thedrifter
02-02-09, 10:58 AM
Super Bowl Bound
By Julia LeDoux
Published: February 2, 2009
Staff Sgt. David Kachmar expects to be a little hoarse Monday morning.
He’ll be cheering on his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers from a seat in Raymond James stadium later this afternoon.
“I will have no voice by the end of the night,” he predicted with a broad grin during an interview Wednesday.
A member of the Quantico-based Wounded Warrior Regiment, the Pittsburgh native is one of 40 combat wounded Marines who are in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, thanks to the Cleveland Browns.
“This is exciting,” Kachmar, 25, said. “This is my team.”
The Cleveland Browns have donated tickets to the gridiron classic to the Marine Corps since 2006. The tickets were given to Marines who were wounded in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, and a medical attendant/escort group.
“The men who were chosen to go on this trip have really shown the command that they have taken the initiative to heal themselves both mentally and physically, they’re looking for opportunities for job transition, looking for opportunities for the next phase of their life, and that’s what the regiment is all about,” said Barbara Owens, Wounded Warrior Regiment charitable giving coordinator. “The 40 or so men who were chosen to go on the trip have shown us they’re ready to take that next step.”
Making the trip are Marines from the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Quantico, Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp Lejeune, N.C, Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton, Calif., the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the Tampa Poly Trauma Center, and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Kachmar did three tours in Afghanistan and was wounded by an improvised explosive device on Aug. 25, 2005.
“We were trying to find the IED, but it found me instead,” he said. “It got me in the right arm and the left leg, but I am still here, I am still smiling, still contributing.”
The Marines who made the trip are in various stages of recovery. Some like Kachmar are several years into the process while others
are more recently wounded. Kachmar said he draws strength from the recently wounded younger Marines that he meets.
“It’s an inspiration for us to see them get better, and its an inspiration for them to see us,” he said.
Turning back to the game, Kachmar believes the Steelers defense will be instrumental in securing a win for the team.
“The Steelers defense will control the ball,” he predicted. “[Arizona Cardinals quarterback] Kurt Warner’s kinda old. We’re going to have that big, young athletic defense of ours.”
While in Tampa, the Marines also participated in a pig roast, sponsored by the Marine Corps League Clearwater Detachment, the Bud Bowl and NFL Experience.
The Wounded Warrior Regiment was established in April 2007 as the successor to the Marine For Life — Injured Support program. Its mission is to provide and facilitate assistance to wounded, injured or ill Marines and Sailors attached to or in support of Marine units, and their family members throughout all phases of their recovery.
The regiment is commanded by Col. Gregory W. Boyle.
Ellie
By Julia LeDoux
Published: February 2, 2009
Staff Sgt. David Kachmar expects to be a little hoarse Monday morning.
He’ll be cheering on his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers from a seat in Raymond James stadium later this afternoon.
“I will have no voice by the end of the night,” he predicted with a broad grin during an interview Wednesday.
A member of the Quantico-based Wounded Warrior Regiment, the Pittsburgh native is one of 40 combat wounded Marines who are in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII, thanks to the Cleveland Browns.
“This is exciting,” Kachmar, 25, said. “This is my team.”
The Cleveland Browns have donated tickets to the gridiron classic to the Marine Corps since 2006. The tickets were given to Marines who were wounded in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, and a medical attendant/escort group.
“The men who were chosen to go on this trip have really shown the command that they have taken the initiative to heal themselves both mentally and physically, they’re looking for opportunities for job transition, looking for opportunities for the next phase of their life, and that’s what the regiment is all about,” said Barbara Owens, Wounded Warrior Regiment charitable giving coordinator. “The 40 or so men who were chosen to go on the trip have shown us they’re ready to take that next step.”
Making the trip are Marines from the Wounded Warrior Regiment at Quantico, Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp Lejeune, N.C, Wounded Warrior Battalion West at Camp Pendleton, Calif., the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., the Tampa Poly Trauma Center, and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Kachmar did three tours in Afghanistan and was wounded by an improvised explosive device on Aug. 25, 2005.
“We were trying to find the IED, but it found me instead,” he said. “It got me in the right arm and the left leg, but I am still here, I am still smiling, still contributing.”
The Marines who made the trip are in various stages of recovery. Some like Kachmar are several years into the process while others
are more recently wounded. Kachmar said he draws strength from the recently wounded younger Marines that he meets.
“It’s an inspiration for us to see them get better, and its an inspiration for them to see us,” he said.
Turning back to the game, Kachmar believes the Steelers defense will be instrumental in securing a win for the team.
“The Steelers defense will control the ball,” he predicted. “[Arizona Cardinals quarterback] Kurt Warner’s kinda old. We’re going to have that big, young athletic defense of ours.”
While in Tampa, the Marines also participated in a pig roast, sponsored by the Marine Corps League Clearwater Detachment, the Bud Bowl and NFL Experience.
The Wounded Warrior Regiment was established in April 2007 as the successor to the Marine For Life — Injured Support program. Its mission is to provide and facilitate assistance to wounded, injured or ill Marines and Sailors attached to or in support of Marine units, and their family members throughout all phases of their recovery.
The regiment is commanded by Col. Gregory W. Boyle.
Ellie