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thedrifter
01-15-08, 07:52 AM
Don't call it a comeback: Marine goes from wounded warrior to silent warrior Lance Cpl. Stephen C. Benson

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-- The greatest leaders, it seems, don’t think of themselves as great.

"I don’t think I did anything special,” they may say, “I was just doing my job."

These are phrases commonly uttered by Marines when they are recognized for a job well done or praised for going above and beyond what is asked of them.

Sgt. Karl Klepper, selected as the United Service Organization’s 2007 Marine of the Year, is one of those Marines.

Klepper, now the operations noncommissioned officer for Marine Special Operations Advisor Group, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command, received the award for his leadership and inspiration of fellow Marines at Camp Lejeune’s Wounded Warrior Battalion while recovering from injuries he sustained in combat.

The Marine’s path to the Wounded Warrior Battalion and on to MARSOC began on the streets of Karmah, Iraq.

On Sept. 27, 2005, then Cpl. Klepper was serving as a mortar man with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, in the northern part of Karmah.

“The enemy forces were protected by the local populace, so there was a lot of activity that was being seen, but no one was talking about it,” said Klepper. “We were having considerable problems with (improvised explosive devices) and limited supported engagements.”

According to Klepper, he was in a convoy to check in with and re-supply observation posts along a key, strategic road. After checking in with the OPs and conducting a short security sweep, Klepper and three other Marines got in their humvee and began the drive back to their forward operating base in a two-vehicle convoy.

Klepper was in the second vehicle of the convoy when an IED exploded nearby.
“The driver was knocked unconscious and the blast veered the vehicle off the road and flipped it over into a canal,” he explained.

Two other Marines, though injured, were able pull the driver free and scramble to safety, but Klepper lay in the canal under four feet of water, his left leg pinned beneath the overturned vehicle.

He did what he had to do to survive – and to lead his fellow Marines.

“I couldn’t stay above water. So I grabbed down to the battery panel in the back of the truck and picked myself up, breaking my leg,” said Klepper. “That’s what got my head above water.”

Klepper, still trapped, but now able to observe the situation, directed his Marines to set up security until, after an hour of waiting, a recovery vehicle arrived and the Marines were able to lift the humvee and pull Klepper free.

“I remember like ten sets of hands just grabbing me and pulling me up the bank,” explained Klepper. “It was amazing to look around and see all my buddies get a hold of me whether it was my cammies or just holding my helmet.”

From October to December 2005, Klepper went through a series of hospitals on his way back to Camp Lejeune. After nine surgeries, doctors were able to save his leg from amputation and he began extensive physical therapy to regain his strength and mobility.

While Klepper was being treated at the Naval Hospital here in December 2005, Lt. Col. Timothy Maxwell, advisor for the Wounded Warrior Regiment, stopped in to see him.

At that time, Maxwell was establishing the first ever Wounded Warriors Battalion at Camp Lejeune in order to give combat-injured Marines the opportunity to help each other, work through their injuries and get back to full duty.

Maxwell needed capable NCOs to serve as squad leaders and he found Klepper.
“I learned real quick Klepper was an aggressive, get-stuff-done kind of Marine,” said Maxwell. “He was constantly motivated, always finding things to do.”

“The biggest thing he gave the Marines was hope,” said Maxwell. “He let them know there are tough guys out there that are pushing through their injuries, and that’s important for them to see.”

According to Maxwell, Klepper made sure his Marines made their doctor's appointments, took their medications and stayed both mentally and physically healthy.

“Being with the Wounded Warriors Battalion is not like you’re on vacation,” said Maxwell. “We’re a tough battalion.”

According to Klepper, the Wounded Warriors Barracks shared a building with the Transient Officers Quarters at that time and Maj. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, MARSOC commander, was living there. In early 2006, a few months after Klepper’s injury and shortly before MARSOC’s official stand-up in Feb. 2006, Hejlik addressed the Wounded Warriors and asked if anyone would be interested in joining MARSOC. When Klepper heard what it was, he was immediately interested and wanted to be a part of it.

“It’s not necessarily kicking in doors, but being able to communicate with allies, being able to understand their culture and being able to teach them what they need to know to defend themselves so we don’t have to send a lot more Marines into harm’s way," said Klepper, explaining why he wanted to join MARSOC.

Once Klepper recovered from his injuries enough to go to work outside the Wounded Warriors Battalion, he volunteered for duty at MARSOC's Marine Special Operations Support Group. He reenlisted in February, 2007, received official orders to MSOAG and now, having recently completed a first class physical fitness test, is determined to enter MSOAG’s training pipeline and become an advisor.

Humble and unassuming, Klepper credits his fellow Marines for his accomplishments, including the USO Marine of the Year award, and prefers to share accolades and shoulder criticism.

“I think that everything that I have is a result of teamwork and team effort, so I don’t take any personal credit,” he explained. “I just take pride in the fact that I contributed to a group of people who accomplished something.”

Active duty Marines and Sailors interested in taking their training and experience to the next level and leading on battlefields beyond the front line can contact the Marine Special Operations School at (910) 450-3349/3123 (DSN 750-3349/3123) or visit us online at www.marsoc.usmc.mil.

Ellie