thedrifter
12-08-06, 06:50 AM
Sooners' heroism isn't a surprise
By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
12/8/2006
The Marines' family and friends say their unit's rescue of a sick baby has become part of their legacy.
Friends and family of Oklahoma Marines Cpl. Jared Shoemaker and Lance Cpl. Cody Hill weren't surprised to hear that the men risked their lives to help save a gravely ill Iraqi baby.
That's just what heroes with hearts of gold do.
But before they could complete their platoon's self-imposed mission to get baby Mariam her lifesaving surgery, a roadside bomb exploded under their Humvee.
Shoemaker, a Tulsa police officer, was killed. Hill, of Ada, sustained shrapnel injuries and burns on 50 percent of his body. He remains hospitalized at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Their fellow Marines, however, continued the mission that saved Mariam, resolute to honor the casualties of their battalion.
"It says a lot about the unit, and it says a lot about those men involved," Ken Shoemaker, Jared Shoemaker's father, said Thursday. "From what I know, it does not surprise me at all that they would respond this way."
Carlyle Hill, who has stayed by his son's side since he returned to the United States, said Thursday by phone from Texas that Cody Hill has always cared about kids.
"And he has always had a good heart," Hill said.
Shoemaker, 29, and Hill, 23, were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force when their armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb on Sept. 4 in Iraq's Anbar province.
In addition to Shoemaker, Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepenas of Seekonk, Mass., and Navy corpsman Chris Walsh, a St. Louis Fire Department emergency medical technician who had been activated from the Navy Reserve, were killed in the explosion.
In the months before their deaths, Walsh and the Marines had found the sick baby. Walsh pledged his desire to save her, and his platoon joined him.
Shoemaker and Hill both helped treat the baby for her rare medical condition and helped try to get her out of the country for the surgery that would save her life. After the fatal explosion, the surviving Marines decided her rescue could become part of their legacy.
"It was a group effort. They all made it their mission to get something done," Carlyle Hill said. "It took a lot of effort to get this pulled together."
In early October, Mariam was flown to Boston, where she underwent a successful surgery.
Ken Shoemaker said he first heard of the platoon's effort to rescue the baby a few weeks ago. Wednesday night, Walsh's mother called the Shoemakers to fill them in on the details.
"He (Jared Shoemaker) obviously was in a situation with a very needy child in unusual circumstances. With his Marine training and police training, he felt very compelled to assist," Ken Shoemaker said.
"From what I understand, it was not something they were required to; it was something that they felt they needed to do."
Cody Hill has not told the story of the mission to save Mariam to many people, his father said.
"He told the story to a Marine commandant who visited Cody in the hospital, and the Marine commandant totally enjoyed hearing the story," Carlyle Hill said.
When some of the Marines he served with returned to the United States, they told him that they thought the baby had made it out of the country safely, but he still didn't know for sure, he said.
It wasn't until Thursday that the injured Marine learned that Mariam had received her surgery, Carlyle Hill said.
"He said that he is real happy to hear it," he said.
Hill's condition is improving, and he will undergo more surgeries. He is doing well enough that he may be able to go home at Christmas.
"It will be nice to go back to Ada -- for both of us," said Hill.
Shoemaker said his family is happy to see the progress Hill is making in his recovery. The Marines' families are planning a get-together over the holidays.
"It has been a very hard journey for him," Shoemaker said of Cody Hill, "but we are thankful he is doing well."
Shoemaker's field training officer with the Tulsa Police Department, Officer Wes Smith, said it was just his nature to make heroic efforts to save a baby.
"He just had a heart for things like that," Smith said.
The Tulsa Police Department hired Shoemaker on Jan. 3, 2005, and he graduated from the police academy that June. He was a patrol officer until the Marines called him to active duty in December 2005.
Smith recalled a time when he and Shoemaker were confronted with a confused, troubled teenager. "This girl really had some problems, and he just took over and handled it, and I just sat back and watched," Smith said.
Other police officers had the same response when they heard of Shoemaker's actions.
"Hearing the story of Officer Shoemaker's heroism does not surprise the officers who had come to know him as a man and an officer. This is exactly the type of individual that we look for in a police officer," said Officer Jason Willingham.
"Jared and his family continue to be on the minds of the officers of the Tulsa Police Department."
