thedrifter
06-28-07, 08:26 AM
Kuna High graduate gets Purple Heart after surviving suicide bombing in Iraq
Marine Lance Cpl. Kamie May is one of 287 women to receive medal
By Tessa Schweigert - tschweigert@idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 06/28/07
During her last month in Iraq, Marine Lance Cpl. Kamie May stood near the entry of a security station when a suicide bomber ran toward a group of American troops gathered there.
"I could see him out of the corner of my eye, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground," May said.
Shrapnel from the bomb pierced the left side of her body, shredding out an orange-sized hole in her thigh, shooting through her knee and penetrating the boot on her left foot. The Feb. 7 attack left four Marines dead and more than 10 people wounded.
On Wednesday night in Boise, four months after the attack, May's older brother Justin May, also a Marine, pinned her with a Purple Heart. The award is given to service members wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy.
The young Marine is one of only 287 women known to have received the medal since 1941, according to The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation.
May said she insisted that she tell her mother about the attack over the phone the same day it happened, even though she was drugged on morphine.
"My mom was crying," May said. "I said, ‘Will you stop crying? I'm trying to tell you something.'"
From the February attack, through numerous surgeries and finally to the Purple Heart ceremony Wednesday night — still carrying shrapnel in her left leg — she has exhibited strength and a positive attitude, May's family said.
Much has changed in the 20-year-old's life since the bombing.
One significant change is the welcomed piece of metal on her left side — a wedding ring.
In April, two months after the attack, May married Zack Beacham of Payette, an Army reservist she met while on leave last fall.
"I made sure I wouldn't have a cane walking down the aisle," she said.
Now a newlywed, May is living in Payette with her husband and new in-laws.
Zack Beacham has served in Iraq twice and works in Payette. May, a Kuna High School graduate, will finish her service in about two years, unless she is medically discharged.
May works at the Boise Marine Recruiting Office while she recovers and awaits at least two more surgeries. She speaks openly with recruits or anyone else who asks about her injury.
"A little girl asked me what happened, and I told her I got blown up," May said.
Her injury hasn't deterred her Marine-hopeful younger sister Sharéé, who plans on enlisting with the Marine Corps later this year. May's older brother Justin finishes his service with the Marines on Friday.
But her mother hopes Kamie is the only child she'll have with a Purple Heart.
"It is an honor," Linda May said. "But obviously, you prefer for someone not to get a Purple Heart."
Tessa Schweigert: 377-6421
Ellie
Marine Lance Cpl. Kamie May is one of 287 women to receive medal
By Tessa Schweigert - tschweigert@idahostatesman.com
Edition Date: 06/28/07
During her last month in Iraq, Marine Lance Cpl. Kamie May stood near the entry of a security station when a suicide bomber ran toward a group of American troops gathered there.
"I could see him out of the corner of my eye, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground," May said.
Shrapnel from the bomb pierced the left side of her body, shredding out an orange-sized hole in her thigh, shooting through her knee and penetrating the boot on her left foot. The Feb. 7 attack left four Marines dead and more than 10 people wounded.
On Wednesday night in Boise, four months after the attack, May's older brother Justin May, also a Marine, pinned her with a Purple Heart. The award is given to service members wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy.
The young Marine is one of only 287 women known to have received the medal since 1941, according to The Women in Military Service for America Memorial Foundation.
May said she insisted that she tell her mother about the attack over the phone the same day it happened, even though she was drugged on morphine.
"My mom was crying," May said. "I said, ‘Will you stop crying? I'm trying to tell you something.'"
From the February attack, through numerous surgeries and finally to the Purple Heart ceremony Wednesday night — still carrying shrapnel in her left leg — she has exhibited strength and a positive attitude, May's family said.
Much has changed in the 20-year-old's life since the bombing.
One significant change is the welcomed piece of metal on her left side — a wedding ring.
In April, two months after the attack, May married Zack Beacham of Payette, an Army reservist she met while on leave last fall.
"I made sure I wouldn't have a cane walking down the aisle," she said.
Now a newlywed, May is living in Payette with her husband and new in-laws.
Zack Beacham has served in Iraq twice and works in Payette. May, a Kuna High School graduate, will finish her service in about two years, unless she is medically discharged.
May works at the Boise Marine Recruiting Office while she recovers and awaits at least two more surgeries. She speaks openly with recruits or anyone else who asks about her injury.
"A little girl asked me what happened, and I told her I got blown up," May said.
Her injury hasn't deterred her Marine-hopeful younger sister Sharéé, who plans on enlisting with the Marine Corps later this year. May's older brother Justin finishes his service with the Marines on Friday.
But her mother hopes Kamie is the only child she'll have with a Purple Heart.
"It is an honor," Linda May said. "But obviously, you prefer for someone not to get a Purple Heart."
Tessa Schweigert: 377-6421
Ellie