http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-12/11269901408640.xml&storylist=orlocalSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Christian Bagge knew it was bad from the reactions of his fellow Oregon National Guard soldiers that early June morning in the remote Iraq desert south of Kirkuk.
"Some people were saying, 'It's fine,'" he said. "Others were saying, 'Oh my God.'"
Months later on a sunny Sunday, Bagge shifts his body on the sofa in his apartment. His left leg dangles, wrapped in a silicone sleeve that stops short of where his ankle would be. His right leg ends at the knee.
The rocks and grit have worked their way out of Bagge's face, but his inner left arm bears a scar that looks like the trail of an angry, 10-inch centipede.