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Ellie
By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
12/8/2006
The Marines' family and friends say their unit's rescue of a sick baby has become part of their legacy.
Friends and family of Oklahoma Marines Cpl. Jared Shoemaker and Lance Cpl. Cody Hill weren't surprised to hear that the men risked their lives to help save a gravely ill Iraqi baby.
That's just what heroes with hearts of gold do.
But before they could complete their platoon's self-imposed mission to get baby Mariam her lifesaving surgery, a roadside bomb exploded under their Humvee.
Shoemaker, a Tulsa police officer, was killed. Hill, of Ada, sustained shrapnel injuries and burns on 50 percent of his body. He remains hospitalized at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Their fellow Marines, however, continued the mission that saved Mariam, resolute to honor the casualties of their battalion.
"It says a lot about the unit, and it says a lot about those men involved," Ken Shoemaker, Jared Shoemaker's father, said Thursday. "From what I know, it does not surprise me at all that they would respond this way."
Carlyle Hill, who has stayed by his son's side since he returned to the United States, said Thursday by phone from Texas that Cody Hill has always cared about kids.
"And he has always had a good heart," Hill said.
Shoemaker, 29, and Hill, 23, were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force when their armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb on Sept. 4 in Iraq's Anbar province.
In addition to Shoemaker, Lance Cpl. Eric Valdepenas of Seekonk, Mass., and Navy corpsman Chris Walsh, a St. Louis Fire Department emergency medical technician who had been activated from the Navy Reserve, were killed in the explosion.
In the months before their deaths, Walsh and the Marines had found the sick baby. Walsh pledged his desire to save her, and his platoon joined him.
Shoemaker and Hill both helped treat the baby for her rare medical condition and helped try to get her out of the country for the surgery that would save her life. After the fatal explosion, the surviving Marines decided her rescue could become part of their legacy.
"It was a group effort. They all made it their mission to get something done," Carlyle Hill said. "It took a lot of effort to get this pulled together."
In early October, Mariam was flown to Boston, where she underwent a successful surgery.
Ken Shoemaker said he first heard of the platoon's effort to rescue the baby a few weeks ago. Wednesday night, Walsh's mother called the Shoemakers to fill them in on the details.
"He (Jared Shoemaker) obviously was in a situation with a very needy child in unusual circumstances. With his Marine training and police training, he felt very compelled to assist," Ken Shoemaker said.
"From what I understand, it was not something they were required to; it was something that they felt they needed to do."
Cody Hill has not told the story of the mission to save Mariam to many people, his father said.
"He told the story to a Marine commandant who visited Cody in the hospital, and the Marine commandant totally enjoyed hearing the story," Carlyle Hill said.
When some of the Marines he served with returned to the United States, they told him that they thought the baby had made it out of the country safely, but he still didn't know for sure, he said.
It wasn't until Thursday that the injured Marine learned that Mariam had received her surgery, Carlyle Hill said.
"He said that he is real happy to hear it," he said.
Hill's condition is improving, and he will undergo more surgeries. He is doing well enough that he may be able to go home at Christmas.
"It will be nice to go back to Ada -- for both of us," said Hill.
Shoemaker said his family is happy to see the progress Hill is making in his recovery. The Marines' families are planning a get-together over the holidays.
"It has been a very hard journey for him," Shoemaker said of Cody Hill, "but we are thankful he is doing well."
Shoemaker's field training officer with the Tulsa Police Department, Officer Wes Smith, said it was just his nature to make heroic efforts to save a baby.
"He just had a heart for things like that," Smith said.
The Tulsa Police Department hired Shoemaker on Jan. 3, 2005, and he graduated from the police academy that June. He was a patrol officer until the Marines called him to active duty in December 2005.
Smith recalled a time when he and Shoemaker were confronted with a confused, troubled teenager. "This girl really had some problems, and he just took over and handled it, and I just sat back and watched," Smith said.
Other police officers had the same response when they heard of Shoemaker's actions.
"Hearing the story of Officer Shoemaker's heroism does not surprise the officers who had come to know him as a man and an officer. This is exactly the type of individual that we look for in a police officer," said Officer Jason Willingham.
"Jared and his family continue to be on the minds of the officers of the Tulsa Police Department."
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Ellie