JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Eight men arrived here April 28 wearing both the uniforms of the armed forces branch for which they once served, and also wearing the physical and emotional scars of their sacrifices made during that service. Joint Base Balad was the fourth stop during their weeklong visit to Iraq for Operation Proper Exit.
“What they try to do is take these heroes to the location where their injuries were sustained in conjunction with their exit points,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Debbie Schroder, the command sergeant major of the 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. “All of these individuals came to JBB and were medevaced out of country from JBB, so this would have been their last known location in theater.”
Just as the name states, this program gives wounded veterans the chance to have a “proper exit” from the areas they were once deployed to. Those who were forced to leave due to injury are given the chance to get emotional closure by being able to leave under their own strength and on their own terms.
“Every service member, regardless of rank or branch of service, deserves a closure, and that’s what this was for those soldiers and Marines,” said Schroder, an El Paso, Ill., native. “There was some apprehension amongst some of them initially, but they said that it’s helping with their healing process.”
Members from different branches of the military waited on both sides of the walkway leading to the emergency room of the theater hospital here as four helicopters landed in succession. Yes, they were waiting on warriors who had been wounded, but the men who landed here this day weren’t in need of medical attention.
From the helipad, they entered a tunnel bearing the sign “HERO’S HWY,” and they emerged from this tunnel like honored gladiators into the cheers of their grateful public. Applause and the sound of camera shutters snapping was the soundtrack that ushered these men down the walkway and into the hospital.
Once inside, the five soldiers and three Marines sat looking upon a small pond of service members that seemed to be teeming with respect and pride.
“I just want to let you know for every soldier, airman, and civilian on post how excited we are to have you here with us,” said Brig. Gen. Don S. Cornett Jr., the commanding general of the 310th ESC, and an Aurora, Neb., native. “We’re real proud of you and your service and your sacrifice.”
However, this day was not about the crowd’s admiration, it was about these brave men’s revelations of their time spent in Balad under the care of those who previously filled the roles of the men and women who stood before them.
“I remember we were being shelled at one point and medics covering me with their bodies,” said retired 1st Lt. Jim Kirchner, a Douglasville, Ga., native. “It was tent city back then. I remember being rolled from tent to tent.”
Many of the visiting veterans were here before the current hospital building was in use, and the current staff received numerous thanks for their hard work and dedication on behalf of their predecessors.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for people like you,” said Brian Mancini, a Phoenix, Ariz., native and retired sergeant first class.
“Everybody here is my hero,” said Steven Cornford, a former corporal and Silver Star recipient for exceptionally valorous conduct.
Cornford, a Mountain Home, Idaho, native, expressed gratitude for the assistance he received in dealing with his mental anguish as well as his physical pain while he was hospitalized. He risked his life to save his platoon leader only to watch the lieutenant pass away in the emergency room right beside him.
“Iraq’s a safer place because of his sacrifice,” said retired 1st Lt. Edwin Salau.
Salau spoke of Cornford’s heroics, and he also highlighted the achievements of Cpl. Matt Bradford, and former Cpl. Isaiah Schaffer, saying, “You’re meeting some of the humblest corporals I know.”
Bradford, who has prosthetics on both legs and has lost sight in both eyes, actually reenlisted with the Marines last year. He is a Petersburg, Va., native, but he is stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., working at the Wounded Warrior Battalion East.
There were eight different stories of trial and triumph told that day.
A few of them evoked tears from the storyteller and listeners alike, but through it all their strong senses of humor and camaraderie seemed to help them carry the weight of their struggle.
“They were all phenomenal, every one of them,” Schroder said. “The strength that they displayed, especially in coming back to theater and facing their fears head-on, I think that shows a lot for the strength that our military is made of.”
When these veterans left Balad again, they did so properly, as proud men with their heads held high and of their own will.
Subscribe
