Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | Capt. Toby Austin, native of Tampa, Fla., commander, Bulldog Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th...... read more read more
BALAD, Iraq (May 27, 2006) -- In the early morning, against the sounds of cadence and the thunderous noise of feet hitting the pavement, Soldiers from Bulldog Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers conduct their daily run.
The Soldiers are fearful not to fall out of the run for two reasons: fear of the repercussions and for respect of their first sergeant who is there with them, keeping pace and calling cadence.
1st Sgt. Martin Kelley, first sergeant, B Troop, 2nd Sqdn., 9th CAV, commands respect from his length of service and the long road he has fought to stay in the Army. Kelley was diagnosed with bilateral avascular necrosis in both hips while serving as a drill sergeant at Fort Knox, Ky., in 1997.
"At that time the doctors told me that my Army career was over," Kelley said.
I was in the prime of my career and to be cut down, I felt like a failure, Kelley said. I had only 11 years of service at that point. For a doctor to tell me that my Army career was over was not an acceptable answer.
Bilateral avascular necrosis is a bone disease that kills the femoral head of the joint. Kelley thought it was a hip bruise or a groin strain initially, but as the months passed it never got better. It deteriorated to the point where it was bone-on-bone when he walked.
After fighting through the pain for a year, while continuing his drill sergeant duties, his condition was finally diagnosed.
After three unsuccessful major hip operations, it was decided in the latter part of 1997 to have a full hip replacement of his right hip. In 1999 Kelley had the second hip replaced. After two artificial hips, Kelley still did not want to take a medical discharge from the Army.
Kelley fought his case up the chain of doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Silver Spring, Md., and eventually received a medical evaluation to say he was fit for service.
"I have limited movement as far as bending," Kelley said. "I am still able to run; I am still able to don all my protective gear and equipment. I am not supposed to run at all due to the hip replacement, but if you can't run, you can't be out with the Soldiers and you need to be out there with them. I still do everything the Soldiers do."
When Capt. Toby Austin, commander, B Troop, 2nd Sqdn., 9th CAV, first came to the unit and was informed of Kelley's condition he was concerned.
"It was a concern when I found out; given the nature of the mission in Iraq I was worried that it was going to take its toll on him," Austin said. "He has not ever let that slow him down. He has never come to me and said "I need a day off because my hips are bothering me"."
Austin never has to worry when planning a mission if the trucks have fuel, if the Soldiers have water and if they are in the right uniform. Kelley has firm control on making sure everything is in place for the mission to be successful. Not only is he a master planner but with his wealth of experience he is a father figure as well.
He has been in the Army more than I have been alive and has kids that are around the same age as some of us, said Pfc. Nickolias Sauceda, cavalry scout, B Troop, 2nd Sqdn., 9 CAV. He gives us a lot of advice and one of his favorite sayings is 'there is a reason behind the madness."
Whatever he tells us is to better ourselves and we take it in kindness and with a bit of tough love.
Kelley has been playing with idea of teaching junior ROTC after retiring. He would like to stay in Colorado with his wife, Sgt. 1st Class Michelle Kelley, senior court reporter, 7th Infantry Division.
"90 percent of the reason I wanted to stay in was to make it to the retirement point and have her retire with me," Kelley said.
Besides wanting to retire with his wife, Kelley felt obligated to give back to an organization that took him from his humble beginnings in Laurel, Del., and sculpted him into the man he is today.
"I came from a family with nothing," Kelley said. "As a kid growing up I bounced from foster home to foster home; from trailer to trailer. I believe my parents moved 20 times in one year. So all the knowledge and experience I have gained over the past 20 years I feel some obligation to give it to the young Soldiers who are now entering the United States Army in a time of war."
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2006 09:43 |
| Story ID: | 6544 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 28 |
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