WOUNDED WARRIOR IS DOUBLE ARM TRANSPLANT PATIENT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Program Gives New Hope to Double Arm Transplant Patient
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2013 - As a wounded warrior who lost all four limbs in Iraq shared news of his successful double-arm transplant yesterday, officials at the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which funded the research making it possible, say the investment will continue to bear fruit in giving new hope to wounded warriors.

Army Spc. Brendan Marrocco appeared yesterday with his medical team, led by Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, chair of Johns Hopkins Hospital's plastic and reconstructive surgery department, to announce the successful Dec. 18 double transplant at the Baltimore hospital.

"I really don't know what to say, because it is such a big thing for my life," 26-year-old Marrocco told reporters as he demonstrated his ability to move his new left arm. His right arm has limited movement, but Marrocco said he's hoping to get more soon.

Standing proudly alongside other members of the surgical team was one of his surgeons, Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Patrick L. Basile of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Basile is assistant chief and director of microsurgery and supervisor for rotating medical students at Walter Reed's plastic and reconstructive surgery department.

Marrocco, who enlisted in the Army in January 2008, deployed to Iraq nine months later with the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Regiment. He and his fellow soldiers had completed a night mission and were returning to Forward Operating Base Summerall on April 12, 2009, when their armored vehicle has hit by an explosively formed projectile -- a roadside bomb designed specifically to pierce armor.

The explosion, which severed Marrocco's carotid artery and severed all of his limbs, also killed one soldier and wounded another.

Quickly medevaced through Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and on to Walter Reed, Marrocco became one of the first quadruple amputees of the conflict to survive his wounds.

He had been wearing prosthetic limbs before the 13-hour surgery, the first of its kind at Johns Hopkins and only the seventh in the United States. His rehabilitation will continue for years, his surgical team explained, as his nerves slowly regenerate – one inch per month – and he gains the ability to use and control the arms and hands.

"I feel like I got a second chance to start over after I got hurt," Marrocco told reporters yesterday. "If feels amazing. It's something I was waiting for for a long time."

Excitement about the successful transplant, and its implications for other wounded warriors, rippled through the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, Md., home of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The Defense Department launched AFIRM in 2008 to advance research to treat wounded warriors suffering traumatic injuries, explained Army Col. (Dr.) John Scherer, director of the clinical and rehabilitative medicine research program.

One of the goals was to promote transplant procedures that were being conducted overseas, but typically not in the United States, he said. "We wanted to move the scientific field forward to make this an option, not only for wounded service members, but for anyone who may benefit from such a surgery," Scherer said.

Five years after AFIRM was established, Scherer said, he's excited to see that effort pay off in ways that can transform people's lives.

"This goes to the commitment we have to always do our best to do whatever we can to improve the care they get," he said. "This is pushing the boundaries of clinical medicine to improve on that care," he added, particularly when compared with options available just a few years ago.

AFIRM stands as a testament to America's pledge to stand by its wounded warriors, Scherer said.

"It is our duty to do whatever we can to repair these very severe injuries, to push the boundaries of medicine and to say, 'What we are doing currently is not good enough until we can actually restore the function of the tissue of the hand or arm that was lost,'" he said. "That is our main goal: to make that individual whole again and to do whatever we can, medically, to get there."

AFIRM is managed and funded through the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, with additional funding from the Navy's Office of Naval Research, the Air Force Surgeon General's Office; the Department of Defense Office of Health Affairs; National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Affairs Department.

Their initial $100 million investment, spread over five years, has nearly tripled with local public and private matching funds, Scherer said.

WOUNDED WARRIOR DINNER

FROM: U.S. AIR FROCE
Individual mobilization augmentees Tech. Sgt. Lacey Smith (right) and Master Sgt. Mel Reich (left) smile for a photo with Vice President of the United States Joseph Biden during the Wounded Warrior Dinner Nov. 19 in Washington, D.C. Smith received the dinner invitation from Reich due to Lacey's dogged assistance over the last year tackling the member's medical issues. The vice president and his wife, Jill, host this annual event which honors wounded warriors being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and their families who are unable to leave the DC area for Thanksgiving. (Courtesy photo)

WOUNDED SERVICEMAN REUNITED WITH FAMILY FOUR DAYS AFTER ATTACK

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
(U.S. Air Force graphic/Sylvia Saab) (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Joseph Simms) 
Injured Airman reunites with family just four days after IED attack 
by Master Sgt. Denise Johnson
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs

5/18/2012 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. (AFNS) -- Staff Sgt. Brian Williams, who is deployed from the 87th Security Forces Squadron here, suffered serious injuries after an improvised explosive device detonated while he was on a mission April 25 outside Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan.

That same day, Williams, who is a military working dog handler, was transported to the KAF trauma center where he underwent the first of several surgeries on his left leg. He was subsequently transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany before arriving at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., just four days later on April 29.

The active-duty staff sergeant suffered the loss of his left leg above the knee as well as multiple shrapnel wounds due to the explosion. Williams acknowledged the quick medical response of his Army brethren; he said he believes their medical care on scene and use of tourniquets saved his life.

Williams arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on board the Mississippi Air National Guard C-17A Globemaster III named "The Spirit of the Purple Heart." His family, in addition to members and leaders from his home station, traveled to Maryland in a show of solidarity and support to their wounded warrior.

"(Lt. Gen. Judith A. Fedder) invited a small group of us to join her as she boarded the transport plane when it landed," said Lt. Col. Jeremy Novak, the 87th SFS commander. "The plane was full of wounded warriors and it took a moment for Brian to pull himself together when he saw us there. Brian was visibly moved when we made our way directly to his bed."

