thedrifter
03-28-09, 06:52 AM
Marine recovers after explosion
By David Clemons
The Reporter
Published March 24, 2009
An Albertville Marine received a Purple Heart on Monday after being injured in an Afghanistan explosion.
Matthew Body, 23, sustained injuries that are not as bad as originally feared. He was injured this weekend in explosions that killed two of his fellow Marines.
Body was involved in what his father, Gerald, described Monday as “basically … an all-out firefight with the Taliban.”
Insurgents surrounded the Americans, and one of the Marines, a sergeant, stepped on a roadside bomb.
“Matthew put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding, then all of the insurgents surrounded them,” Gerald Body said.
Body said he heard the troops began “fighting their way back out” when another Marine stepped on another bomb.
That sent shrapnel into Matthew Body’s face.
Gerald and Cindy Body got a call at about 8 a.m. Sunday that their son had been hurt in an explosion and that he was in critical condition.
They found out he was in better shape than originally feared when Matthew called them at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
He had been in surgery, and the swelling made it difficult for the Bodys even to recognize their son’s voice.
“He said he looks like he went eight rounds with Mike Tyson,” Gerald Body said. “His face was swollen.”
Gerald Body said his son was unconscious for a few seconds after the bomb exploded. A Cobra helicopter evacuated him and the other Marines.
Matthew Body graduated from Albertville High School in 2004. He attended community college but one day told his parents he decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
“He said he just felt led to help his country right then,” Gerald Body recalled. “He was old enough that we didn’t have to sign for him.”
Body is in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment, Lima Company. He is based in a forward operating base overlooking Nowzad near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Gerald Body said he and his wife are doing well since learning their son was hurt.
“We’re doing real well now that we’ve talked to him twice,” he said. “(Sunday), we were just lost, I guess you could say. We just didn’t know what to do.”
He said people around Albertville were praying for Matthew Body and for his family, and Gerald Body said they got calls from people in other states who heard of the attack and wanted to pray for their son.
“It’s definitely turned this town upside down for a day or two,” he said.
Matthew Body is recovering at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. His parents hope to be able to see him in the next few days if possible.
Ellie
By David Clemons
The Reporter
Published March 24, 2009
An Albertville Marine received a Purple Heart on Monday after being injured in an Afghanistan explosion.
Matthew Body, 23, sustained injuries that are not as bad as originally feared. He was injured this weekend in explosions that killed two of his fellow Marines.
Body was involved in what his father, Gerald, described Monday as “basically … an all-out firefight with the Taliban.”
Insurgents surrounded the Americans, and one of the Marines, a sergeant, stepped on a roadside bomb.
“Matthew put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding, then all of the insurgents surrounded them,” Gerald Body said.
Body said he heard the troops began “fighting their way back out” when another Marine stepped on another bomb.
That sent shrapnel into Matthew Body’s face.
Gerald and Cindy Body got a call at about 8 a.m. Sunday that their son had been hurt in an explosion and that he was in critical condition.
They found out he was in better shape than originally feared when Matthew called them at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
He had been in surgery, and the swelling made it difficult for the Bodys even to recognize their son’s voice.
“He said he looks like he went eight rounds with Mike Tyson,” Gerald Body said. “His face was swollen.”
Gerald Body said his son was unconscious for a few seconds after the bomb exploded. A Cobra helicopter evacuated him and the other Marines.
Matthew Body graduated from Albertville High School in 2004. He attended community college but one day told his parents he decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps.
“He said he just felt led to help his country right then,” Gerald Body recalled. “He was old enough that we didn’t have to sign for him.”
Body is in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment, Lima Company. He is based in a forward operating base overlooking Nowzad near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Gerald Body said he and his wife are doing well since learning their son was hurt.
“We’re doing real well now that we’ve talked to him twice,” he said. “(Sunday), we were just lost, I guess you could say. We just didn’t know what to do.”
He said people around Albertville were praying for Matthew Body and for his family, and Gerald Body said they got calls from people in other states who heard of the attack and wanted to pray for their son.
“It’s definitely turned this town upside down for a day or two,” he said.
Matthew Body is recovering at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. His parents hope to be able to see him in the next few days if possible.
Ellie