Body Wounded, Spirit Intact

Body wounded, spirit intact

By LARRY LIPMAN Palm Beach Post Washington Bureau Sunday, December 02, 2007 WASHINGTON — Army Spec. Kevin Hardin stares intently at a stack of colored "clothespins" on a vertical spindle. His goal: Move the pins from the vertical rod to a horizontal rod inches away. With painstaking deliberation, the former medic from Jupiter grips a pin between his pinkie and ring finger, because he no longer has a thumb and index finger on his right hand. He squeezes the pin and carefully positions it on the horizontal rod, a smile of triumph breaking out on his boyish face. It's a task he could have done without thinking three months ago. But then a rocket slammed through a Humvee when he was on patrol in Samarra, Iraq. Now the 21-year-old called "Doc" by his squad is fighting his own medical battle at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Since being wounded Sept. 30, he has undergone 14 surgeries to repair his Army medic to patient shattered bones and torn muscles, reconstruct an eyelid and remove the many pieces of shrapnel lodged throughout his body. Some, like the roughly half-dozen Audio slide show BB-sized pieces in his brain, may never come out. He has so many skin grafts on his arms and hands, his nickname among his fellow patients is "Patches." This week he goes under the knife again, this time to remove the rods sticking out of his left arm and the large pins in his right hand. Hardin sees it as a sign of progress, but he acknowledges he has a long way to go. Later in December, Hardin will be transferred to a medical center in Tampa for more evaluation of the shrapnel in his brain. Then he'll return to Walter Reed for more months of treatment and therapy. Injuries uproot family Despite the dramatic turn his life has taken over the past three months, Hardin is upbeat. "What is there to regret? Doing a service to your country - I love to help people - there's nothing to regret about it," he said in a recent interview. Most of the other wounded soldiers at Walter Reed share his view, Hardin said. "The soldiers here ... they accept their injuries. They don't let them get them down. They keep a positive outlook on life," he said. "There's very few soldiers that think negative." The second of Charles and Terry Hardin's four sons - all of whose first names start with the letter K - Kevin was "very much involved with the Army JROTC program at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens," his mother said in an e-mail. Hardin was just 17 and working at a local Home Depot when he called his father one day in June 2004 and said: "Dad, what would you say if I told you I just joined the Army?" The Hardins said they were shocked by the quick enlistment but supported their son "100 percent." They even got license plate holders that read: "Proud Army Dad" and "Proud Army Mom." They have Army stickers and pictures of Kevin prominently displayed throughout their home, Terry Hardin said. After basic training, Hardin was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He wanted to be in the infantry, but that was ruled out when it was discovered he was color-blind. Instead, Hardin was offered the post of combat medic, a rifle-toting healer on the front lines. Hardin not only treated his wounded comrades but also trained them how to perform virtually as much first aid as he knew. "He trained each one of his men to be a combat lifesaver, not knowing that one day they would save their 'doc's' life," Terry Hardin said. The gunner in Hardin's Humvee used the training Hardin had given him to treat Hardin in the moments after the attack. The rocket shattered Hardin's left forearm and tore off his right thumb, leaving his nearly severed right forefinger hanging by a piece of skin. It also peppered his upper torso with shrapnel. Doctors first had to provide constant blood flow to Hardin's left hand, so they attached his arm to an artery in his left hip for about three weeks. They tried unsuccessfully to move the dangling index finger to replace the missing thumb but finally had to amputate it. The tip of his left middle finger also was severed. Hardin said he writes and shoots with his left hand but uses his right for most other activities. Before one surgery, Hardin implored his father: "Dad, whatever you do, please don't let them take my trigger finger," Terry Hardin said. Hardin's injuries have affected his entire family. They had been planning to leave Palm Beach County to move to Massachusetts, where Hardin's older brother, Kenny, lives with his wife and daughter. A second child is expected this month. Kevin's father, Charles, had quit his security guard job in preparation for the move, but when Kevin arrived at Walter Reed on Oct. 2, Charles took up residence there as well, staying until Nov. 12. Because of his extended stay in Washington, Charles Hardin was unable to look for another job. Also, because of the family's frequent trips to Washington, they decided to withdraw Kevin's brothers - Kyle, 16, and Keith, 14 - from school. The brothers are now enrolled in the public Florida Virtual School. Terry Hardin has been able to continue working as a legal secretary in a Palm Beach County law firm. "Our family has been totally amazed at the outpouring of spirit that total strangers have shown to Kevin," Terry said. Two organizations, Operation First Response and Veterans Airlift, have borne the cost of flying the Hardin family repeatedly between Florida and Washington. Another, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, paid for their stays at the Malone House, a hotel on the Walter Reed compound, she said. Project Prayer Flag has given the family money and supported them, "most of all, through prayers," Terry said. The Rotary Club of Jupiter-Tequesta purchased a laptop computer for Hardin that was delivered by Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens. Mahoney has visited Hardin several times, bringing car magazines, get-well wishes from schoolchildren and arranging deliveries of Kevin's favorite pizza: Hawaiian, she said. College on horizon Hardin said he hasn't given much thought to the long-term future. He hopes to be fitted with a prosthetic thumb. He hopes to go to college and maybe get a job in law enforcement or teaching. He's also looking forward to seeing his pit bull terrier, Dia, and driving his vintage 1968 Ford Torino, which his father had been working on the day they learned Kevin had been wounded. And he talks longingly about wanting a Ford F-150 extended cab, four-door truck. "I want that so bad," he said. Once a day, Hardin leaves his small private room on the fifth floor at Walter Reed and goes two levels down to the occupational therapy room. That's where he squeezes the clothespins, each of which has a different amount of tension, and learns to cut with a knife specially designed for amputees without thumbs. Hardin said he never thought much about the possibility he would be wounded when he enlisted in 2004, but he hoped he would be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. He spent 13 months in Iraq attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. "That's why I joined, to make a difference," he said. "If I knew it was all going to happen, ... I still would have done it. Nothing would have stopped me from joining."

