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thedrifter
08-10-08, 05:41 AM
Memory loss haunts injured Iraq War veteran

By TUCKER McQUEEN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/08

Scott MacKenzie recalls little of his past. His parents remember every detail.

The young Marine corporal relies on Robert and Nan MacKenzie to fill in the gaps in his memory. His mother made a scrapbook of baby pictures and tells him about his childhood. Bits and pieces come back, he said, in a slide show of flashbacks.

"I remember my younger sister Savannah was born at 6:29 p.m. and weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces, " he said at his Canton home on a recent furlough. "But I met someone I grew up with and I didn't know his name."

MacKenzie, 23, will retire from the Marines this month with 40 percent disability.

Two years ago in October, he was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. A traumatic brain injury wiped away memories of his high school graduation, boot camp and the trip to Iraq.

Six weeks into his tour, he was on foot patrol when an explosion threw him into the air. The lieutenant walking next to him lost both legs.

MacKenzie had three surgeries to repair a fractured jaw and shrapnel injuries.

"When I woke up, I didn't know my last name, my rank or what a square was," he said.

After treatment for his injuries, he was attached to the Wounded Warriors Barracks at Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he has worked helping injured Marines.

His first leave home came less than two months after his last patrol. His family met him at the airport on Christmas Eve.

"He had lost 40 pounds and was still black and blue," Nan MacKenzie said. "We were numb. Our son was the shell of who he had been."

After plastic surgery, the only signs of trauma are slight scars on the left side of his face and arm and a hearing aid in his left ear. His mother said no one knows, though, what families go through after their wounded children come home.

"Friends tell me that he looks fine," Nan MacKenzie said. "I say, come spend a few days with us and you will see."

Her son's road to recovery is not a smooth one. He struggles with breathing problems and bronchitis. He is bothered by pieces of glass and shrapnel in his arms that can't be removed without further damage. He takes medication for seizures, insomnia and depression.

"I raised him to be warm and fuzzy," his mom said. "Now, he is serious and guarded."

She worries that he tries to tough things out instead of getting help when he needs it.

While he was home recently, he started coughing up blood. After a day of listening to their son's protests that he was all right, his family took him to a local hospital where he was treated for bronchitis.

MacKenzie credits the support of his parents, 11-year-old sister and new wife for helping him through rough times.

He met Hillary McConnell, 19, while home for his birthday a year ago in July.

"He wouldn't look me in the eye at first," she said. "His problems didn't bother me. They drew me to him even more."

The couple admits the first few months weren't easy. MacKenzie had a hard time talking about what he had been through and had meltdowns.

"I thought she would think I was stupid because I stuttered," MacKenzie said. "I told her once that she needed to leave. I didn't deserve anyone."

Slowly, she saw him improve. She said his memory is improving, and he is better at telling her what he wants and thinking straight. In recent weeks, though, the couple have hit another rough patch.

They married almost a year after they met. Nan MacKenzie said the couple have their work cut out for them if they are going to make it. She said the family is there to provide a safety net.

"I tell them to focus on respect, compassion and love for each other," she said. "And always put God first."

Family friend Woody Hornsby said MacKenzie — who calls him Uncle Woody — is getting better. Hornsby is helping him start a business selling electronic components to the military.

"He won't be 100 percent — not ever," Hornsby said. "I told him that he came out pretty darn good though, and people look up to him for his honors."

While MacKenzie made plans with Hornsby, he learned the Department of Veterans Affairs would pay for a two-year program at NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C.

He plans to continue in the electronics business and also learn automotive engineering.

Veterans Affairs spokesman Jim Benson said the military is adapting its education programs for the new wave of veterans.

He said financial help is available for vocational training as well as college, and there are programs to help wounded vets learn different skills.

A Defense Department Web site lists 3,349 military members wounded in action in Iraq during the five years ending July 5.

MacKenzie said the help for school gave him direction and hope.

Now, his goal is to get on with his life and put the past behind him. He says he'd also like to get a dachshund, a "little wiener dog."

"I just want to wake up at 6 a.m. every day, go to a job and come home to my family," he said. "I just want to be normal again."

Ellie