thedrifter
12-02-06, 07:28 AM
Mount Zion Marine wounded
By HUEY FREEMAN - H&R Staff Writer
MOUNT ZION - When a Marine Corps Reserve officer called Mike Watson at work to tell him his son had been seriously injured in Iraq, he asked the officer if his son would survive.
The officer told him only that he would tell him more later, during a home visit.
"That scared me to death," Mike Watson said in an interview at his home in Mount Zion.
Perhaps that scare helped the Watsons to receive the grim truth in a softer light.
Lance Cpl. Chad Watson, 23, had his right leg amputated above the knee Wednesday after the Humvee he was riding in on patrol in Fallujah was blasted by a bomb, apparently detonated as the vehicle passed over it.
During the attack, Watson also broke his left ankle and suffered shrapnel wounds to his face, including his eyelid and his right arm. The three other Marines in the vehicle also were injured, some suffering broken bones.
After being treated in Fallujah, Watson was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. He will remain there until next week, when he is expected to be transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
Chad Watson, a 2001 graduate of Mount Zion High School and quarterback of its football team, joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2004 while attending Indiana University on a partial wrestling scholarship. He was deployed to Iraq in September, serving with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment, 4th Marine Division.
Just 14 hours after the incident, Watson called his parents. Mike Watson said he was amazed that he was more concerned about how they were feeling than about himself.
When Mike Watson said to him, "They told me they took off your leg," his son joked, "Huh, they told me that, too."
Chad Watson, whose high school football coach calls him "one of the toughest guys we've had here," is also known for his positive attitude.
"They're going to strap some high-tech crap on me, and we're going to take off running," the Marine told his father.
Chad's 22-year-old girlfriend, Jill Kinsella, a graduate student at Eastern Illinois University, said she also talked to Chad, and he is in high spirits.
"If he still wants to run a marathon, I'm right there beside him," Kinsella said. "He can probably still outrun me. He said he wants to dance at some of the weddings we are going to. He's looking forward to the future, walking and dancing."
Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@ herald-review.com or 421-6985.
Ellie
By HUEY FREEMAN - H&R Staff Writer
MOUNT ZION - When a Marine Corps Reserve officer called Mike Watson at work to tell him his son had been seriously injured in Iraq, he asked the officer if his son would survive.
The officer told him only that he would tell him more later, during a home visit.
"That scared me to death," Mike Watson said in an interview at his home in Mount Zion.
Perhaps that scare helped the Watsons to receive the grim truth in a softer light.
Lance Cpl. Chad Watson, 23, had his right leg amputated above the knee Wednesday after the Humvee he was riding in on patrol in Fallujah was blasted by a bomb, apparently detonated as the vehicle passed over it.
During the attack, Watson also broke his left ankle and suffered shrapnel wounds to his face, including his eyelid and his right arm. The three other Marines in the vehicle also were injured, some suffering broken bones.
After being treated in Fallujah, Watson was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. He will remain there until next week, when he is expected to be transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.
Chad Watson, a 2001 graduate of Mount Zion High School and quarterback of its football team, joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 2004 while attending Indiana University on a partial wrestling scholarship. He was deployed to Iraq in September, serving with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment, 4th Marine Division.
Just 14 hours after the incident, Watson called his parents. Mike Watson said he was amazed that he was more concerned about how they were feeling than about himself.
When Mike Watson said to him, "They told me they took off your leg," his son joked, "Huh, they told me that, too."
Chad Watson, whose high school football coach calls him "one of the toughest guys we've had here," is also known for his positive attitude.
"They're going to strap some high-tech crap on me, and we're going to take off running," the Marine told his father.
Chad's 22-year-old girlfriend, Jill Kinsella, a graduate student at Eastern Illinois University, said she also talked to Chad, and he is in high spirits.
"If he still wants to run a marathon, I'm right there beside him," Kinsella said. "He can probably still outrun me. He said he wants to dance at some of the weddings we are going to. He's looking forward to the future, walking and dancing."
Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@ herald-review.com or 421-6985.
Ellie