Fort Hood Medic-Turned-Patient Keeps Spirits High

By LARRY LIPMAN Cox News Service Sunday, December 02, 2007 WASHINGTON — Army Spc. Kevin Hardin stares intently at a stack of colored "clothespins" on a vertical spindle. His goal: move the pins — each of which has a different amount of tension — from the vertical rod to a horizontal rod inches away. It's a task Hardin could have done almost without thinking three months ago. But then a rifle-launched rocket slammed through a Humvee when he was on patrol in Samarra, Iraq, tearing huge chunks out of his hands and arms. It left his spirit intact, though. With painstaking deliberation, Hardin grips a pin between his pinkie and ring finger, because he no longer has a thumb and index finger on his right hand. He squeezes the pin and carefully positions it on the horizontal rod, a smile of triumph breaking out on his boyish face. Hardin is a former medic from Jupiter, Fla., whose squad based at Ft. Hood, Texas, used to call him "Doc." Now he is fighting his own medical battle at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Since being wounded on Sept. 30, Hardin has undergone 14 surgeries to repair his shattered bones and torn muscles, reconstruct an eyelid, and remove the many pieces of shrapnel lodged throughout his body. He has so many skin grafts on his arms and hands, his nickname among his fellow patients is "Patches." But some shrapnel, like the roughly half dozen BB-sized pieces in his brain, may never come out. Next week he goes under the knife again, this time to remove the rods sticking out of his left arm and the large pins in his right hand. Hardin sees it as a sign of progress, but he acknowledges he has a long way to go. Later in December, Hardin, 21, will be transferred to a medical center in Tampa for more evaluation of the shrapnel in his brain. Then he'll return to Walter Reed for more months of treatment and therapy. Despite the dramatic turn his life has taken over the past three months, Hardin is upbeat. "What is there to regret? Doing a service to your country — I love to help people — there's nothing to regret about it," he said in a recent interview. Most of the other wounded soldiers at Walter Reed share his view, Hardin said. "The soldiers here ... they accept their injuries. They don't let them get them down. They keep a positive outlook on life," he said. "There's very few soldiers that think negative." The second of Charles and Terry Hardin's four sons — all of whose first names start with the letter K — Kevin was "very much involved with the Army JROTC program at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens," his mother said in an e-mail. Hardin was just 17 and working at the local Home Depot when he called his father one day in June 2004 and said: "Dad, what would you say if I told you I just joined the Army?" The Hardins said they were shocked by the quick enlistment, but supported their son "100 percent." They even got license plates that read "Proud Army Dad" and "Proud Army Mom." They have Army stickers and pictures of Kevin prominently displayed throughout their home, Terry Hardin said. After basic training, Hardin was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division stationed at Ft. Hood. He wanted to be in the infantry, but that was ruled out when it was discovered he was color-blind. Instead, Hardin was offered the post of combat medic, a rifle-toting healer on the front lines. Hardin not only treated his wounded comrades, but trained them how to perform virtually as much first aid as he knew. "He trained each one of his men to be a combat lifesaver, not knowing that one day they would save their 'doc's' life," Terry Hardin said. The gunner in Hardin's Humvee used the training Hardin had given him to treat Hardin in the moments after the attack. The rocket shattered Hardin's left forearm and tore off his right thumb, leaving his nearly severed right forefinger hanging by a piece of skin. It also peppered his upper torso with shrapnel. Doctors first had to provide constant blood flow to Hardin's left hand, so they attached his arm to an artery in his left hip for about three weeks. They tried unsuccessfully to move the dangling index finger to replace the missing thumb, but finally had to amputate it. The tip of his left middle finger was also severed. Hardin said he writes and shoots with his left hand, but uses his right for most other activities. Before one surgery, Hardin implored his father: "Dad, whatever you do, please don't let them take my trigger finger," Terry Hardin said. Hardin's injuries have affected his entire family. Kevin's father, Charles, had quit his security guard job in preparation for the move, but when Kevin arrived at Walter Reed on Oct. 2, Charles took up residence there as well, staying full time until Nov. 12. Terry Hardin has been able to continue working as a legal secretary in a Palm Beach County law firm. "Our family has been totally amazed at the outpouring of spirit that total strangers have shown to Kevin," Terry said. Two organizations, Operation First Response and Veterans Airlift, have borne the cost of flying the Hardin family repeatedly between Florida and Washington. Another, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, paid for their stays at the Malone House, a hotel on the Walter Reed compound, she said. Project Prayer Flag has given the family money and supported them, "most of all, through prayers," Terry said. Kevin said he hasn't given much thought to the long-term future. Eventually he hopes to be fitted with a prosthetic thumb. He hopes to go to college and maybe someday get a job in law enforcement or teaching. He's also looking forward to seeing his pit bull terrier, Dia, and driving his vintage 1968 Ford Torino, which his father had been working on the day they learned Kevin had been wounded. And he talks longingly about wanting a Ford F-150 extended cab, four-door truck. "I want that so bad," he said. Hardin said he never thought much about the possibility he would be wounded when he enlisted in 2004, but he hoped he would be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. He spent 13 months in Iraq attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. "That's why I joined, to make a difference," he said. "If I knew it was all going to happen ... I still would have done it. Nothing would have stopped me from joining."

