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SEMBACH, Germany – Danger didn’t find this Soldier on the battlefield or during a high-stakes training mission. It found him at home on leave, a place where most Soldiers expect peace. One explosion can change everything.
Nothing could have prepared U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kanyi Folyehke, motor pool sergeant of 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, for the devastation that struck during his time away from duty. What carried him through the long road to recovery wasn’t just resilience, it was the rapid support from the Army community that stepped in when he needed it most.
Since he was 10 years old, Foly has loved fixing things. Growing up in Togo, West Africa, he would spend his time taking his toys apart just to see if he could put them back together.
“They would buy me a toy, and I would take a screwdriver to it, open it to see what's going on inside, and then I’d break it!” said Foly.
As he got older, Foly knew he wanted to be a U.S. military wheeled mechanic. He began taking auto mechanic classes during high school and college to prepare himself.
Foly moved to the United States on his own, hoping to join the U.S. military on Nov. 5, 1998 at 28. He was turned down because of his age. But after 9/11, the Army increased the maximum required age, which gave him the chance to try again. He swore into the U.S. Army in 2006.
In 2023, Foly had gone home to Togo to see his family. While there, a conversation with his cousin had turned into tragedy. A bonfire was slowly burning behind him, and a plastic container of methanol was sitting nearby. The two substances made contact and a blaze occurred, exploding right behind him. Foly’s cousin contacted emergency services, and an ambulance rushed him to the nearest hospital.
He was shocked, in pain, and was almost ready to give up, but he remembered that the Army was there to take care of him. That alone filled him with enough determination to get through his first few days in that hospital bed.
“It wasn’t easy. I didn’t think that I was gonna make it through, it was so painful, but I have a lot of resiliency…” said Foly. “Then when I saw the Army intervening, I knew I was in good hands.”
As the hospital in Togo was taking care of him, Army officials were working hard formulating a plan to bring Foly back to Germany and then to San Antonio, Texas.
He was hospitalized for a total of almost six months.
“I went through seven different surgeries within two weeks,” said Foly. “[The skin grafting] is on my entire back, all the way down to the lower parts of my legs and my left arm.”
Skin grafting is a time consuming operation that takes healthy layers of skin from one part of the body and attaches it to a damaged area of skin.
Almost none of his relatives were there to help him through the process, and he felt alone. But then the calls came; and a lot of them. People from all over the unit were contacting Foly, sharing their condolences and cheering him on through the healing process. It brought him to tears.
With his determination back, Foly started to heal almost too fast for the doctors to keep up. His healing plan was projected to be two weeks before he’d be able to walk again. Yet he shocked the doctors when he stood on his own in less than 5 days.
“[The doctor] looked at me and she said, ‘I don’t know how you’re doing it, but it’s a wonderful surprise,’” said Foly.
“If it wasn’t for the Army’s quick action and medical benefits,” Foly exclaims, “I may not still be here living.”
Two years later, he has numerous 3rd and 4th degree burn marks all over his legs, back, and left arm that are still healing. Because of the substantial amount of burns and the pain it causes, Foly is prescribed to wear the Army Physical Fitness Uniform at work while he recovers. His back is so scarred from the operations, he can’t yet lay on his back or left side.
He is thankful for all of the support from his coworkers and friends who he has met within the Army, especially in his current unit, 10th AAMDC. One of these Soldiers, Spc. Dillon Alvino, a wheeled vehicle mechanic, called Foly frequently on the phone while he was in San Antonio recovering.
“Even though I was in the hospital with a five hour difference, [Alvino] didn't care to wake me up in my sleep to call me and say ‘I miss you, I want you back as soon as possible,’" said Foly.
Calls from all over the unit gave him the realization that he has a caring family in the Army.
Despite his wounds, Foly continues to serve and is very proud to be able to call himself a part of the U.S. Army. He is projected to retire in 2025.
“I’m proud of it, that I'm part of the 1% of the population that serves in the military, and that I’ve been serving for almost 20 years now,” says Foly.
In the business of war, medical readiness is just as important as anything else, if not more. The Army has numerous policies to take care of its Soldiers, no matter the situation. Foly is only one of many people saved by the Army’s medical benefits, which stretch worldwide.
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2025 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 544891 |
| Location: | RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Army Mechanic Survives Blast; Military care remedies traumatic moment for Soldier on leave, by PFC Lilly Pendergrass, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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