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BAGHDAD – Cpl. Charles DuPree took a knee and buried his head in his hands. Staff Sgt. Jeral Majetic knelt in front of him as they grabbed hold of one another; both veterans too overwhelmed to support their own weight. With his voice cracking, DuPree said, “This is it, we’re back.” Staff Sgt. Jeral Majetic (left) and Cpl. Charles DuPree comfort Staff Sgt. Christopher Bain as he visits the site where he was injured in 2004. These three, along with eight other wounded warriors, came out to the site as part of the Operation Proper Exit program’s most recent trip...

Liz Edinger will never forget that telephone call, the one dreaded by any worried parent of a uniformed son or daughter in harm's way in Afghanistan or Iraq. "Nick called and asked if I was sitting down," she said. "I sat down, and he said, 'Mom, my left foot is missing.' " "This is six hours after it happened," added Scott Edinger, her husband and Nick's father. "He said, 'I stepped on a land mine but don't worry, I'm going to be fine.' " Army Cpl. Nick Edinger, 22, lost his left foot to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan...

I apologize in advance if this post is in violation of any rules and ask the mods to remove it if it is.

Folks since the Silver Star Families of America was practically born on FR, I thought you might like to see this. A Stand alone Resolution from the House.

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2010 – Ash from an Icelandic volcano limiting European air traffic has forced the U.S. military to reroute some American troops wounded in Afghanistan through Iraq instead of Germany, a military official said today.Video Defense officials decided to transport war wounded to Balad, Iraq, to increase troops’ level of survival and to maintain medical capacity in Bagram, home to the primary U.S. medical center in Afghanistan, Air Force Brig. Gen. Steven L. Kwast said.“It's all driven by the requirement medically that that intermediate stop saves lives, and it needs to be done,” Kwast, commander of the 455th...

New silken brain implants that mold to the organ's grooves and crevices like shrink-wrap could lead to better devices for monitoring and controlling seizures. "They can also serve as advanced brain-machine interfaces for control of prosthetics and other devices," said John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The new implants could transmit signals from the brain to the prosthetic, Rogers and his colleagues explain in the April 18 issue of the journal Nature Materials.

Under a dusty hospital tent where doctors yell over the roar of jet engines, Dr. John York studied an electronic image of a blood vessel in the neck of a soldier wounded by an improvised bomb. It looked like a balloon ready to pop. Too delicate to operate on directly. Dr. York would have to try a procedure that had rarely been attempted so close to a battlefield. Using a sophisticated X-ray machine, he snaked a tube from an artery in the soldier's leg until it reached his neck. Dr. York threaded in a feathery device that popped open and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2010 – Wounded military members struggle with an endless set of challenges in overcoming their physical and mental disabilities. And no one may understand what it takes to get past those hurdles better than Army veteran John Register. John Register, associate director of community and military programs for the U.S. Paralympics Committee, speaks at a Pentagon news conference Jan. 7, 2010. DoD photo by R.D. Ward  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Ironically, Register’s left leg was amputated in 1994 following an accident in which he jumped across a hurdle. A member of the Army’s World Class...

WASHINGTON — Iraqi forces, aided by U.S. advisors, arrested several suspected terrorists and seized weapons in Iraq in recent days, military officials report. Iraqi Security Forces yesterday arrested 14 suspected terrorists during a series of operations conducted in northern Iraq targeting suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq members. In southwest Baghdad, ISF, aided by U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected AQI explosives operative believed to be planning and conducting homemade bomb attacks throughout Diyala province. Meanwhile, in a separate operation in Jalula, northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. forces arrested four suspected AQI members. Also yesterday, while conducting an operation southwest of Kirkuk,...

I'm not military, but my understanding is that a Purple Heart is for those wounded in action. Do these dead and wounded qualify? If not, would it be proper to lobby for them to receive the medal.

This duo is being raffled off to raise funds for the Healing Heroes Network, a charity that benefits injured Veterans. Grand Prize is BOTH cars! A ticket is only $3.00, and is a chance to win these fantastic Shelbys and support a very worthy cause. The 1967 example is a verified Shelby original, number 3139 in the Shelby Registry. The 2010 GT is a one-of-a-kind special edition done up in the same Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes as the old-timer. It has been dubbed the Patriot Edition and features a host of aftermarket changes that make it more...

