
• VIRIN: 140528-Z-TR266-003
• Resolution: 5184x3456
• Size: 1.33 MB
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, AF
• Hometown: BOSTON, MA, US
• Hometown: FORT LIBERTY, NC, US