An Amazing Marine Wounded in Iraq

This is the story of a marine you should know. His name is Kyle Anderson and he was wounded in Iraq last year when he was hit by an IED. He had been in Iraq for little more than a month when he was injured, and he had just turned 19. Let me tell you why Kyle is someone you should know.

Kyle's story starts before he was injured - this background merely highlights why he is someone to know besides being wounded in Iraq. Kyle was the all-state wrestling champion in Minnesota the year he graduated high school. He is one of the few to be in the all-state championships 5 years in a row instead of 4. In eighth grade he was allowed to be in the championship because of his abilities. Kyle is not a big guy. He is about 5' 10" tall and maybe 175 pounds. But he is such a strong willed and strategic thinker that he excels anyways.

Before leaving for Iraq Kyle's platoon had some sporting games on the beach in California. One of the competitions was wrestling. The matches were to 'hold and subdue'...basically wrestle till one of the opponents admits defeat. The winner moves to the next opponent. Kyle wrestled for more than 2 hours, with some opponents as large as 6' 8" tall and 250 pounds. He never lost.

Kyle's unit suffered quite a few casualties while in Iraq, but morale hit a low when Kyle was injured. He was a hero to all the men in his group - for the stories mentioned above as well as his attitude, kindness and humility. Kyle was thought to be dead as soon as he hit the ground after the IED exploded. Once it was clear he had somehow survived the blast it was a sure bet he wouldn't last very long - and off he was sent to Germany for medical treatment. His unit mourned.

Kyle's injuries were mainly to the back of his head. He ended up losing the entire left side of his brain after all was said and done. I had the privilage of meeting his commander, who was with Kyle when he was hit. Kyle was guarding a building at the time of the injury, and as his commander ran to him and held Kyle while waiting for transport he told me and Kyle's family that he thought Kyle would never make it. Kyle's injuries were gruesome and extremely severe...kind of like a shotgun blast to the back of the head.

Kyle was stablized, but infections from shrapnel held his life hostage. Finally, in an effort to remove all infection and prevent further infection his doctors decided to remove the entire left side of his brain. Kyle was in a coma for months afterwards, but his will to live was incredibly strong.

The prognosis for Kyle initially was grim. He might never wake, or if he does he might have extreme brain damage and never make a complete recovery. Kyle decided to prove everyone wrong. Kyle is fully conscious now, and is his normal self. He still has obstacles to hurdle, such as speech, reading and writing...but other than that his recovery is nothing if not amazing. Here's just one example - Kyle's parents were told by doctors that memory is stored in the left side of the brain, and since Kyle was now missing that part he surely had lost all memory of before. Kyle's doctors were wrong...Kyle has no memory losses, and his doctors are at a loss to explain how this is possible. The brain is an amazing machine.

Kyle doesn't think he's a hero, and he'll get angry if you push the issue. He believes he was just doing his job. He has no regrets about joining the military, no regrets about serving in Iraq, and is not despondent over his injuries. He was there to do a job and he did it. To him 'heroism' doesn't fit in the picture. Of course Kyle is not happy that he has the injuries he does, but he doesn't blame anyone for them.

I have been visiting Kyle in the hospital for about 7 months now. Despite his inability to speak, he can communicate quite well. I am honored to be able to visit him and call him a friend. If you are not a regular reader of my blog, Soldiers Angel - Holly Aho, you may not have heard of Kyle before. I highly recommend reading the following posts to learn more about him, he is inspiring!

How I first me Kyle - How It All Began for Me, Journey of an Angel
Kyle - Why Our Troops ARE a Cut Above the Rest
Horse Racing With a Marine
Interesting Meeting With a Marine Officer
Visiting Kyle Again at the VA Hospital
One Heck of a Day at the Airport!

You can also learn much more detailed information about Kyle (including a photo) and his journey from injury to recovery here. These updates, written by his family, also give a clear idea of what it's like to have a family member injured while in Iraq.