thedrifter
07-04-08, 07:30 PM
Published on Friday, July 04, 2008.
Last modified on 7/4/2008 at 12:50 am
Bush awards Purple Heart to Montanan
By ZACH
Of The Gazette Staff
A Winnett man was awarded a Purple Heart from President Bush on Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Chad Marks was serving in Afghanistan on June 23 when he was walking with a group of Marines, stepped on a land mine and lost part of his right leg.
Marks' mother, Tammie Marks, said he was also showered with shrapnel in the explosion, especially in his right hand. However, doctors told the family Thursday night that he would regain much of the mobility in his hand.
"He's taken this very well," Tammie Marks said. "He's had the attitude all along that he's serving his country."
He was flown to Germany shortly after being injured and is receiving treatment and resting at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Bush awarded the 2006 Winnett High grad with the Purple Heart at the medical center in front of his mother and grandmother. Chad Marks and his family learned Wednesday that he would receive the award, but they had no idea it would be presented by the president.
"We knew somebody important was coming," Tammie Marks said.
"The (hospital) staff was really cleaning and prepping. We just didn't know who it would be."
During the ceremony, Bush said men like Chad Marks make him proud to be the commander in chief and reiterated how proud he was of his service. Bush pinned the medal on Marks, and the two chatted for a bit before posing for a few photos together.
Chad Marks joined the Marine Corps in March 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan in April of this year. He is scheduled to go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in two or three weeks. There, he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg and undergo additional rehabilitation.
On Thursday night, his girlfriend flew in from Montana, and his father will come to visit soon as well. However, the biggest surprise for Chad Marks may come today. His younger brother Keith, 18, is going through Marine Corps basic training in San Diego and was scheduled to arrive in Bethesda this morning for a surprise visit.
Tammie Marks said her son's spirits are high and he's already talking about going to college and where he's headed next.
"He's got a good heart," she said. "Now he's got a Purple Heart, too."
Ellie
Last modified on 7/4/2008 at 12:50 am
Bush awards Purple Heart to Montanan
By ZACH
Of The Gazette Staff
A Winnett man was awarded a Purple Heart from President Bush on Thursday.
Marine Lance Cpl. Chad Marks was serving in Afghanistan on June 23 when he was walking with a group of Marines, stepped on a land mine and lost part of his right leg.
Marks' mother, Tammie Marks, said he was also showered with shrapnel in the explosion, especially in his right hand. However, doctors told the family Thursday night that he would regain much of the mobility in his hand.
"He's taken this very well," Tammie Marks said. "He's had the attitude all along that he's serving his country."
He was flown to Germany shortly after being injured and is receiving treatment and resting at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Bush awarded the 2006 Winnett High grad with the Purple Heart at the medical center in front of his mother and grandmother. Chad Marks and his family learned Wednesday that he would receive the award, but they had no idea it would be presented by the president.
"We knew somebody important was coming," Tammie Marks said.
"The (hospital) staff was really cleaning and prepping. We just didn't know who it would be."
During the ceremony, Bush said men like Chad Marks make him proud to be the commander in chief and reiterated how proud he was of his service. Bush pinned the medal on Marks, and the two chatted for a bit before posing for a few photos together.
Chad Marks joined the Marine Corps in March 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan in April of this year. He is scheduled to go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in two or three weeks. There, he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg and undergo additional rehabilitation.
On Thursday night, his girlfriend flew in from Montana, and his father will come to visit soon as well. However, the biggest surprise for Chad Marks may come today. His younger brother Keith, 18, is going through Marine Corps basic training in San Diego and was scheduled to arrive in Bethesda this morning for a surprise visit.
Tammie Marks said her son's spirits are high and he's already talking about going to college and where he's headed next.
"He's got a good heart," she said. "Now he's got a Purple Heart, too."
Ellie