thedrifter
08-25-07, 09:35 AM
Military Channel to feature Lakin Marine
Published 8/24/2007
Garden City Telegram, KS
http://cmsp.fimc.net/prod/164659/23122.jpg
PFC Isaac Cardenas receives a Purple Heart from the Commandant of the Marines in this May, 2006 photo.
Former Lakin resident Isaac Cardenas wanted to return home from serving in Iraq, spend time with family and stay in the military.
He's gotten what he wanted with the first two, but on the third, his plans have changed.
Cardenas, whose journey to military service began during his childhood when he diligently followed in his older brothers' footsteps, was medically retired April 28 as he continued to recover from injuries he sustained during his duty in Iraq.
His story, along with the memories of war, injury and transition to civilian life, will be featured Saturday on the Military Channel. The show is titled "War Wounds: Home and Still Fighting." The programming begins at 7 p.m. Southwest Kansans who have digital cable services or satellite can view the Military Channel.
Ismael, the oldest of the three Cardenas brothers, graduated from the naval academy and later switched to the Marine Corp. Edgar, the second oldest, graduated from the naval academy and became a Navy man.
But it was the brotherhood of the Marine Corp that drew Isaac in, and it was the brotherhood that helped him heal.
Isaac said his company's mission took them near Fallujah, Iraq.
And that's when his future plans with the military changed.
It was May 1, 2006, and his unit was preparing convoy vehicles near Fallujah, when a mortar round landed near him and his fellow Marines. Shrapnel struck his head and left arm, and he was pulled back to a base hospital in Iraq. Isaac said Marine officials notified his parents shortly after he was wounded. He was transferred to an Army hospital in Germany and then flown to Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland for additional treatment.
Everyone in his unit had been injured from the mortar round, and two of his three comrades have since been medically retired from the military, including Isaac.
Isaac had been in the Corp for one year and 10 months.
During his recovery time, Isaac said, he was approached by people from the Military Channel who wanted to do a story about him, his company and his family.
"I was told they were looking for a story of Iraq, and mine popped up," he said.
Isaac, who still receives full military and Veteran Affairs benefits, said if he was healthy and in perfect shape, he would be back with the Marines, doing his duty.
"I loved being a Marine," he said.
Edgar Cardenas said his brother is a fighter who is improving every day with continual speech and memory therapy.
"He talks to people and gets around. No one would ever know he had been hurt," Edgar said.
The lasting effects of Isaac's head injury has caused some physical limitations. He can't run as long as he wants anymore because his body can't handle it.
As for his memory loss, Isaac said he uses a planner or a dry erase board to write things down so he doesn't forget.
"The miracle was seeing my brother in that hospital bed and not knowing the outcome would turn out like this," Edgar said. "He's making it. He's enrolled in college and doing well."
Isaac said he has aspirations of becoming a history teacher and is attending Butler Community College. He plans to graduate and move on to Kansas State University to complete his teaching degree.
Ellie
Published 8/24/2007
Garden City Telegram, KS
http://cmsp.fimc.net/prod/164659/23122.jpg
PFC Isaac Cardenas receives a Purple Heart from the Commandant of the Marines in this May, 2006 photo.
Former Lakin resident Isaac Cardenas wanted to return home from serving in Iraq, spend time with family and stay in the military.
He's gotten what he wanted with the first two, but on the third, his plans have changed.
Cardenas, whose journey to military service began during his childhood when he diligently followed in his older brothers' footsteps, was medically retired April 28 as he continued to recover from injuries he sustained during his duty in Iraq.
His story, along with the memories of war, injury and transition to civilian life, will be featured Saturday on the Military Channel. The show is titled "War Wounds: Home and Still Fighting." The programming begins at 7 p.m. Southwest Kansans who have digital cable services or satellite can view the Military Channel.
Ismael, the oldest of the three Cardenas brothers, graduated from the naval academy and later switched to the Marine Corp. Edgar, the second oldest, graduated from the naval academy and became a Navy man.
But it was the brotherhood of the Marine Corp that drew Isaac in, and it was the brotherhood that helped him heal.
Isaac said his company's mission took them near Fallujah, Iraq.
And that's when his future plans with the military changed.
It was May 1, 2006, and his unit was preparing convoy vehicles near Fallujah, when a mortar round landed near him and his fellow Marines. Shrapnel struck his head and left arm, and he was pulled back to a base hospital in Iraq. Isaac said Marine officials notified his parents shortly after he was wounded. He was transferred to an Army hospital in Germany and then flown to Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland for additional treatment.
Everyone in his unit had been injured from the mortar round, and two of his three comrades have since been medically retired from the military, including Isaac.
Isaac had been in the Corp for one year and 10 months.
During his recovery time, Isaac said, he was approached by people from the Military Channel who wanted to do a story about him, his company and his family.
"I was told they were looking for a story of Iraq, and mine popped up," he said.
Isaac, who still receives full military and Veteran Affairs benefits, said if he was healthy and in perfect shape, he would be back with the Marines, doing his duty.
"I loved being a Marine," he said.
Edgar Cardenas said his brother is a fighter who is improving every day with continual speech and memory therapy.
"He talks to people and gets around. No one would ever know he had been hurt," Edgar said.
The lasting effects of Isaac's head injury has caused some physical limitations. He can't run as long as he wants anymore because his body can't handle it.
As for his memory loss, Isaac said he uses a planner or a dry erase board to write things down so he doesn't forget.
"The miracle was seeing my brother in that hospital bed and not knowing the outcome would turn out like this," Edgar said. "He's making it. He's enrolled in college and doing well."
Isaac said he has aspirations of becoming a history teacher and is attending Butler Community College. He plans to graduate and move on to Kansas State University to complete his teaching degree.
Ellie