NEWS RELEASE Please Join in Welcoming Home a Local Hero From Iraq Release Date: 7/31/2008 Contact: Lynelle Chauncey Zelnar, Executive Director Corporate: (561) 369-2933 Cell: (561) 248-6064 Miami/Dade/Florida Keys: (305) 378-6437 For Immediate Release BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., August 1, 2008 – After being seriously wounded in combat on September 30, 2007, Army Specialist Kevin Hardin returns home to Palm Beach County tomorrow. The former medic from Jupiter was serving in the 1st Calvary Division as a combat medic when a rocket struck his humvee while on patrol in Samarra, Iraq. Since that day Kevin has undergone 23 surgeries to repair shattered bones and torn muscles, and remove shrapnel throughout his body. Please join in welcoming home a local hero from Iraq on August 2, 2008 at 9:50 pm at Palm Beach International Airport. In conjunction with Senator Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) district office and Forgotten Soldiers Organization, Park Limo has offered to donate their services in welcoming home a Palm Beach County hero. "It is certainly both a pleasure and a privilege to assist this young man in any way we can. It's important that we all, as Americans, recognize the heroism our young men and women are showing and the sacrifices they are making for our freedom" said John Campagnuolo of Park Limo. “This is a special time that the community really needs to come together to show our support from the homefront! Although “FSO” mission is sending support via monthly care packages to our U.S. servicemen and women serving overseas, it is just as important that we show our support to these hero’s when the come home….Kevin’s visit is only for a short time, before he returns to Walter Reed for more surgery, but let’s give him a WARM welcome and THANK YOU! Your support not only means so much to Kevin, but to the entire Hardin family” said Lynelle Chauncey Zelnar, Executive Director and Founder of Forgotten Soldiers Outreach . **Please no Hand Shaking to Kevin, due to intense pain in his hands that he is currently experiencing! Hugs, smiles and waves are GREAT! For more information regarding this homecoming, please contact Terry Hardin (Spc. Kevin Hardin’s proud mom) at 561-632-0739. Forgotten Soldiers Outreach has sent care packages to well over 25,000 of our U.S. troops who are serving on active duty with U.S. armed forces Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, Inc., is a national 501(c) tax exempt corporation and can be reached at 561- 369-2933 or in Miami/Dade/Florida Keys at 305-378-6437 or at [email protected] for more information. Note: this is a non-political event, and please, no soliciting at this homecoming ###

Thankful to be alive

Jupiter family, friends rally around soldier wounded in Iraq

BY KIT BRADSHAW [email protected] Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Photo provided Army Spc. Kevin Hardin was serving in Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in Iraq.

