Courtesy Photo | The Honorable Francis J. Harvey, secretary of the Army, presents Staff Sgt. Ronell...... read more read more
By Spc. Dan Balda
4th BCT PAO, 3ID
Many Soldiers join the Army for the experience, for the health and college benefits and because of their love of country. If those Soldiers" lives were changed drastically, they could choose to join the civilian world rather than remain on active duty.
Staff Sgt. Ronell Bradley lost one of his legs in an IED attack while on a mission and had to have the other leg removed during surgery at the combat support hospital in Baghdad.
Bradley's battalion sergeant major, Command Sgt. Major Clarence Stanley, was present to make sure he was okay. Right before Bradley was anesthetized, he implored Stanley, "Don't let me out of the Army."
The Army has every intention of honoring Bradley's wishes; but while he is recovering from his injuries at Walter Reed Army Hospital, his brothers in Company E, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor do not want anybody to forget what he means to them.
The company has designed a patch inscribed with "Don't let me out of the Army," that each Soldier carries on their person when they go on patrol. It's their way of taking him out on patrol even while he recovers.
Sgt. Rayner Lopez, a team leader who was in the vehicle with Bradley when it was struck, designed the patch. The Miami native wanted to honor Bradley and his sacrifice, but almost as important, he wanted to honor his friend and mentor.
"He was my first team leader when I got into the Army," Lopez said. "He taught me everything I know, and I owe all my military accomplishments to him."
They served together during OIF I and made it home together, and even though Bradley won't be on the airplane going back to the United States with Lopez, Lopez will make sure his patch is fastened snugly in his pocket until he can see his mentor.
By chance, Bradley has already seen the patch that bears the unofficial motto of E Company.
The Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, was visiting FOB Prosperity and a Soldier managed to tell him all about Bradley and presented Harvey with a patch. Once Harvey returned to the States he made his way to visit Bradley at Walter Reed. He presented him with the patch and told him how his brethren back in Iraq had chosen to keep a small part of him out in sector with them.
Capt. Barrett Emenheiser, Bradley's company commander couldn't say enough nice things about Bradley and his obvious aptitude at his job.
"The Army is his life, he is a hardcore Sapper, he is a graduate of the Marine Sapper Leadership Course, a real tough school," said Emenheiser, a native of Lebanon, Penn. "He epitomizes what a Sapper should be."
Emenheiser said that Bradley goes the extra mile when it comes to training his Soldiers. He thinks it ended up saving his life.
"It was his squad members that pulled him out of the Humvee, administered initial first aid and evaced him to the (combat support hospital)," Emenheiser said. "Whenever they had downtime, he was doing weapons training, physical training or something else to make sure his guys excelled. He went above the call of duty of any squad leader I have ever seen in my 10 years in the Army."
Since Bradley has been at Walter Reed, he has been visited by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and President Bush. Emenheiser thinks this may have to do with his personality.
"He is a great American," Emenheiser said. "He loves being a warrior and he loves being with Soldiers. He is light to everyone; he has a big smile and a huge heart."
Sgt. 1st Class Dennis Brigham, Bradley's platoon sergeant and a native of Mannheim, Germany, physically carried him into the CSH and was as amazed then at how calm Bradford was. He is not amazed at how hard Bradley has been working at Walter Reed. "He just took his first step with his prosthesis (recently)," Brigham said. "I'm not surprised at all."
Emenheiser can't wait to see Bradley in action back at Fort Stewart, Ga.
"He is that dedicated, that when we have a division run or something, (I know) he will be running faster than the fallouts and trying to motivate them as best he can. He is a real inspiration."
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2006 10:34 |
| Story ID: | 4281 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 370 |
| Downloads: | 66 |
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