Photo By Staff Sgt. Armando Limon | Staff Sgt. Joseph McKenzie holds the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) that saved his life...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Still showing battle damage, a helmet that saved Staff Sgt. Joseph McKenzie’s life during a firefight in Afghanistan was returned to him at a ceremony at Quad D, here, Oct. 27.
McKenzie, of 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, “Wolfhounds,” 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, wore the helmet during a firefight in the winter of 2011.
“It’s a very exciting time in my life,” he said. “It brings it all back into perspective on how close something was for me not being here anymore.”
His wife, Candace, stood beside him as Col. Neal Hoffman IV, program manager, Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, presented the well-worn helmet to McKenzie before his fellow “Wolfhounds.”
“He’s been wanting to get it back for quite some time,” Candace said. “It’s really exciting.”
She said that she hadn’t met her future husband until a year after the battle.
“He can give it to Royce one day,” she said, as she looked at their 17-month-old son. “Royce will know the great things he has done, and the fact he’s alive is a great thing.”
McKenzie participated in Operation Strong Eagle III with 2nd Bn., 327th Inf. Regt., “No Slack,” 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Div., in Afghanistan’s rugged and snow-covered Ganjgal Valley.
“So, our actual platoon’s mission was setting up a blocking position on top of a mountain,” he said, describing the tough battle. “Basically, a platoon would maneuver through the valley and there would be other platoons out in the mountains in a defensive position to keep everybody contained, so no Taliban fighters could get out.”
During a lull in the battle, McKenzie ventured out to check on one of the other squads and get a bottle of lubricant for his rifle.
“I remember they threw it at me,” he said. “I went to catch it, I guess wearing gloves – stone hands – and I dropped it. When that happened, I simply just knelt down. As I kneeled down, that’s when I was hit from above. Basically, while I was kneeled down, I got shot right in the base plate.”
The realization of being wounded by gunfire hadn’t quit dawned on him, yet.
“At first, I didn’t think I got shot,” he said. “It felt like getting punched in the eye.”
Fragments from the round broke up when it hit the base plate that holds his night vision goggles and the lip of the helmet, less than an inch from his face, causing injuries near his right eye and right shoulder, he continued.
“It was the actual lead stuck in the helmet, and then the rest of the base plate is what actually caused the scaring and the initial swell from the helmet hitting me on the face,” he said.
McKenzie remained at the battle for about 12 hours while more critically wounded Soldiers received care before being medically evacuated. After returning to the rear, a medical officer attempted to send him out for further treatment out of Afghanistan.
“The doctor, he was telling me I was going to Germany and I was, like, I was going to go back,” he said.
At that point McKenzie had already given up his helmet for examination by PEO, and returned to his platoon a week and a half later with another helmet to remain with “No Slack” for the rest of his deployment.
A “No Slack” buddy of McKenzie had used a GoPro camera to record the battle, and about eight months ago, a video was placed on YouTube.
“My buddy told me he put it on there,” he said. “Then I looked on there, and it was all crazy. All these people that didn’t know me well in the company, because I’m still pretty new to the ‘Wolfhounds.’ They’re watching this crazy video and stuff.”
He felt a bit modest by the unexpected notoriety and attention he had received from the video.
“I appreciate it,” he said “I’m not taking it for granted. It’s not sought after. I mean the video in general is a little humbling.”
At the end of it all, McKenzie was delighted to have back the helmet that saved his life.
“It really makes you think on how precious life is,” he said. “It puts life into perspective really quick.”
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2015 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 181457 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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