thedrifter
05-15-07, 08:19 AM
Winfield grad recovering from war wound
By Judy Welch
May 15, 2007 - 2:15:37 am
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cannon Cargile was riding in the front passenger seat of an up-armored Humvee that fateful day in March. The Marine's vehicle was fourth in a convoy driving through the Iraqi city of Fallujah, a stronghold for Sunni insurgents.
Suddenly, Cargile saw the enemy jump out of hiding and run toward the road. He was carrying a rocket propelled grenade and launcher on his shoulder. Cargile barely had time to shout a warning before the grenade was launched.
“Cannon recalls seeing (the grenade) coming at him, spiraling like a football. He thought surely it would go over the bow, as most do since they are very inaccurate. But, this one kept coming, dipping towards him,” his wife, Tami Cargile, says.
There was a deafening explosion. Cargile looked down at his arm in his lap to see it smoking and bleeding. He was sure he had lost his hand. Tami Cargile heard the phone ringing that morning in the couple's home near Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
But, she couldn't get to the phone before the caller hung up. She checked the caller ID and saw the call was routed from Hawaii, as her husband's calls usually were.
“So, I knew it was him,” she says.
No one knows Cargile better than his wife. Tami Cargile was just, 7, and Cannon Cargile was 6 when her parents flew to Winfield to see their good friends, Claudia and Tom Cargile, Cannon’s parents.
“We landed (the plane) in his parent's pasture,” Tami Cargile remembers.
Cannon Cargile and his four brothers, Wade, Chuck, Kim and Jack, grew up in Winfield. Cannon graduated from Winfield High School in 1982 and attended Southwestern College before joining the Marines in 1983.
Tami was living in California in 1985 when Cannon was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He called her, they dated and were later married. Cargile is completing his 25th year in the Marines. He's served two tours in Afghanistan and was serving his second tour in Iraq when wounded this spring.
THE CALL
It's not unusual for Cannon Cargile to call home. He usually called when going out on patrol and then called as soon as he was back so Tami Cargile wouldn't worry any more than necessary. He'd sometimes call a third time to vent about the day.
“He's seen some terrible things,” she says.
When she missed the first call after her husband was wounded.
“I had a feeling of dread,” she says.
“I just had this sick feeling in my stomach. Something didn't seem right.”
Cannon Cargile stayed with his men after the grenade attack despite his horrific injury. The other four in the Humvee were also injured, but none as seriously as Cargile. A corpsman happened to be riding along and applied a tourniquet and pressure dressing to Cargile's arm. He remained in the disabled Humvee as it was towed back to camp, a painful trip that took 25 minutes.
Tami Cargile had to wait another hour before the phone rang a second time the morning Cargile was injured. He was still in Fallujah when they called the first time – barely an hour after the convoy was attacked. He was already in Baghdad when the second call was made.
Two days later, Cargile was transferred to Germany where he remained for a day before he was put on a plane for a flight back to the states.
“Cannon recalls a miserable ride, being strapped to a gurney with a heavy wool blanket and 'shelved' in an oven for about nine hours,” Tami Cargile says.
She and the couple's three children were waiting at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., when Cargile arrived. He underwent surgery the next day, and that's when the family learned the extent of his injuries.
“Four of the bones in his wrist no longer exist,” Tami Cargile e-mailed family and friends. “His radius is fractured and shattered. Four tendons are completely severed. The extent of the nerve damage remains to be seen.”
THE SURGERIES
Cargile has undergone 11 operations since the March 10 incident. He underwent his eighth on March 27. Tami Cargile, a nurse, described it as “the biggie.” A pedical flap procedure to cover the wound was performed. It took about three hours.
“Beads were placed in Cannon's wound that contain antibiotics and a material that encourages bone growth,” she e-mailed. “Those will be removed at a later time.
“Then, a 9 by 3-inch incision was made to lift tissue from his groin. The incision is shaped like a leaf,”she continued. “A three-inch width of tissue, closest to midline at the pubic area, was left attached to this groin. From there, nine inches of tissue was lifted and flapped over the wound on his wrist. The edges of the flap were sutured to the edges of the wound.”
“Between his groin and wrist, there is a raw piece of tissue, sort of acting as an umbilicus for the coverage tissue,” Tami Cargile said. “This is the portion that will be clipped to separate graft in, hopefully, three weeks. The doctor has added more X-fix rods or tinker toys as he refers to them. With these rods, he has attached Cannon's wrist to his iliac crest or pelvic bone to stabilize it in place securely.”
Cargile underwent surgery again during the next three weeks and then number 10 when his arm was freed from his groin. The bolts holding his arm securely to his hip were removed and he is able to move his arm. The doctors are watching the flap – the harvested tissue on his wrist – to be sure it is receiving an adequate blood supply.
However, the orthopedic surgeon wasn't satisfied so Cargile went back to the operating room for an 11th operation on April 20th.
“Fortunately, the true threat worst case scenario has been overcome. Cannon has his hand and barring infection or some other unforeseen awful thing, his hand will have function to some degree,” Tami Cargile said. “As I've always said, I could care less if he can sissy-wave.”
The Cargiles are hoping he'll get a convalescent leave in a few weeks but will have to return in approximately four weeks when doctors will begin reconstructing his wrist. Five to eight additional surgeries are expected with a year to recover, according to Tami Cargile.
She plans to do her best to keep the more than 100 people in her e-mail address book up-to-date and each of them will pass on the news to the people on their list.
“He is just as special person,” said another 1982 WHS grad, Greg Wolfe, who helps pass on the news about Cargile. “He is fearless. When you think about Marines, he's what comes to mind.”
