Soldier continues recovering from his war wounds
By Jason Alley, The News-Herald
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2006
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Taking a shower was the highlight of Troy Crawford's day Monday.
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It was the first time he had been able to do so on his own in more than six weeks.
Bending over comfortably to tie his shoes is one of the next obstacles he's hoping to overcome.
But as the 25-year-old admits, he's just happy to be alive.
Craw-ford, an Army specialist, was critically wounded in Iraq last month when an improvised explosive device went off as he was walking with a convoy west of Baghdad.
The roadside bomb struck Crawford's right side, burning his body and leaving shrapnel wounds in his chest and backside.
Though he blacked out soon after the March 10 attack, the 1998 Lincoln Park High School graduate said he remembers being blasted through the air and slamming into the ground.
As medics came running toward him, he said, he tried to count all of his fingers and toes as a way to survey the damage to his body. With his left arm behind him, he wasn't able to.
"I kept asking the guys if everything was all right and they said, 'Don't worry about it,'" he said. "I thought, 'Uh oh,' but luckily, everything worked out."
After being loaded onto a Humvee, Crawford said he lost consciousness again and woke up five days later in the intensive care unit of a military hospital in Germany.
He quickly stablized and was flown stateside to the renowned Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
After successfully undergoing a number of surgeries, Crawford has been moved from the hospital to the Malogne House, a nearby hotel for recuperating soldiers and their families
His fiancee, Lauren Huff, has been with him from the start, staying in the nation's capital to be by his side night and day. The 21-year-old Southgate woman flew in wondering how badly her boyfriend was wounded, and now is reminded daily as she picks pieces of shrapnel out of his scarred body.
"She is such a strong and incredible woman," Crawford said.
Within a couple of weeks, he's hoping to be granted a 30-day leave so he can return home to visit with friends and family.
"I can't wait," he said. "I'm healing really well and, hopefully, everything is going to work out."
After his month's leave, he'll eventually have to return to the hospital to have reconstructive surgery on an eardrum. After that, if everything else checks out OK, the Army will decide whether to discharge him or send him back to duty.
While no one has done so yet, Crawford said he has been told that an Army official will ask if he has a preference. If given that choice, he plans to request to be discharged to return home to finish college.
In his second tour of duty, having first served in the Marines, Crawford said he has seen a lot of dedicated people and would love to have the opportunity to become a paramedic, a firefighter or a nurse.
"Seeing the way these people help other people has really intrigued me," he said. "There's a lot I can do to help people, like those who have helped me."
Contact Staff Writer Jason Alley at jalley@heritage.com or at 1-734-246-0867.
Injured soldier thanks supporters
Army Spec. Troy Crawford, a 1998 Lincoln Park High School graduate who was critically injured last month when a roadside bomb struck him as his convoy traveled west of Baghdad, recently wrote this letter from his Army hotel room in Washington, D.C.
I am writing to let you know that I am doing great. I am now out of the hospital and am considered an outpatient.
I am at a place they call the Malogne House, which is a hotel where they put soldiers who are well enough to be on their own, but still have to visit the doctor for appointments.
It is a good place to be. No doctors running around coming in your room at all hours of the night. You actually get some peace and quiet.
All of my surgeries are complete and now it is just follow-up sessions with my doctors to see how well my wounds are healing and to change two dressings.
My fiancee is with me here to help me with anything I need. They have taught her how to change the small dressings and also how to pick little pieces of shrapnel that are finding its way to the surface of my body. And wow, does it hurt.
She has been great through all of this. She has been there right by my side through it all. Even though the military does not recognize her because we are not married, she has found ways to be right there.
She has had to pay for everything out of pocket to this point. But as long as she is there to be with me, she said, it is all worth every penny.
I know it has been hard on her, too. She has had to deal with so much being here - seeing me in the state I was in when I first came here, and then having to deal with not actually being a military wife, so kind of being in the dark about some stuff. She is such a strong and incredible woman.
I have two bigger wounds - one on the small of my back and the other on my buttocks - that do hinder me from completing things that people take for granted. At least I did before I was injured.
Bending over and putting on my shoes or pulling my pants up, or even picking up an object that fell on the floor, are things that used to not be a problem a few weeks ago, but are now like miniature puzzles that I have to solve.
I really cannot complain, though, because I am one of the lucky ones.
I see soldiers walking and wheeling around here all the time with missing limbs, and I thank the Lord that he gave me a second chance with everything attached.
I watch some of these guys struggle with everyday tasks that would be simple for anyone else and they have the toughest time doing. You want to go over there and help, but are afraid that you might embarrass them or make them look like a fool.
I know as soon as I could do something on my own, I was independent with that task and didn't want anyone's help with it. It is like you conquer a hurdle and it feels great.
So here I am, doing good, feeling good (pain is managed well by medicine), and, hopefully, as soon as I can get back into the gym, I'll be looking good, too.
I definitely can't wait to get home to see my friends and family and to thank everyone for keeping me in their prayers and caring so much about me.
The support was great all around. I really would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers. I received so many phone calls and cards and e-mails saying get well soon and thank you for your service.
Sometimes it is emotional when you get a card from a third- or fourth-grader saying thanks and you are doing a great job and get well soon. You know that they genuinely care.
I should be getting 30 days leave soon, so I should be home then. Man, is it going to be great to actually see Downriver again. I definitely can't wait. Until then, I guess I'll just take it one day at a time.