thedrifter
07-03-07, 05:18 AM
Wounded warrior takes life in stride
CHRISSY VICK
July 1, 2007 - 8:39PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Lance Cpl. Brandon Sheppard joined the Marine Corps to see the world and earn money for college.
But he never imagined he’d end up getting out as a wounded warrior.
Now, Sheppard, 24, is doing just that. The Marine was injured in November in Anah, Iraq, while on foot patrol with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Marine Division.
“We were in a market area and an IED went off,” he said. “I got shrapnel in my right ankle and through my left calf.”
He described the explosion like turning off a TV, when everything slows down and then sucks in and pushes out.
“I tried to walk, but I couldn’t,” he said. “I was in the middle of the road and didn’t know what happened.”
Sheppard managed to roll out of the road and take cover.
“I heard somebody say ‘They’re coming,’ and I thought Iraqis were coming,” he said. “I felt dizzy, my heart was racing and guys were asking me if I was hit.”
Waiting for a medical evacuation seemed like a lifetime to Sheppard — the excruciating pain in his legs made it feel like they were on fire.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen next,” he said.
Just moments before the IED explosion, Sheppard and other Marines had walked through a neighborhood and a mosque when a car came “barreling down the road at 60 miles per hour.”
“It went around the corner and then the IED went off,” he said. “It was maybe a signal car.”
Sheppard’s platoon sergeant and a corporal were also injured in the blast. Sheppard was transported to Germany, where he had surgery and two weeks later ended up at the Wounded Warrior Barracks aboard Camp Lejeune.
He was thankful to be around other Marines and sailors going through the same struggle as he was. But it wasn’t easy to leave his platoon.
“That was one of the hardest things to deal with,” Sheppard said. “I want to go back to my unit. I think about my buddies. You have a guilty feeling for leaving.”
The light armored vehicle mechanic got close to them quickly, despite joining the unit only weeks before deploying.
Sheppard had spent two years in Okinawa, Japan, when he was transferred to Camp Lejeune with 2nd LAR. He checked into the unit in July 2006, when 2nd LAR was already training in California.
“They said I wouldn’t go on the deployment,” he said. “But one week before the advance party left they said they needed me because someone else couldn’t go.”
Sheppard rushed home to Florida for a three-day visit before flying back to North Carolina and then to Iraq. Being put in a new unit in Iraq helped him bond with fellow Marines quickly.
“As an LAV mechanic those guys have to trust me with what I know once we’re in the fight to keep them going,” he said. “We got close quickly. It was some of the best times of my life.”
After returning to Camp Lejeune, Sheppard also dealt with the after-effects of being injured in war.
“I remember lying in bed and hearing the shooting and explosions on the base when they were training,” he said. “I was so scared. I thought Iraqis were outside my window.”
Sheppard remained in a wheelchair for months and dealt with the challenge of being unable to leave and have the independence he once did.
“You feel lonely at first, too,” he said. “But it gets better.”
Sheppard now walks without crutches or a cane and spends a lot of time at the Wounded Warrior Barracks with fellow Marines before he gets out of the Marine Corps.
Becoming a wounded warrior wasn’t something he’d planned for when trying to reach certain goals in his life. But he’s taking it all in stride.
“I want to go to college to be a sports agent,” he said. “But for now, my focus has been on my buddies. That’s what helps me, plus my drive for things I want to do myself in the future. But you can’t do that until you get past this.”
Sheppard said he’ll continue to take it one day at a time.
Ellie
CHRISSY VICK
July 1, 2007 - 8:39PM
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Lance Cpl. Brandon Sheppard joined the Marine Corps to see the world and earn money for college.
But he never imagined he’d end up getting out as a wounded warrior.
Now, Sheppard, 24, is doing just that. The Marine was injured in November in Anah, Iraq, while on foot patrol with 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Marine Division.
“We were in a market area and an IED went off,” he said. “I got shrapnel in my right ankle and through my left calf.”
He described the explosion like turning off a TV, when everything slows down and then sucks in and pushes out.
“I tried to walk, but I couldn’t,” he said. “I was in the middle of the road and didn’t know what happened.”
Sheppard managed to roll out of the road and take cover.
“I heard somebody say ‘They’re coming,’ and I thought Iraqis were coming,” he said. “I felt dizzy, my heart was racing and guys were asking me if I was hit.”
Waiting for a medical evacuation seemed like a lifetime to Sheppard — the excruciating pain in his legs made it feel like they were on fire.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen next,” he said.
Just moments before the IED explosion, Sheppard and other Marines had walked through a neighborhood and a mosque when a car came “barreling down the road at 60 miles per hour.”
“It went around the corner and then the IED went off,” he said. “It was maybe a signal car.”
Sheppard’s platoon sergeant and a corporal were also injured in the blast. Sheppard was transported to Germany, where he had surgery and two weeks later ended up at the Wounded Warrior Barracks aboard Camp Lejeune.
He was thankful to be around other Marines and sailors going through the same struggle as he was. But it wasn’t easy to leave his platoon.
“That was one of the hardest things to deal with,” Sheppard said. “I want to go back to my unit. I think about my buddies. You have a guilty feeling for leaving.”
The light armored vehicle mechanic got close to them quickly, despite joining the unit only weeks before deploying.
Sheppard had spent two years in Okinawa, Japan, when he was transferred to Camp Lejeune with 2nd LAR. He checked into the unit in July 2006, when 2nd LAR was already training in California.
“They said I wouldn’t go on the deployment,” he said. “But one week before the advance party left they said they needed me because someone else couldn’t go.”
Sheppard rushed home to Florida for a three-day visit before flying back to North Carolina and then to Iraq. Being put in a new unit in Iraq helped him bond with fellow Marines quickly.
“As an LAV mechanic those guys have to trust me with what I know once we’re in the fight to keep them going,” he said. “We got close quickly. It was some of the best times of my life.”
After returning to Camp Lejeune, Sheppard also dealt with the after-effects of being injured in war.
“I remember lying in bed and hearing the shooting and explosions on the base when they were training,” he said. “I was so scared. I thought Iraqis were outside my window.”
Sheppard remained in a wheelchair for months and dealt with the challenge of being unable to leave and have the independence he once did.
“You feel lonely at first, too,” he said. “But it gets better.”
Sheppard now walks without crutches or a cane and spends a lot of time at the Wounded Warrior Barracks with fellow Marines before he gets out of the Marine Corps.
Becoming a wounded warrior wasn’t something he’d planned for when trying to reach certain goals in his life. But he’s taking it all in stride.
“I want to go to college to be a sports agent,” he said. “But for now, my focus has been on my buddies. That’s what helps me, plus my drive for things I want to do myself in the future. But you can’t do that until you get past this.”
Sheppard said he’ll continue to take it one day at a time.
Ellie