This duo is being raffled off to raise funds for the Healing Heroes Network, a charity that benefits injured Veterans. So buying a ticket or 10 is a chance to win these fantastic Shelbys, and support a worthy cause. The 1967 example is a verified Shelby original, number 3139 in the Shelby Registry. The 2010 GT is a one-of-a-kind special edition done up in the same Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes as the old-timer. It has been dubbed the Patriot Edition and features a host of aftermarket changes that make it more closely match its ancestor.If you'd like...

White House officials tell ABC News that President Obama will visit with wounded soldiers tomorrow at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The trip was scheduled before the incident today at Fort Hood, officials said. President Obama visited wounded troops at Walter Reed as president-elect in January and has visited wounded troops at Bethesda Naval Hospital as senator. Last week the president made a secret late-night journey to Dover Air Force Base to participate in the dignified transfer of troops and DEA agents killed in Afghanistan. He is in the midst of making up his mind about a new strategy in...

More than 1,000 American troops have been wounded in battle over the past three months in Afghanistan, accounting for one-fourth of all those injured in combat since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The dramatic increase has filled military hospitals with more amputees and other seriously injured service members and comes as October marks the deadliest month for American troops in Afghanistan. Expanded military operations, a near-doubling of the number of troops since the beginning of the year and a Taliban offensive that has included a proliferation of roadside bombings have led to the great increase in casualties. U.S. troops in...

It's an all-volunteer Army. But there were days when Andrew Harriman felt like a draftee. The Largo man signed up for a three-year Army hitch. Harriman, 26, gets out next month — three years, five months and 13 days after his enlistment expired. Not that he's counting. Harriman, whose leg was shot in Iraq, found his Army stint prolonged by a program created to ensure soldiers get the best medical care for their wounds. But critics say the program can sometimes delay discharge long after any medical necessity to do so. An Army spokesman said it was in Harriman's best...

Flying into the besieged Afghan base during a nighttime firefight this weekend was a harrowing mix of overwhelming noise, stomach dropping maneuvers and shadows hurrying through the gloom. When the chopper lifted off moments later with three wounded soldiers, it left behind others who were wounded but refused to be MEDEVACED out of the combat zone so they could return to fight with their buddies. Fighting raged at two remote U.S. outpostsnear the Pakistan border this weekend, that left eight U.S. soldiers dead and 24 wounded. The battle was fought from Friday night through Sunday as hundreds of Taliban insurgents...

On Saturday, October 3rd, a fantastic new show premieres on ESPN2. “Grateful Nation is a unique and compelling outdoor adventure series that goes behind the scenes and into the field with American Veterans. Hosted by Airborne Ranger Tim Abell, this original unscripted program takes viewers inside the minds of wounded combat veterans and returns them to their traditional American hunting heritage. Tim’s innovative interviewing strategy together with stunning HD videography launches Grateful Nation into a unique category that captures a whole new audience of sportsmen and patriots.” The first episode of “Grateful Nation” follows actor and Army Veteran Tim Abell...

Here's his story: "On September 6th, 2009, Dan returned to Kandahar, Afghanistan. With less than 36 hours on the ground, his team received their first mission task targeting Taliban operatives. During the mission, Dan activated a land mine and lost both legs, and sustained traumatic internal injuries. Currently he is at the National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland where he is fighting a new battle. Like any other challenge in his life, Dan will face this one with courage and dedication. Already, friends and family have witnessed Dan’s unbelievable strength as he begins what will surely be a long and...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted on a recent visit to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., that wounded veterans recovering there all had one thing in common. “These are individuals, without arms and legs at that point, who had one common desire -- and that was to get back with their unit,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said Aug. 25 at the presentation ceremony for the 2009 International Brain Mapping and Interoperative Surgical Planning Society’s Beacon of Courage and Dedication Awards in Boston. “Their only concern was, ‘How do I...