Fedder, the deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support from Headquarters U.S. Air Force, awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Force Combat Action Medal to the Air Force junior NCO.

"We all said a few words to Brian, then departed the aircraft while the medical technicians went to work preparing him for transport as General Fedder, the ranking member of the delegation, greeted the other warriors on the plane," Novak explained.

Novak and the welcoming committee drove to Walter Reed where they met Williams' father and stepmother as Williams was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Brian was doing great. He was talkative and joking around. He was doing much better than even the medical staff expected, so they were already making arrangements to move him out of ICU and into a regular patient room in the Warrior Wing," Novak said.

Williams moved from the ICU to his permanent room May 3, coinciding with Novak's subsequent visit when he was joined by Williams' parents; Col. John Wood, the 87th Air Base Wing and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst commander; Chief Master Sgt. Terrence Greene, the 87th ABW and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst command chief; and Staff Sgt. Emily Christofaro, of the 87th SFS. Wood presented the wounded Airman with a card signed by hundreds of men and women from the 87th ABW.

"Brian's sacrifice will forever be etched in our hearts and minds," Wood said. "I am honored to call him one of our own; I am honored to call him 'hero.' Tragedies never get easier to handle -- as a commander we want our military to return safe and unharmed. Sergeant Williams may have suffered grievous injuries, but he is now here with his loved ones, able to tell the tale. That in itself is a testament to his warrior spirit and his perseverance -- his commitment to finish the job. Our hearts are with him and we will support him for as long as he needs us and beyond."

Williams, who is from Phoenix, Ariz., is likely to be under care at Walter Reed for an extended period. He was approximately mid-way through a six-month deployment. This was Williams' sixth deployment since he joined the Air Force in 2000.

His military working dog, Carly, was unharmed in the incident and is currently enroute back to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The four-legged partner was foremost on the injured service member's mind.

"After Brian spent time with his family, his thoughts quickly turned to Carly," Novak said. "We are working feverishly to get Carly back to the base. Carly was unharmed by the blast, but both dog and handler need to see each other. I think it's important to both of them."

Carly, as a military working dog, is cleared to visit Williams in the hospital following his redeployment to the 87th SFS.

"We wish nothing but a speedy recovery and well wishes to this brave young man, one of our security forces brethren, who now bears the scars of battle," Novak said. "I join our entire unit in honoring not only his bravery and dedication, but also in supporting his family during this difficult time."

Williams' parents are both retired Soldiers. His father, Lionel Williams, is a retired sergeant first class who currently resides in Peoria, Ariz. His mother, Catherine Williams, retired as an Army staff sergeant and calls Sierra Vista, Ariz., home.

Williams extended his gratitude to his deployed unit, the Soldiers who were with him, the medical personnel downrange and in Germany and the aircrews who transported him so expediently. Finally, Williams stressed the need for everyone to take self-aid/buddy care training seriously.

"This young man's positive demeanor and praise for his comrades in the wake of such personal trauma is humbling," Greene said. "His selflessness in thanking and acknowledging others amidst the tumultuous events surrounding his injury, speaks volumes about his character. I believe it is also indicative that Sergeant Williams' future will reflect the positive outlook he pervades in the face of such a challenge."

MICHELLE OBAMA AT WALTER REED FISHER HOUSE

First Lady Michelle Obama greets 4-year-old Eun White at Fisher House No. 4 on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., April 4, 2012. DOD photo by Terri Moon Cronk

FROM AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
First Lady Visits Families at Walter Reed Fisher House
By Terri Moon Cronk
BETHESDA, Md., April 4, 2012 - The first ladies of the United States and the U.S. military helped to observe Easter and the Month of the Military Child here today by visiting children and their families at a Fisher House on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Foundation donates homes built on the grounds of major military and Veterans Affairs Department medical centers. The homes give family members a comfortable place to stay to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease or injury.

Bearing treats for everyone in the group, First Lady Michelle Obama walked into a flurry of children's Easter craft-making, greeted by a large sign in a rainbow of colors that said, "Welcome Mrs. Obama." Deanie Dempsey, wife of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, also was on hand.

"It is always one of my favorite things to come visit Fisher House," Obama told the group of about 45 recovering service members, their spouses and children. "This house is a home away from home to so many of our military families. The work they do here is amazing. Every single house that I have visited is just like this -- the level of quality, the level of comfort, the staff is always is amazing."

The first lady told the group that staying at the Fisher House while their service member is an inpatient or recovering at Walter Reed is something they deserve.

"Our military families, our troops -- you all deserve this kind of high-level treatment for what you go through for this country, for what you sacrifice," she said. "This should be the kind of place that welcomes you in times like these. So we always are just thrilled to shine a light on the good work [of the Fisher House]."

Obama said she came to the Fisher House to visit the families who are staying at house No. 4 at the medical center, but that she didn't come empty-handed. She brought White House-baked Easter cookies for everyone. As a second surprise, the first lady brought each family tickets for April 9's 134th annual White House Easter Egg Roll.
"It's very exciting," she said of the egg roll amid applause. "It's going to be so much fun. ... We've got hula hooping, and we've got tennis, and we've got games. So come ready to play, OK?"

Obama then revealed what she called the "most important treat" of her visit.
"I brought one of my best friends in the whole world, my only son," she said. Then Bo, the Obamas' Portuguese water dog, emerged wearing bunny ears as the children squealed with delight.

"Do you guys want to see Bo?" she asked as she began making her way to each of five tables to visit with every child and family member in the room.
Every child gave the first lady a handmade Easter card, and she signed copies of Marc Brown's children's book, "Arthur Meets the President."