thedrifter
08-12-06, 05:28 AM
Posted on Sat, Aug. 12, 2006
Marines open West Coast shelter for wounded
Barracks accommodate 25 troops, with basic amenities, entertainment, and an opportunity to heal
By Thomas Watkins
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMP PENDLETON - The Marine Corps on Thursday unveiled the first West Coast barracks for Marines and sailors who are wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, an alternative to the often-empty quarters that house many injured troops while their units remain overseas.
The Wounded Warrior Center is the second Marine barracks for the wartime wounded. The first opened last year at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and is run by a Marine colonel who was himself injured in Iraq.
The newest barracks at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, look like a moderate hotel, with TVs, carpeted hallways, separate bedrooms and sitting areas. Donated handmade quilts bearing patriotic messages drape each bed.
There is an entertainment room with video games and a DVD player.
"We wanted them to have a place where they would be with their fellow warriors," said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command. "There is nothing like a warrior to be a role model for another warrior."
Space at the new barracks is limited to 25 troops -- certainly not enough to accommodate everyone.
More than 19,000 U.S. military personnel have been injured in Iraq, including 6,195 Marines and 415 sailors as of Aug. 5, according to the Department of Defense. In Afghanistan, 851 U.S. military personnel have been wounded.
The first Marine to move into the Camp Pendleton barracks was Lance Cpl. Joshua Rynders, who was injured in April when a mortar round exploded 10 feet behind him, killing two Marines and injuring 22, including him. He was setting up an observation post for the Iraqi army east of Fallujah.
"I lost 20 percent of my thighs and had a hole in each leg big enough for me to stick my arms through," said Rynders, 20, of McHenry, Ill.
Rynders, who checked in Wednesday, walks with a cane and bumpy scars cover the many mortar fragments still in his body. His leg nerves and muscles are damaged.
The new barracks is quieter than his regiment's quarters, which is near several big-gun ranges.
"You get a lot of constant reminders of the war, there's big explosions and training going on, so it's a little uneasy," Rynders said. "This is kind of secluded from that."
Troops can stay up to 90 days, must be able to bathe themselves and not need a personal helper.
A sniper shot Cpl. Jackson Luna, 23, through the lower back and into the intestines as he put fencing around a patrol base near Ramadi in June. Luna moved into the new barracks Thursday, becoming the second resident. He does not know what to do next or if he will be able to return to active service.
"This is a good place to start thinking about that," Luna said.
Ellie
Marines open West Coast shelter for wounded
Barracks accommodate 25 troops, with basic amenities, entertainment, and an opportunity to heal
By Thomas Watkins
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMP PENDLETON - The Marine Corps on Thursday unveiled the first West Coast barracks for Marines and sailors who are wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, an alternative to the often-empty quarters that house many injured troops while their units remain overseas.
The Wounded Warrior Center is the second Marine barracks for the wartime wounded. The first opened last year at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and is run by a Marine colonel who was himself injured in Iraq.
The newest barracks at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, look like a moderate hotel, with TVs, carpeted hallways, separate bedrooms and sitting areas. Donated handmade quilts bearing patriotic messages drape each bed.
There is an entertainment room with video games and a DVD player.
"We wanted them to have a place where they would be with their fellow warriors," said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, the commanding general of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command. "There is nothing like a warrior to be a role model for another warrior."
Space at the new barracks is limited to 25 troops -- certainly not enough to accommodate everyone.
More than 19,000 U.S. military personnel have been injured in Iraq, including 6,195 Marines and 415 sailors as of Aug. 5, according to the Department of Defense. In Afghanistan, 851 U.S. military personnel have been wounded.
The first Marine to move into the Camp Pendleton barracks was Lance Cpl. Joshua Rynders, who was injured in April when a mortar round exploded 10 feet behind him, killing two Marines and injuring 22, including him. He was setting up an observation post for the Iraqi army east of Fallujah.
"I lost 20 percent of my thighs and had a hole in each leg big enough for me to stick my arms through," said Rynders, 20, of McHenry, Ill.
Rynders, who checked in Wednesday, walks with a cane and bumpy scars cover the many mortar fragments still in his body. His leg nerves and muscles are damaged.
The new barracks is quieter than his regiment's quarters, which is near several big-gun ranges.
"You get a lot of constant reminders of the war, there's big explosions and training going on, so it's a little uneasy," Rynders said. "This is kind of secluded from that."
Troops can stay up to 90 days, must be able to bathe themselves and not need a personal helper.
A sniper shot Cpl. Jackson Luna, 23, through the lower back and into the intestines as he put fencing around a patrol base near Ramadi in June. Luna moved into the new barracks Thursday, becoming the second resident. He does not know what to do next or if he will be able to return to active service.
"This is a good place to start thinking about that," Luna said.
Ellie