Final Project: Intervention or Support Plan-6411-wk10

The Effects of War and Combat – Part 1

The Effects of War and Combat – Part 1 Program Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

CLAUDE BOUSHEY: My name is Claude Boushey, and I work for the Virginia Wounded Warrior program as a veteran peer specialist. My military service started in 1983. I joined the Army when I was 17. And retired in 2010.

STEVEN MATOS: My name is Steven Matos. I served the United States Marine Corp from '98 through '05, and I served in Iraq back in January '03 to August '03.

RICHARD MALMSTROM: My name is Richard Malmstrom. I'm a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy.

CLAUDE BOUSHEY: I was nearly killed in a helicopter crash June 13, 2004, near Taji, Iraq. I was evac'ed out of theater, Iraqi theater into Landstuhl. I broke my back, and I broke my leg. And they were saying that, pretty much, good chance I might not be able to walk again. Or I might have some issues. Or might not make it through.

I went through four surgeries. One lasting about 16 hours on my spine and my leg. And I have a bunch of hardware in my body now. So my initial goal, for me, was just to recover. The second goal was to get back in the cockpit and flight again. And the third goal, for me, was to get back to Iraq.

RICHARD MALMSTROM: Probably the biggest experience-- or the most notable experience-- would be when I was assigned to the 3rd Battalion 25th Marines. We were assigned to the Sunni triangle in Iraq, just outside of Al Assad in 2005.

We were at a place called Haditha, just along the Euphrates River. But while we were there for seven months, we had 48 Marines who were killed in combat. Along with probably several hundred who were wounded in combat, as well.

I didn't want to go out too far into the field. I wanted to get as far as I could without putting myself at undue risk. So I had to remain back a little bit quite often. And as men were being killed and injured they were often brought back into our-- inside the wire.

And I would go up with the aid station. And primarily, my first priority were those that were either already dead, or those who were expected to die very soon. But by the time they got to me they were usually in pretty bad shape by the time they were there. And I would make sure that they were secure. I would make sure that we put them into body bags. That we identified them.

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The Effects of War and Combat – Part 1

I made it a habit of mine to go and put my hand on the remains and say a blessing for them. And I would say for the benefit of those that were there around us. And for the families, because I knew it was important for them. But I would say a blessing over the body, or what was left of the body. Then soon after putting them into a body bag, we'd put them on a helicopter to send them back home so that they could be interred with the family.

But it was tough, because I would go from there and then have to go take care of the Marines that were left behind. It was a reserve battalion, so many of the men had been friends for years. They weren't just guys who met a few months ago, and then started to deploy. But they were high school buddies, and friends from grade school that they now saw blown to pieces-- missing heads, missing arms, legs.

So damaged that the bone structure just didn't hold anymore. You could flex the body any way you wanted it to, or any way you want it to move so you could get it into the body bag. So I'd go right from putting them in the body bags and sending them home, to taking care of their buddies as best I could.

The Effects of War and Combat – Part 1 Additional Content Attribution

IMAGES: Images provided by http://www.istockphoto.com/

MUSIC: Creative Support Services Los Angeles, CA

Dimension Sound Effects Library Newnan, GA

Narrator Tracks Music Library Stevens Point, WI

Signature Music, Inc Chesterton, IN

Studio Cutz Music Library Carrollton, TX

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