thedrifter
07-28-07, 07:58 AM
"Because we're the best."
The Marine Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 flightline mechanic's words are choppy and short, the result of complications from an extended stay in hospitals along the east coast, but the statement adds a level of understanding and insight to the recent events of Lance Cpl. Ryan Chord's life.
On December 10, he was crumpled in his truck along the side of Highway 17. His vehicle wrapped around a tree; Chord fighting for his life.
According to on-scene accounts passed to the command of VMMT-204, a Marine was the first responder to lend assistance to the trapped Chord.
"The night of the accident, it was reported there was a retired gunnery sergeant who stayed with him until help arrived, helped out the police, and got the phone numbers to the command," said Sgt. Maj. Stephen Balczo, VMMT-204 sergeant major.
While Chord's family made their way from Virginia Beach, N.C., to the hospital, Chord's Marine Corps family continued to take care of their Marine.
Lance Cpl. Michael Lathrop, VMMT-204 flightline mechanic, was taken aback when he walked in to see Chord. "There were tubes everywhere. I don't think I have seen anyone in a hospital that bad," he said.
After Chord was moved to the Richmond Veterans Center, Va., his condition continued to improve. Because of the dramatic nature of his injuries and how it affected the squadron, the command of VMMT-204 organized a flight up to the Veterans Center to remind both Chord that he was still a "Raptor," said Balczo.
"To take this aircraft, the sergeant major, the commanding officer, shows concern about Marines that goes beyond rank… its about the individual," said Chord's sergeant major. "Us going to see him was just the crescendo of it."
For Lathrop the chance to fly in the MV-22 "Osprey" to see his friend and co-worker was an emotional high.
"I think it was one of the most motivating things I've seen in the Marine Corps," said Lathrop.
As the heart-warming visit was coming to an end, Chord made his intention's perfectly clear. "I wish I could go back with them," he told his mother.
The Marines presented Chord with a plaque declaring him a "Raptor for life," a symbolic gesture given to all Marines to complete a successful tour with the "Osprey" squadron. The award, hanging on Chord's bedroom wall, has come to symbolize what being a Marine is all about for his family.
"The more we deal with (VMMT-204) the more we understand being a Marine Corps family," said Chord's mother Yvonne. "I don't think we could have been as strong as we are without their help."
And as she witnesses her son's dramatic recovery from a room full of tubes and machines, to walking around without a cane, she realizes anything is possible including his newest goal.
"We are hoping they will allow him to be medically retired," she explained. "Then he would have five years to come back active duty."
The boy who wanted nothing more in life than to grow up to be Marine, and had his dream taken away from him in a horrible car accident has set his mind to recovering from his injures and enlisting a second time in the Marine Corps, she said.
The undeniable mentality of Chord has resonated with his command in a way few things have, explained Balczo, who said "this shows the indelible spirit of a Marine, and reaffirms why you are still a Marine."
Like Chord said, because they're the best.
The Marine Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 flightline mechanic's words are choppy and short, the result of complications from an extended stay in hospitals along the east coast, but the statement adds a level of understanding and insight to the recent events of Lance Cpl. Ryan Chord's life.
On December 10, he was crumpled in his truck along the side of Highway 17. His vehicle wrapped around a tree; Chord fighting for his life.
According to on-scene accounts passed to the command of VMMT-204, a Marine was the first responder to lend assistance to the trapped Chord.
"The night of the accident, it was reported there was a retired gunnery sergeant who stayed with him until help arrived, helped out the police, and got the phone numbers to the command," said Sgt. Maj. Stephen Balczo, VMMT-204 sergeant major.
While Chord's family made their way from Virginia Beach, N.C., to the hospital, Chord's Marine Corps family continued to take care of their Marine.
Lance Cpl. Michael Lathrop, VMMT-204 flightline mechanic, was taken aback when he walked in to see Chord. "There were tubes everywhere. I don't think I have seen anyone in a hospital that bad," he said.
After Chord was moved to the Richmond Veterans Center, Va., his condition continued to improve. Because of the dramatic nature of his injuries and how it affected the squadron, the command of VMMT-204 organized a flight up to the Veterans Center to remind both Chord that he was still a "Raptor," said Balczo.
"To take this aircraft, the sergeant major, the commanding officer, shows concern about Marines that goes beyond rank… its about the individual," said Chord's sergeant major. "Us going to see him was just the crescendo of it."
For Lathrop the chance to fly in the MV-22 "Osprey" to see his friend and co-worker was an emotional high.
"I think it was one of the most motivating things I've seen in the Marine Corps," said Lathrop.
As the heart-warming visit was coming to an end, Chord made his intention's perfectly clear. "I wish I could go back with them," he told his mother.
The Marines presented Chord with a plaque declaring him a "Raptor for life," a symbolic gesture given to all Marines to complete a successful tour with the "Osprey" squadron. The award, hanging on Chord's bedroom wall, has come to symbolize what being a Marine is all about for his family.
"The more we deal with (VMMT-204) the more we understand being a Marine Corps family," said Chord's mother Yvonne. "I don't think we could have been as strong as we are without their help."
And as she witnesses her son's dramatic recovery from a room full of tubes and machines, to walking around without a cane, she realizes anything is possible including his newest goal.
"We are hoping they will allow him to be medically retired," she explained. "Then he would have five years to come back active duty."
The boy who wanted nothing more in life than to grow up to be Marine, and had his dream taken away from him in a horrible car accident has set his mind to recovering from his injures and enlisting a second time in the Marine Corps, she said.
The undeniable mentality of Chord has resonated with his command in a way few things have, explained Balczo, who said "this shows the indelible spirit of a Marine, and reaffirms why you are still a Marine."
Like Chord said, because they're the best.