Someone You Should Know

Posted By Uber Pig

Normally Matt is the guy who publishes "Someone You Should Know," but this guy is definitely someone you should know.  Longtime reader Falschirmjaeger writes:

I've never written one of these, so bear with me.  It came to my attention today that the brother-in-law of a close family friend is currently at Walter Reed fighting for his life.

You see, his life and family is what he has left.  He left his legs, and his soldiers in Iraq.

“Karcher was on his 3rd deployment to Iraq… [D]espite a gunshot wound to his shoulder that ripped out much of his deltoid muscle, he fought hard to get back to the point where he could return to his soldiers. He said he felt guilty if they were in the fight and he was not.”

Read more here: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/us-troops-pull-back-in-iraq-officer-fights-for-life/

You see after losing a great chunk of his deltoid, this man fought to make a comeback from an injury that woluld have sidelined most mere mortals for the rest of their lives, but then, just 10 after handing over his units' area of responsibility in Sadr City:

LTC Karcher was riding in an MRAP just before noon on Sunday, June 28th. The MRAP is considered the Army’s heaviest and safest personnel carrier.  But the multiple and powerful EFPs (explosively formed penetrator), those Iranian made shaped charge that penetrate metal, struck the door near where Karcher was seated.  His legs were gone.  Normally a medevac helicopter would be called, but the soldiers were socked in by a dust storm, and nothing was flying.  Karcher would have to be driven to Baghdad’s combat support hospital, or CSH as it is known.  Tourniquets were quickly applied in the field, but when he arrived at the CSH Karcher was in shock and losing blood.  Doctors at the CSH were finally able to stabilize him Monday morning when he was transferred to Balad air base for further medical care and then transferd to Landstuhl. When Karcher was loaded onto the plane for Landstuhl, those with him say he looked “strong and stable.”

 Video Here:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7961613

Tim, Alesia, and their daughters Anna (14), Audrey (12) and Abbey (7) could use your prayers.

 

You can virtually visit Tim and sign his guestbook here:  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/timkarcher

More links:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/06/martha-raddatz-a-soldier-fights-for-life.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/International/story?id=7961794&page=1

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/06/update-a-soldier-fights-for-life.html

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Comments

Someone You Should Know

Normally Matt is the guy who publishes "Someone You Should Know," but this guy is definitely someone you should know.  Longtime reader Falschirmjaeger writes:

I've never written one of these, so bear with me.  It came to my attention today that the brother-in-law of a close family friend is currently at Walter Reed fighting for his life.

You see, his life and family is what he has left.  He left his legs, and his soldiers in Iraq.

“Karcher was on his 3rd deployment to Iraq… [D]espite a gunshot wound to his shoulder that ripped out much of his deltoid muscle, he fought hard to get back to the point where he could return to his soldiers. He said he felt guilty if they were in the fight and he was not.”

Read more here: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/us-troops-pull-back-in-iraq-officer-fights-for-life/

You see after losing a great chunk of his deltoid, this man fought to make a comeback from an injury that woluld have sidelined most mere mortals for the rest of their lives, but then, just 10 after handing over his units' area of responsibility in Sadr City:

LTC Karcher was riding in an MRAP just before noon on Sunday, June 28th. The MRAP is considered the Army’s heaviest and safest personnel carrier.  But the multiple and powerful EFPs (explosively formed penetrator), those Iranian made shaped charge that penetrate metal, struck the door near where Karcher was seated.  His legs were gone.  Normally a medevac helicopter would be called, but the soldiers were socked in by a dust storm, and nothing was flying.  Karcher would have to be driven to Baghdad’s combat support hospital, or CSH as it is known.  Tourniquets were quickly applied in the field, but when he arrived at the CSH Karcher was in shock and losing blood.  Doctors at the CSH were finally able to stabilize him Monday morning when he was transferred to Balad air base for further medical care and then transferd to Landstuhl. When Karcher was loaded onto the plane for Landstuhl, those with him say he looked “strong and stable.”

 Video Here:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7961613

Tim, Alesia, and their daughters Anna (14), Audrey (12) and Abbey (7) could use your prayers.

 

You can virtually visit Tim and sign his guestbook here:  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/timkarcher

More links:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/06/martha-raddatz-a-soldier-fights-for-life.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/International/story?id=7961794&page=1

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theworldnewser/2009/06/update-a-soldier-fights-for-life.html

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