For example, most recently, Chad Hennings, former A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot and Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman, came to visit Hickam and did a morale visit to a lot of the squadrons. I spent the day following him around, talking to him, and taking photos.
On the other hand, the Air Force Birthday Ball was on Friday and I didn't particularly care to go. Spending a night all "dressed up" in uncomfortable blues at a formal ceremony where I had to stand at attention for every other person I talk to.. ehh.. not alluring. The Marine Corps Ball on the other hand, open bar and an evening gown; sign me up! Back to my point, I didn't buy a ticket because I didn't want to go. Buuuuut.. since I didn't buy a ticket that left me open to cover the event for the paper. Wooooonderful. (For the record, I made Tyler bring a camera and suffer with me. Misery loves company, right?)
So as I said, PA can sometimes rock, or ruin your day. In my case, recently, it's been amazing more than not.
The list of people I've met is topped by someone that most people have probably never heard of. His name is Brian Kolfage. He's a triple amputee from the Iraq war.
Senior Airman Kolfage lost both of his legs and his right hand when a 107mm rocket landed less than 10 feet in front of him as he walked out of his tent in Ballad. He is wheel chair bound with the most handsome smile you've ever seen, next to my husband of course! He made jokes about his situation, talked candidly about his injuries, showed me pictures from his operation and unscrewed his bionic hand for laughs. His story was incredible, and I feel obliged to tell it.
"I was just going to the gym," he said. "The gym was to the right, but I wanted to get a bottle of water before I went, so I hung a left outside my tent. I had only walked about twenty feet when I heard the rocket. I didn't have time to think though. The sound of the turbine had just registered, I can still hear it in my head. After that, I blacked out.
I woke up a few minutes later on the ground. I didn't know I'd been hurt yet. I could hear people screaming everywhere. I didn't know what had happened though. I was still trying to put it together; the people screaming, the dirt in my mouth, the fact that I was on the ground.. I started to think, oh crap, maybe something happened to me!"
A moment later, Brian's friend ran up and flipped his body over.
"At first, I looked over and saw that my hand was gone. I tried to look down at my legs, but my friend covered my eyes so I couldn't see. People started doing first aid for me while we were waiting for the medics. One guy took his shoelace off and tied it around my wrist to stop the bleeding. People started stuffing towels up into what was left of my legs to stop the bleeding. My friend literally hand up inside of me trying to stop my femoral artery from bleeding out.
When the medics showed up, that's when the pain started to set it. I started yelling at some Airman to give me some pain meds, but he told me they couldn't, because it would thin out my blood too much and I would bleed out.
The last thing I remember was being wheeled into Ballad hospital and passing under this big American flag that was draped across the ceiling."
Doctors immediately operated on Brian and sewed up his right wrist where his hand used to be. There was nothing left of his legs and they had to be amputated at the hip joints.
Brian was medically evacuated to Germany shortly after. His family was called and notified that they should fly to Germany to meet him there, because he wouldn't survive long enough to make it back to the states.
Somewhere along the way and during his flight to Germany, doctors decided that there was hope for Brian and they notified his family to fly to Maryland instead. Brian was treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. He spent two months in rehabilitation before he was finally sick of the hospital and begged for out-patient treatment.
"After two months, I got up and started to wander around the hospital. But I never once felt sorry for myself. I saw people that had their faces blown off, their heads caved in and severe burns. I had it easy."
Today, Brian is a newly-wed and a full time architect student. He gets around on his own and leads a mostly independent lifestyle. But of all the things Brian has accomplished since his injury, his attitude was what impressed me the most. He didn't once let his injuries get him down, quite the contrary, he made jokes about it. There wasn't a thing in the world that could've kept him from smiling.
Brian was easily the most incredible person I've met since I've been in the Air Force.
Senior Airman Brian Kolfage and I
Photographing Vice President Joe Bidens visit
On the set of Hawaii Five-0
Terry O'Quinn and I on the set of Hawaii Five-0
The Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy and I
Chad Hennings and I
(Former A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot during Desert Storm and Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman... and his three Superbowl rings on my right hand!)
