Twenty seven years ago I was injured during storm. I was thrown out of a flight line utility vehicle and
On my skull and was badly injured, I have been through many difficultly. Since the accident I have
Gained much wisdom and compassion for others suffer from chronic pain.
Before the beginning of desert storm I was deployed to panama to set up a forward operating base
So the other branches of the military to help proceed with the operations of our objectives in the event
We went to war. I arrived back at Charleston air force base and was informed that we have gone to war.
My squadron was tasked to send all of our equipment to panama; I was already on base working for
Five hours when desert storm became real world. My squadron worked well into the night loading the
Trucks and aircraft with much needed equipment. My squadron worked twelve hours and I was on my
Seventeenth hour, my squadron was going to take me back to the section and I replied its only going
To take twenty minutes to put the age equipment back on the ready line, so I said lets go and get it
Done, when we were finished I called our section to pick us up, the expediter showed up and all twelve
Of us climbed in the back of the half ton pick-up, I climbed in last because I had a sixty five pound tool
Box, then we drove back to the section.
When we arrived at the section, the truck stopped and as I waited while everybody else was getting
Out of the vehicle, when it was my turn I picked up my tool box and stepped over the tailgate and
Put my foot on the bumper to step out of the truck and then the truck preceded to drive away as was
Thrown out of the back and landed on my skull, I jumped up embarrassed, bent down to pick my tool
Box and found myself waking up in the hospital.
The day the doctor came in and asked me how I was injured, so I told him what happened and I asked
Him (as I was thinking to myself I should have went back to the section when I had been asked. The
Twenty minutes that changed my life) so Doctor tell me how bad is it. That’s the beginning of my chronic
Pain journey. I was twenty four years old
The wisdom I’ve gained is that I’m not in a wheel chair and can walk, everything could have turned out
Worse. I have compassion for other people that have chronic pain. I won’t give up, broken or
Not.