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Leading the fight is U S Marine Gunnery Sgt Michael Burghardt, known as ‘Iron Mike’ or just ‘Gunny’. Sgt Burghardt is on his third tour in Iraq. He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour.

Then, on September 19, he got blown up.

He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US Marines. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. ‘You can’t react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision,’ he explains. So, protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term ‘the longest walk’, stepping gingerly into a 5 foot deep and 8 foot wide crater.
The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7 inch knife to probe the ground.. ‘I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs,’ he says. ‘That’s when I knew I was screwed.’ Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant’s feet ‘A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded,’ he recalls. ‘As I was in the air I remember thinking, ‘I don’t believe they got me…’ I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down’.

His fellow Marines cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there ‘My dad’s a Vietnam vet who’s paralyzed from the waist down,’ says Sgt Burghardt. ‘I was lying there thinking I didn’t want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, ‘Good, I’m in business.’

As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. ‘I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn’t going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher.’ He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. ‘I flipped them one.. It was like, ‘OK, I lost that round but I’ll be back next week’.’

Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit.
Sgt Burghardt’s injuries – burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks – kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father – who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam – he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.

You speak for all of us sir! Thank you.

When I discovered it on Producer Cate Poole’s Website I was eager to get it on YouTube so more people could experience the moving video. Cate agreed and added it within a days time. Her other work is equally impressive, but off topic for Able Veterans. Visit here Website to check out her portfolio.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Disabled Veterans Home Improvement and Structural Alteration Grant Increase Act of 2009 – Increases from: (1) $4,100 to $6,800 the amount authorized to be paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for improvements and structural alterations for homes of veterans with service-connected disabilities of 50% or more; and (2) $1,200 to $2,000 the amount authorized for such purpose for veterans with service-connected disabilities of less than 50%, and certain other veterans.

Bill sponsor: Rep. Stephen Buyer [R-IN4]

Full text of Bill

This bill has been passed in the House. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the Senate. Keep in mind that debate may be taking place on a companion bill in the Senate, rather than on this particular bill. Veterans Business Center Act of 2009 – Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish within the SBA a Veterans Business Center program (program), headed by a Director, to provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans. Authorizes the Director to make grants to each entity designated as a veterans business center. Requires each center to use such funds on veteran entrepreneurial development, counseling of veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one instruction and classes, and providing government procurement assistance to veterans.

Targets populations where veterans and veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom exceed the national median.
Requires the Director to establish, with respect to veteran-owned small businesses, grant programs for: (1) access to capital; (2) procurement assistance; and (3) service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

Authorizes the Director to carry out, every two years, a veterans entrepreneurial development summit.

Requires an annual report from the Administrator to Congress on appointments made to, and activities of, the interagency task force on veteran-owned small businesses.

Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from collecting a housing loan fee from any veteran who, but for the receipt of active service pay, would be entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability.

Training takes up to nine months and costs exceed $20,000. Freedom Service Dogs doesn’t charge its clients but relies on private donations and foundation grants.

“The population is growing exponentially down in Fort Carson with the Wounded Warriors program,” said Freedom Service Dogs’ Diane Vertovec, referring to the Army unit that prepares wounded soldiers for civilian life. “We feel like a dog can help a vet meet physical challenges but, more importantly, can really, really help them overcome a lot of the mental instability that they’re feeling.”

Currently Service Dogs can train 43 dogs per year — a number that doesn’t come close to meeting demand. There are about 450 soldiers in the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Fort Carson.

Source: Alysia Patterson – The Associated Press

Patriot Express, launched in June 2007, builds on the more than $1 billion in loans SBA guarantees annually for veteran-owned businesses, and the counseling assistance and procurement support it provides each year to more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans and Reserve members.

“This commitment to more than 25 million veterans across the country, and the thousands returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is something we at SBA take seriously,” SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills said.  “The Patriot Express initiative, in conjunction with other SBA programs, goes directly to the needs of our veterans who want to start, or already have their own businesses.  This critical access to capital helps them grow their businesses and create good paying jobs in their communities.”

