Jason's Perspective

Below is Jason's recollection of what happened when he stepped on that land mine. He never lost consciousness. He says it was just like any other day - he thought they would go out and safely find another land mine like they had been doing for the past weeks.

13August2011

Agrhandab River Valley near Kandahar, Afghanistan

I woke up at 0530 to get ready for the patrol that was at 0630. So at 0630, seven guys including myself of first squad and four Afghan Army guys left the gate with our two shitty cheap metal detectors. We got to our objective at about 0700 which was a trail surrounded by two walls and a canal in the center of the trail. If you wanted to picture it, it looks like a big dirt wall with a trail that goes by it, then there's a canal that goes by it for irrigation. On the other side of the canal, there's a trail with another wall on the end of it. So it's like two lanes of traffic separated by a median. So once we got on the trail we decided that it was time to start clearing the trail for any land mines that the Taliban so thoughtfully placed in order to hurt us. Once we started clearing, we started using our little techniques that work out well like once you get a high ping on the metal detector you start probing. Probing means getting on all fours with a fixed blade knife firmly with a gentle grip, stabbing the ground at a 45 degree angle, searching for anything solid other than dirt and rock. So we then got SGT Chaisson, my Alpha team leader, up front in the column with PVT Higgins. They approach a suspected hot spot for mines and decide to probe the area. At which point I stopped, since I was the third back in the column. I decide to probe also, in a small circle surrounding me. I don't find anything. I stand up, waiting for the column to resume moving forward. We start to move forward, and as we move, I look back in order to see if the rest of the squad is moving with us. I pivot on my right foot. I hear a loud pop, but not loud enough to make your ears ring or make everything sound muffled. At the same time I was flying through the air. I didn't understand what was happening. I hit the ground, landing on my left shoulder and my helmet was wedged between a wall and tree trunk. My eyes were open the whole time and I remember seeing a thick cloud of dust. I didn't see anybody moving. I didn't understand what had happened. I started to realize a land mine had gone off, but I didn't think I was the one that stepped on it. I thought I was just next to someone when it had gone off. Then I started trying to move, and I started to feel a really intense burning all over my body. It had a very distinct smell, and I will never forget it. I tried to roll over on to my back, and once I did that I saw SGT Chaisson crawling towards me. I sat up to see what was going on, and that's when I saw my right leg for the first time. All I could see was an obvious slack in my pants, couldn't see my boot, and a little bit of blood. I looked at my left hand and saw blood running down the back of it. And I noticed I couldn't really open my left eye. That's when it really started to hurt, because I finally understood what was happening. And then I started screaming. A lot. At first I was screaming very hysterically "I don't want to die!" then I started screaming "I need my wife!" or "I need my mom!" I was wondering "what will I do now? I have a baby coming." I was a blubbering heap of crying. At that point, Doc Beyersdorf also crawled to me as well as PVT Higgins. SGT Chaisson put a tourniquet on my right remaining leg. And that's when I saw LT Kunkel standing over me, I said "It's alright sir, everything will be fine." I also told PVT Higgins, "It's not your fault, you're doing a really good job, keep it up and find the rest of these mines." Then the morphine came. The pain dulled out, but not totally, I could still feel it. Every other minute or so I'd find myself screaming and then calming down again. Chaisson, Higgins, and I don't know who else lifted me over a wall and put me in a clearing of the surrounding orchard. I heard the helicopter coming. They loaded me in to the helicopter and I remember the helicopter blowing dirt and leaves in to my face. It seemed like it lifted off but my legs were still hanging still half way out. The flight medics pulled me in. When I was laying in the helicopter, I looked straight up, and saw a guy with a flight helmet and black tinted visor looking at me, and then I faded out.

The next time I woke up I was in a hospital bed in Kandahar City with a two star general and what seemed like fifty other field grade ranking officers pinning a purple heart on to my hospital gown. They all shook my hand and said I did a great job, and that my guys did a great job, and they would look forward to seeing me again when I'm better. I was in Kandahar for probably about a day and then I flew to Bagram Air Force Base which is in Afghanistan still. I don't remember being there at all. Then I flew to Landsthul, Germany. That was the first time I was really coherent. They were giving me clothes and all the Red Cross volunteers were trying to force gift certificates down my throat. I was only there for about a day I think. Then they stuck me on a Stratotanker which is a giant refueling airplane. So they crammed 16 of us in to this small cargo compartment. When we were flying it felt like it was 112 degrees, and I was in tons of pain. They would only give me 2mg of Morphine which for a 200lb man, does nothing. Finally landed in America at Andrews Air Force Base. Where I was loaded on to an 8 passenger ambulance and was taken to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. One of the first to go directly there instead of to Walter Reed. When I was unloaded from the ambulance I looked around and saw my dad and my brother, they saw me and touched the bed, and I saw my brother who was in a 'semi cry'. They were probably expecting a bloody mess. I only saw them for a couple of minutes and then I was wheeled off to my room to get x-rays and labs.

This would be the beginning of a very long road to recovery.