I have not posted an update on my oldest son in a long time, but there has been a lot going on, sometimes good and sometimes not so good. He is about to be out of the military after 12 years now and as most of you know he was blown up by an IED in Dec. 2006 and they took his leg in 2007.
Well he has had it cut off 4 times including that first one and each time it heals and gets pretty good for a while, but soon his stump tears open and has a hard time healing again and even if it does it's only a short time before it open again and good many time with infection.
Now that he's getting out and going to work for the Green Beret Foundation he and his wife are most likely getting a divorce. He does get disability also, but has a pretty bad case of PTSD as well which is a whole other problem. Then Yesterday he called me today after his trip to see his prosthesis guy and a doctor he wanted him to see since his stump keeps tearing open and has been like this since they cut it off in 2007. He has had it cut off again 4 times and now this doc took X-rays and said he would have to have some cut off again, good grief! He told him he told him could wait, but that would only be putting it off until later as it has to happen. He said he had not set the date yet just because that was the last thing on his mind going over over to Orlando to see this new Doc, so it was a big surprise and not something he was prepared for, but he knew by the time he called me that it would happen in the next 2 weeks. So in the next 2 weeks he will have his 5th amputation and hope and pray this one is good. Part of the problem is he was burned so bad that his skin is very thin and has no give like normal skin does.

Thanks for the support you guys have given! We all appreciate all the prayers from before and want to thank you in advance for another round of prayers.

Everything will be ok! Be encouraged brother!

Just put your trust in Jesus and pray to god and he will fixed it. Keep your head up.

I will pray for my fellow Veteran. I hope when he gets out he can find an awesome civilian specialist to get it fixed for good!

prayers up Skip!

God I hope so! Dear God I pray that his skin has enough flex to end these trips to the DOC'S! My oldest came back with that PTSD it has got him all knotted up on the inside somethan awful. He said they might let him come fish with me in October. God Bless Ya'll

God is great....and can heal anything. Good Bless with prayers Skip.

"God forbid, my dear and faithful lord,
That you should fashion ... or bow your reading....
For God doth know how many now in health
Shall drop their blood in approbation
Of what your reverence shall incite us to.
Therefore take heed how you impawn our person,
How you awake our sleeping sword of war....
For never two such kingdoms did contend
Without much fall of blood, whose guiltless drops
Are every one a woe, a sore complaint
'Gainst him whose wrongs gives edge unto the swords
That makes such waste in brief mortality." (Henry V - Act 1, scene 2)

Dad served in Korea, two nephews did multiple tours in Iraq and Afganistan, lost a third nephew in Iraq (IED). As a father, citizen and patriot you sir have my utmost respect. I will, as I often do, pray for our soldiers.

Wow Skip. This is heartbreaking to hear. Tonight my wife and I will ask God specifically for healing for your son's leg and that the skin will be restored to its original strength. We will also pray that God will give him the tools to cope with the mental and emotional trauma that he is faced with. I can only imagine the difficulty.

I don't know the faith background of your son, but God has promised a brand new body in eternity in Heaven to those who have trusted Jesus as their personal savior. Check out 1 Corinthians 15:52-54.

Prayers sent sir.

Thanks guys we all really appreciate it!

tshirtfan he's had awesome support from the military partly because he is in Special Forces and was so respected that they created a job for him after his injury at SOCOM in Tampa. He has had his surgeries at San Antonio, Tampa, Near Washington DC at Georgetown and even was sent to St. Louis to a specialist for his drop foot before the first amputation. That one was what got him to have it taken off in the first place. He still wanted to return to a Unit at that time and they told him even with repair of his nerves the best it would be is a 3 based on a 5 scale which wouldn't let him still jump out of air planes which is what he wanted to do.

It took a long time before he would give up the idea of returning to action with a Unit. He felt that it ended way too soon after going through what he did to become a Green Beret at 37 years old.

A little back ground for you that don't know the story. He joined up right after 9/11. He was in the 3rd ID when they first went into Iraq and his company was part of the ones that set the speed record for moving that far and were the ones that took over the airport in Bagdad and first that went downtown there. when he came back it just was not good enough so he signed up for selection for Special Forces and made it in. It took almost 2 years of additional training to get that Green beret and then next time over to Iraq is when the IED was set off under his vehicle. It was a shaped charge, the kind from Iran and was set off by someone watching which then there was a fire fight. It didn't go off right or he would have been cut into and killed. He was lucky, but still injured pretty bad as his legs burned really bad and he has no buttocks at all as they were blown off. Lots of nasty shrapnel inside him too. They were out looking for the bad guys and just got caught in a trap.

It took a couple days to get out of Iraq because of the weather, but as soon as they took him to Germany a burn unit flew out of San Antonio to Germany to pick him up and bring him back. The security even back here in the hospital was very tight and they didn't even put his name on the door to his room. We were told not to say much on line as far as his name and stuff like that as they wanted to keep all that to a minimum and even told part of the family that had planned some kind of event that they didn't want them doing that. This was to protect him and us as his family.

Thanks again guys.

Prayer's up Skipper, hope he makes it this time.

You know I am and have been praying Skip. I will continue not only for him but his mental state and his marriage.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! I am a military brat of a career serviceman, and have the fullest respect for those who have served our nation so valiantly. I pray that this will be the last of the surgeries for your brave son, and hope he can get on with his life without further complications.

Most of all, tell him thank you from all of us. His service and sacrifice safeguard our liberties, and ensure we can be free to participate in groups such as this website, and have the freedom to enjoy the outdoors that we are so blessed with!

Thank you as well... For raising such a brave young man.

God Bless!

skip,thank your son for all thathe has done and all that GOD will continue to allow him to do!GOD be the glory,he is the true healer!

Prayers all around. Healing Lord.