Ellie
By Judy Welch
May 15, 2007 - 2:15:37 am
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Cannon Cargile was riding in the front passenger seat of an up-armored Humvee that fateful day in March. The Marine's vehicle was fourth in a convoy driving through the Iraqi city of Fallujah, a stronghold for Sunni insurgents.
Suddenly, Cargile saw the enemy jump out of hiding and run toward the road. He was carrying a rocket propelled grenade and launcher on his shoulder. Cargile barely had time to shout a warning before the grenade was launched.
“Cannon recalls seeing (the grenade) coming at him, spiraling like a football. He thought surely it would go over the bow, as most do since they are very inaccurate. But, this one kept coming, dipping towards him,” his wife, Tami Cargile, says.
There was a deafening explosion. Cargile looked down at his arm in his lap to see it smoking and bleeding. He was sure he had lost his hand. Tami Cargile heard the phone ringing that morning in the couple's home near Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
But, she couldn't get to the phone before the caller hung up. She checked the caller ID and saw the call was routed from Hawaii, as her husband's calls usually were.
“So, I knew it was him,” she says.
No one knows Cargile better than his wife. Tami Cargile was just, 7, and Cannon Cargile was 6 when her parents flew to Winfield to see their good friends, Claudia and Tom Cargile, Cannon’s parents.
“We landed (the plane) in his parent's pasture,” Tami Cargile remembers.
Cannon Cargile and his four brothers, Wade, Chuck, Kim and Jack, grew up in Winfield. Cannon graduated from Winfield High School in 1982 and attended Southwestern College before joining the Marines in 1983.
Tami was living in California in 1985 when Cannon was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He called her, they dated and were later married. Cargile is completing his 25th year in the Marines. He's served two tours in Afghanistan and was serving his second tour in Iraq when wounded this spring.
THE CALL
It's not unusual for Cannon Cargile to call home. He usually called when going out on patrol and then called as soon as he was back so Tami Cargile wouldn't worry any more than necessary. He'd sometimes call a third time to vent about the day.
“He's seen some terrible things,” she says.
When she missed the first call after her husband was wounded.
“I had a feeling of dread,” she says.
“I just had this sick feeling in my stomach. Something didn't seem right.”
Cannon Cargile stayed with his men after the grenade attack despite his horrific injury. The other four in the Humvee were also injured, but none as seriously as Cargile. A corpsman happened to be riding along and applied a tourniquet and pressure dressing to Cargile's arm. He remained in the disabled Humvee as it was towed back to camp, a painful trip that took 25 minutes.
Tami Cargile had to wait another hour before the phone rang a second time the morning Cargile was injured. He was still in Fallujah when they called the first time – barely an hour after the convoy was attacked. He was already in Baghdad when the second call was made.
Two days later, Cargile was transferred to Germany where he remained for a day before he was put on a plane for a flight back to the states.
“Cannon recalls a miserable ride, being strapped to a gurney with a heavy wool blanket and 'shelved' in an oven for about nine hours,” Tami Cargile says.
She and the couple's three children were waiting at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., when Cargile arrived. He underwent surgery the next day, and that's when the family learned the extent of his injuries.
“Four of the bones in his wrist no longer exist,” Tami Cargile e-mailed family and friends. “His radius is fractured and shattered. Four tendons are completely severed. The extent of the nerve damage remains to be seen.”
THE SURGERIES
Cargile has undergone 11 operations since the March 10 incident. He underwent his eighth on March 27. Tami Cargile, a nurse, described it as “the biggie.” A pedical flap procedure to cover the wound was performed. It took about three hours.
“Beads were placed in Cannon's wound that contain antibiotics and a material that encourages bone growth,” she e-mailed. “Those will be removed at a later time.
“Then, a 9 by 3-inch incision was made to lift tissue from his groin. The incision is shaped like a leaf,”she continued. “A three-inch width of tissue, closest to midline at the pubic area, was left attached to this groin. From there, nine inches of tissue was lifted and flapped over the wound on his wrist. The edges of the flap were sutured to the edges of the wound.”
“Between his groin and wrist, there is a raw piece of tissue, sort of acting as an umbilicus for the coverage tissue,” Tami Cargile said. “This is the portion that will be clipped to separate graft in, hopefully, three weeks. The doctor has added more X-fix rods or tinker toys as he refers to them. With these rods, he has attached Cannon's wrist to his iliac crest or pelvic bone to stabilize it in place securely.”
Cargile underwent surgery again during the next three weeks and then number 10 when his arm was freed from his groin. The bolts holding his arm securely to his hip were removed and he is able to move his arm. The doctors are watching the flap – the harvested tissue on his wrist – to be sure it is receiving an adequate blood supply.
However, the orthopedic surgeon wasn't satisfied so Cargile went back to the operating room for an 11th operation on April 20th.
“Fortunately, the true threat worst case scenario has been overcome. Cannon has his hand and barring infection or some other unforeseen awful thing, his hand will have function to some degree,” Tami Cargile said. “As I've always said, I could care less if he can sissy-wave.”
The Cargiles are hoping he'll get a convalescent leave in a few weeks but will have to return in approximately four weeks when doctors will begin reconstructing his wrist. Five to eight additional surgeries are expected with a year to recover, according to Tami Cargile.
She plans to do her best to keep the more than 100 people in her e-mail address book up-to-date and each of them will pass on the news to the people on their list.
“He is just as special person,” said another 1982 WHS grad, Greg Wolfe, who helps pass on the news about Cargile. “He is fearless. When you think about Marines, he's what comes to mind.”
Ellie