thedrifter
03-08-06, 11:35 AM
Marine suffers third wound during tour in battle zone
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
By Teresa Taylor Williams
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER WITH LOCAL REPORTS
U.S. Marine Cpl. Jared Smith will be physically reminded of the war on Iraq long after its over.
He was wounded Saturday in the line of duty, the third time he's been injured since he was deployed in September.
Smith, 22, has been a gunner and Humvee driver in the Haditha Dam area in Iraq. He is the son of Duane and Becky Smith of Ravenna.
The family received word from military officials Sunday morning that he was injured and hospitalized for treatment of burns, but not much more than that, his mother said.
"We didn't know the extent of his burns. We were on pins and needles because we didn't know what happened. We asked our church to just pray," said Becky Smith.
They did receive an e-mail from Smith, letting them know he was OK.
"Once again, the Lord saved my life," he wrote. "Thank God."
Then, on Tuesday, Smith was able to call his father to report that he had returned to his unit Monday, and that he had received second-degree burns on his face. The 7-ton truck he was driving hit an explosive device, severely injuring some of the 10 troops riding in the back of the truck, Becky Smith said.
"He sounded good," she said. "He sounded so ready to come home though. He said 'I can't wait to get out of here.' "
His unit is set to return to the United States at the end of month. Smith, a 2002 graduate of Calvary Christian School, is expected to visit home for a few weeks in early May.
"We look forward to eating meals together as a family, to sitting and talking about all of his adventures," Becky Smith said. "He never really wants to talk about what he's doing much on the phone. He wants to talk about home, family, the weather, what we're having for supper."
Smith is expected to get his first Purple Heart medal for his latest mishap, the first to be considered a serious combat-related injury, his mother said.
Last fall, he suffered injuries in two incidents. In the first, Smith temporarily lost hearing in both ears in an explosion. In the second, he lost part of a finger in a non-combat accident, but managed to pull a soldier to safety from a burning vehicle.
Becky Smith said her son has wanted to be in military since he was a child. She said her faith has kept her from fretting over his safety.
"We put him in the Lord's hands from the very beginning," she said. "I've never really been worried, and that's the peace that the Lord can give."
His unit is expected to remain in the United States until September, when it's expected to return to Iraq. Becky Smith said it's unclear whether her son, whose commitment to the Marines is up next March, will be required to return to Iraq with the rest of his unit.
Ellie
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
By Teresa Taylor Williams
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER WITH LOCAL REPORTS
U.S. Marine Cpl. Jared Smith will be physically reminded of the war on Iraq long after its over.
He was wounded Saturday in the line of duty, the third time he's been injured since he was deployed in September.
Smith, 22, has been a gunner and Humvee driver in the Haditha Dam area in Iraq. He is the son of Duane and Becky Smith of Ravenna.
The family received word from military officials Sunday morning that he was injured and hospitalized for treatment of burns, but not much more than that, his mother said.
"We didn't know the extent of his burns. We were on pins and needles because we didn't know what happened. We asked our church to just pray," said Becky Smith.
They did receive an e-mail from Smith, letting them know he was OK.
"Once again, the Lord saved my life," he wrote. "Thank God."
Then, on Tuesday, Smith was able to call his father to report that he had returned to his unit Monday, and that he had received second-degree burns on his face. The 7-ton truck he was driving hit an explosive device, severely injuring some of the 10 troops riding in the back of the truck, Becky Smith said.
"He sounded good," she said. "He sounded so ready to come home though. He said 'I can't wait to get out of here.' "
His unit is set to return to the United States at the end of month. Smith, a 2002 graduate of Calvary Christian School, is expected to visit home for a few weeks in early May.
"We look forward to eating meals together as a family, to sitting and talking about all of his adventures," Becky Smith said. "He never really wants to talk about what he's doing much on the phone. He wants to talk about home, family, the weather, what we're having for supper."
Smith is expected to get his first Purple Heart medal for his latest mishap, the first to be considered a serious combat-related injury, his mother said.
Last fall, he suffered injuries in two incidents. In the first, Smith temporarily lost hearing in both ears in an explosion. In the second, he lost part of a finger in a non-combat accident, but managed to pull a soldier to safety from a burning vehicle.
Becky Smith said her son has wanted to be in military since he was a child. She said her faith has kept her from fretting over his safety.
"We put him in the Lord's hands from the very beginning," she said. "I've never really been worried, and that's the peace that the Lord can give."
His unit is expected to remain in the United States until September, when it's expected to return to Iraq. Becky Smith said it's unclear whether her son, whose commitment to the Marines is up next March, will be required to return to Iraq with the rest of his unit.
Ellie