Soldier to return to United States

[Judi Lynn]

October 1, 2003

Last modified October 1, 2003 - 12:54 am



Soldier to return to United States

The Billings soldier who was injured in Iraq on Sept. 25 is headed stateside.

Spc. Alex Leonard is expected to return to the United States on Wednesday or Thursday, his parents said. Leonard was serving with the U.S. Army 101st in Mosul, Iraq, when his convey was attacked.

Leonard will be flown from Germany, where he has undergone three surgeries, to Andrews Air Force Base and then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland for his continued treatment.

His injuries "are extensive but he is very optimistic," his mother, Sandy, said.

Leonard lost part of his leg below the right knee and also has multiple fractures to his left leg, left arm and elbow, corneal abrasions on both eyes and many open wounds, she said. (snip/...)

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/10/01/build/local/42-soldier.inc

[roguevalley]

1. gag. my mom just got corneal transplants. That boy is in for a long

convolesence. Also, my sister lost a leg just above the knee.
I feel for all of them. Hugs to that poor kid. Maybe bush can
send him a care package. A basket full of 3 in 1 oil cans or
something.

[saigon68]

10. TOO BAD HE WAS WOUNDED FOR EXXON AND HALIBURTON

Another victim of this continuing series of WAR CRIMES

[NJCher]

2. this is heartbreaking

I heard a story on the BBC about the extensive injuries our people are suffering. There are apparently 1400 with very severe injuries, like with three limbs gone. The BBC quoted a U.S. soldier who had returned as saying that he was shocked at how there was no coverage of this at all in the U.S. media.

When I hear things like this it just reinforces the nightmare this outrageous regime has perpetuated on us all. The thought that these people will have to live the rest of their lives so drastically incapacitated--and all over oil--is almost more than I can bear.


Cher

[GCP]

5. With reduced VA benefits, don't forget

There's no hole in hell deep enough for these criminals in the WH.

:grr:

[Dead_Parrot]

3. Poor sod

As another poster pointed out the other day, these guys and gals are wearing kevlar vests & helmets: So while it's difficult to kill them (without a direct hit with something heavy likek an RPG) it's shocking easy to blow off a leg or nose. I wouldn't be suprised if the number of wounded roughly equates to the number of lost limbs.

[teryang]

4. Right you are

Sadly. The censorship on the coverage of the dead and wounded returning to the US is overwhelming. Many Conservatives felt this is why we lost Vietnam, not because of the profound miscalculations and poor judgement of the leadership but because of pictures of dying, dead and wounded "demoralising" the publics will to fight.

[saigon68]

11. This is the reason the dirty bastards want censorship

The dead, the dying, the little girl with her skin hanging off because she was napalmed. The 19 year old shot throught the face. A picture of a foot, a hand, a leg blown off. The pictures appearing on Yahoo France 2 months ago showing the GI cut in half by an RPG round--- now deleted from the server. The body bags especially.

The ruling class wants none of this. So many of these motherfuckers blame the press coverage for the war being lost in Nam. Some of them would still be there, fighting communism in Nam, if it wasn't for the media.

Back then the media at least had a set of cajones.

[Zech Marquis]

6. in many ways

losing a limb or multilpe limbs is worse than death...you take a young person who's in his or her prime, have their limbs blown off in the name of oil and Poppy's bank accounts, and what do these GIs have to show for it? Permament handicaps, so-called VA care, not a word from the US media whores, and a bunch of wingnuts who were screaming support our troops, but have now become awfully quiet...it really pises me off knowing this is going on :argh:

[Zech Marquis]

7. I just re-read his injuries

lost part of one leg, fractured his other one, abrasions in BOTH eyes, many open wounds..my god :-( I just hope he'll survive...

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

8. Does he know yet that

they will be billing him for the food he eats while in hospital?

[Mairead]

9. How many of you are supporting a candidate who wants to keep the soldiers

over there because 'we can't pull out now' (shades of Vietnam!)?

Something to think about.