The Engagement

My husband is a Gulf War Combat Veteran.  His exposures during the Gulf War are not limited to sarin nerve gas, possible mustard gas, crude oil, crude oil well fire smoke, particulate matter, silica dust particles, water and food borne illnesses endemic to this area, anthrax vaccine and the pyridostigmine bromide pills.

His unit was in a fire fight in the Burgan Oil Field in which they took incoming small arms fire, mortar rounds and howitzer rounds from the enemy.  He was assigned to an advance party which seems to have taken the brunt of the attack, with entire unit being saved by Cobra helicopters.  The engagement was so intense that at one point they were thought to be overcome and thought to be gone.

While manning a .50 cal in a ring on top of a 5-ton truck during this engagement, one of the mortar rounds or howitzer rounds landed in close proximity to the truck.  The blast and concussion forcefully blew him from the ring mount, causing him to lose consciousness, slam into the metal ring mount, be thrown through the air landing on the desert floor.  Some of the injuries believed to have occurred are primary blast injury causing shearing effects to muscles, lungs, and brain;  blunt force trauma to the abdomen and chest  including a diaphragmatic herniation, injury to the stomach and duodenum, bruising to the heart, broken sternum, xyphoid process and collar bone; blunt force trauma to the head causing skull fracture leaving bone fragments in skull, broken neck, along with injuries to brain.

The adrenaline from the situation and the pride in being a Marine, kept him going even though he was in pain.  These injuries were left untreated and some were not recognized until years later.  These initial injuries have caused great collateral damage to his body.  The man in a medical anomaly!