DALTON, Ga. -- Six months after a bomb tossed their Humvee 10 feet off the ground, breaking legs, arms and one sergeant's back, the men in the vehicle say just to be breathing is surreal.
"When I felt my back break, the first thing I did was grab my legs to make sure I could feel them," Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Boyles said.
On May 17, Sgt. 1st Class Boyles, Spc. Andrew Sullens and Spc. Anthony Landowski were riding in a combat patrol in Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device blew the doors off their vehicle and sent the three men back home for surgeries and recuperation.
The three are in Dalton on a temporary assignment as part of the Wounded Warrior Project. Dalton is home base for their unit -- C Troop 1st Squadron, 108th Cavalry, part of the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and they were asked to come home to visit different groups and schools.
They're also being honored at events such as the upcoming Veterans Day parade and by Operation Uplift, a gift-package endeavor to support troops.
Sgt. 1st Class Boyles of Augusta, Ga., and Spc. Sullens, of Dahlonega, Ga., arrived Thursday with fellow Guardsman Spc. Nate Watson of Woodstock, Ga., who was shot in the arm Aug. 17.
Spc. Landowski, of Ringgold, Ga., will arrive home Thursday and participate in scheduled events until he must return to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Spc. Watson said he was firing the .50 caliber machine gun from the Humvee's turret during an ambush and didn't know he'd been shot until he looked down and saw blood running from his arm.
"I knew I'd been hit by something. I didn't know I'd been shot," he said.
He said hundreds of bullets flew through the air and rocket-propelled grenades streaked by the truck -- he's amazed he was hit only by the one bullet.
Before the firefight, he entertained the idea of going on active duty with the Army, but Spc. Watson said during the 25-minute ambush he had a talk with God.
"I said, 'God if you get me out of this, I'll never come back to Afghanistan again," he said with a laugh.
Spc. Sullens and Landowski were taken to Walter Reed immediately when they arrived in the United States. Sgt. 1st Class Boyles and Spc. Watson have been recuperating at Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Ga.
Spc. Sullens was transferred to Fort Gordon in June and Spc. Landowski is still being treated at Walter Reed.
The sergeant said he's extremely grateful he survived, especially after seeing the damage to the Humvee.
"You wake up and you know that you're on the right side of the grass today," he said.
Spc. Watson said his recovery will take two more years but he wouldn't trade experiences with his fellow soldiers.
"Well, I got shot, so I'm glad I didn't get blown up," he said.
The rest of their unit is scheduled to return to the United States in March.
WOUNDED WARRIORS SCHEDULE
Today
8:15 a.m.: Christian Heritage School presentation
1:30 p.m.: Rotary luncheon at Dalton Golf and Country Club
5 p.m.: Visit with First Presbyterian Church ladies Bible study and dinner
Thursday
11:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m.: Presentations at Dalton High School
Noon: Break for lunch with Dalton Business Group
6 p.m.: Sons of the American Revolution Dinner
Friday
10 a.m.: City Park Elementary School presentation
11 a.m.: North Whitfield Middle School presentation
Saturday
8 a.m.: Flag ceremony, Whitfield County Courthouse
11 a.m.: Veterans Day parade, Whitfield County Courthouse
TAG
Many Veterans Day event are planned for the area, METRO
Todd South covers courts and the military for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper for three years and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact Todd ...
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