Patriot Express is a streamlined loan product based on the SBA’s highly successful SBA Express Program, but with a better guaranty and lower interest rate.  The Patriot Express loan is offered by SBA’s network of participating lenders nationwide and features one of SBA’s fastest turnaround times for loan
approvals.  Loans are available up to $500,000 and qualify for SBA’s maximum guaranty of up to 90 percent.

The Patriot Express loan can be used for most business purposes, including start-up, expansion, equipment purchases, working capital, inventory or business-occupied real-estate purchases.  Local SBA district offices will have a listing of Patriot Express lenders in their areas.  Details on the initiative can be found at www.sba.gov/patriotexpress.

Patriot Express loans are available to veterans, service-disabled veterans, active-duty service members participating in the military’s Transition Assistance Program, Reservists and National Guard members, current spouses of any of the above, and the widowed spouse of a service member or veteran who died during service, or of a service-connected disability.

For those who are already small business owners and who expect call-up, the SBA and its resource partners have expertise to assist with preparing their businesses before deployment, managing their businesses, selling goods and services to the government, obtaining other SBA financing and financial
assistance, and obtaining loans for economic injury – Military Reserve Economic Injury Disaster Loans (MREIDL) – Loans of up to $2 million are available for small businesses sustaining economic injury because an owner or essential employee has been called to active duty as a military reservist.

The SBA and its Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) provides comprehensive assistance, outreach and support to veterans.  Each year the SBA assists more than 200,000 veterans, service-disabled veterans and reservists.  Go to www.sba.gov/vets.

Veterans Airlift Command

Pictured to the left is Walt Fricke whose own experience led him to launch this great cause. Here’s a quote from Mr. Fricke from their Website:

“I spent six months in a hospital 700 miles from my hometown recovering from combat injuries sustained while flying a helicopter in Vietnam. My healing began in earnest when my family was able to gather the resources to make a trip to visit me.”

Walt Fricke
Founder, Veteran’s Airlift Command

Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.

Currently their priority is on the veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). As they grow and increased capacity allows, they plan to expand their mission to serve veterans of other conflicts as well.

Reading through their stories where their service has brought families together after long periods apart due to hospitalization is heartwarming. They really are leaving “no man behind”.

I can’t help recall my experience back in the 70’s when I was laid up in Walter Reed for a week at 15 years of age. It was very rare someone came in to visit the soldiers (I was the only civilian) and when my family came in for their one visit I recall feeling guilty as most of them had been laid up there for many weeks and months.

My hat goes off to Mr. Fricke and his entire organization. They are doing good.

Website: Veterans Airlift Command

Charity Navigator gives DAV Charitable Service Trust above average marks with a 4-star rating. Review them here: Charity Navigator rates DAVCST

For information on Camp Patriot and their great cause visit: Camp Patriot and follow them on twitter at: twitter.com/camp_patriot

Here are a few of the pictures of the group from last year’s summit climb which included country music recording artist Keni Thomas and CNN Senior reporter Alex Quade. The able veterans included; Ryan Job, Joey Martinez, and Chad Jukes.

Ryan is a former navy seal who was shot by a sniper in iraq that cause permanant blindness. He is also Camp Patriot spokesperson.I found this amazing account of Ryan’s incident on Blackfive.net: Navy Seal Ryan Job

Joey is former marine recon who has partial blindness after he was shot in Iraq. I found this article covering the 2008 ascent of Rainier by Joey, Chad, and Ryan: Bravery, determination on ascent of Rainier

Chad is a former army Transportation SGT whose convoy was ambushed in Iraq leading to his injury resulting in him being an amputee below the knee. Here’s an article about the incident that left Chad injured: Climb back into life

Clearly these men are all patriots and quite able veterans. While this climb was no doubt arranged for them, it probably does more for people like me who are inspired by their unshaken positive attitude and willingness to push on despite their injuries sustained while serving us.

With respect.

Camp Patriot Base Camp

Chad Jukes

On the Muir Snow Field

Veterans on Camp Muir

Climb to MT Rainier

A proud moment for Chad Jukes, Joey Martinez, Ryan Job