This is a very sad personal story, one I've held off sharing with my Internet "family" as it is one all the prayers in the world wouldn't have changed. This one has been totally in God's hands, and those of a huge team of very dedicated doctors and nurses scattered from Iraq to Germany to Maryland.
Anyway, early November my young nephew (ex brother-in-law's son - US Navy on TAD from Hawaii) was critically injured near the Syrian border when the Level 1 Humvee he was being transported to a new location in was ambushed and took a direct missile hit only inches from him. Unbelievably, he was one of the 2 to even survive the completely destroyed Humvee. Derek was almost immediately transported to Germany where he was in surgery for days more or less just trying to save his life, and then was flown to Maryland 11/14 once stabilized enough for even more surgery. Those first 2 weeks were a harrowing time for his folks, wife and family as they were not allowed to go to him in Germany. His folks and pregnant new bride Andrea (married last April and also in the Navy in Hawaii), her folks as well as most of the rest of the family was finally able to go to him once he was in MD, and at least some of them have been with him constantly ever since. He's still doing about a major surgery every other day on average, but they are to the point now that he's expected to live barring unforeseen complications. He's lost a leg, and an arm and eye still remain in question, as well as the many organs and bones that were mutilated by shrapnel in the blast to the point they can't be repaired and will eventually have to be replaced. His brain trauma is still unknown and he remains confused much of the time, but he is in high spirits now just the same. Eye surgery now appears to have been successful on the eye although its expected his vision will be blurry through it. They still are doing daily "purges" trying to get the millions of small pieces of shrapnel out that litter his entire body. They will be flying him to Palo Alto, CA in about a week for testing on his brain trauma before sending him back to Walter Reed in DC for prosthetic's and the endless therapy and follow-up surgeries that will now be his life for a long time to come. Derek is now fine mentally about the whole ordeal, and shows the fighter in him by already doing therapy to regain the use of what he has left. Andrea is a super strong young lady standing tall beside her man and is proving to be Derek's greatest strength.
In the beginning, General Hagee (4 Star), the Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England, Dereks Commander from Hawaii and the US Area Commander from Iraq flew to MD to see Derek as well as many of his friends from his duty station in Hawaii. The entire family was surprised to see so many respond in person from so far away... but that was nothing compared to the visit Derek and Andrea got yesterday. President Bush stopped in to see them, visited for a while and presented Derek with a Purple Heart.
So friends, now you know. While I am not really a part of this family anymore legally since the divorce, over 35 years sharing the lives with this family means you still care deeply about them.
If you want to do anything, please just send a simple "thank you" to Derek and Andrea for the sacrifice they have made to keep the rest of us free and safe.
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***** UPDATE TO MAKE IT EASIER *****
In the interest of making it much easier for all this busy time of year.....and because Derek is going to be moving back and forth across the country to hospitals some the next couple of weeks. Just set up as special email account for Derek on my server that is already plumbed in to both an access point in MD that Andrea can download/print from, and his folks computer in CA.
So guys, just drop an email to:
Derek@wildcalls2k.com
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You can only send cards, no flowers or gifts or any kind - they will just be thrown out. He cant read them yet, but someone will read to him.
***CARDS ONLY***
HM2 Derek McGinnis
(Patient)
8901 Wisconsin Ave.
Bethesda, Md.
20889
Be sure to put the patient line because they move him from room to room all the time after the surgeries.
Thanks friends,
Uncle Larry