Photo provided Spc. Kevin Hardin is flanked by his parents, Charles and Terry Hardin of Jupiter, after he was airlifted from Iraq to Walter Reed Hospital. The young Army medic was injured in an ambush. While he was driving a Humvee, an anti-tank rocket missed the tank and hit his vehicle instead. Hardin suffered severe wounds, including shrapnel that is still imbedded in his face and head, a shattered left arm and the loss of two fingers on his right hand, including his thumb.

Charles and Terry Hardin of Jupiter don't know if their son, Army Spc. Kevin Hardin, 21, will regain full use of his left arm. They don't know how much the shrapnel lodged in his head will affect his life or his memory. They're not sure if he will be able to get a prosthetic device to replace his right thumb. But they do know they are thankful their son is alive. "It is only through God's goodness that we have Kevin," said Terry Hardin. "Our other sons — Kenny, Kyle and Keith — have really stepped up, especially Kyle and Keith because they are only 16 and 14 and are still home. "They help me when their dad is with Kevin. And when they go up to Walter Reed Hospital, they are there for their brother, but also talk to the to the other soldiers who are hospitalized. It's been hard on them, because we now have to home-school them until things settle down, but they've been great. I think in the end we'll be stronger as a family." Now the family is thankful for Congressman Tim Mahoney and Jupiter Mayor Karen Golonka who recently visited Kevin at Walter Reed. It was during this visit that Golonka asked if he needed anything, and Hardin said he'd love a laptop computer, since his was AWOL since the ambush in Iraq. "I asked Mike if there was anything the Jupiter-Tequesta Rotary could do," Golonka said, referring to her husband, Mike Grella. It didn't take long for the Rotarians to respond. Within days, the local membership had a new computer for Kevin, thanks to the efforts of DriveGuys Computer Sales and Service. "They gave us a great deal," said Rotary treasurer Ron Johnson. "We had a budget of $500, and they sold us a computer worth much much more than that for $499, and put in all the upgrades, including WiFi." Tim Mahoney's office took the ball from there, and delivered the laptop to Kevin last Friday at the hospital. Kevin Hardin was injured Sept. 30, during an ambush in Samarra, north of Baghdad, when Russian made anti-tank rocket missed the tank in the convey and hit the Humvee that Hardin was driving. "Kevin was the only one really injured, and the gunner saved his life since he was bleeding so badly," said Terry Hardin. "They used the techniques he had taught them as a medic and kept yelling 'Doc's down' — that's what they called the medics. They told him to hang on, and he said it was one of the hardest things he ever did, to stay awake." The ambush left the young Hardin with shrapnel in his brain, which his parents say is affecting his short- term memory, a shattered left arm —"it's like it was crystal and someone dropped it on cement," his father said — the loss of two fingers on his right hand, including his thumb and pieces of shrapnel in his face, which his mother said will eventually work their way out and be removed. Since his son was injured, Charles Hardin has been by Kevin's side. As a result, Charles Hardin lost his job as a security guard. He is in line for a new job, but the family is still struggling, since this is a two- income family. Terry Hardin works for a West Palm Beach law firm. "He doesn't have any feeling in his left arm because of the nerve damage," the senior Hardin said. "And he has trouble with short term memory. "But we won't know how bad this is until he is transferred to the VA hospital in Tampa, which specializes in traumatic head injuries. He's already had 14 operations and there are more to come, so eventually he'll return to Walter Reed Hospital and be there maybe as long as a year." Charles Hardin said that when Kevin is in Tampa he hopes to be able to see him more frequently, but will have to go there on his off days, since he hopes to be starting the new job. Terry adds that Kevin is still in good spirits. "Even while he was in the hospital, he wanted to reenlist, and the only reason he didn't is that the computers were down that day. Thank goodness for that," she added. The entire Florida side of the family — oldest son Kenny lives in Massachusetts and is awaiting the birth of his second child — will be with Kevin for Thanksgiving. This, says the Hardins, will be a special Thanksgiving for them. "We're thankful he wasn't injured any worse that he was," said Charles. "He's different, more serious than he was before he went to Iraq 13 months ago, but he still goes with the flow." "We have to put things in perspective," said Terry. "We are thankful we have our son with us. So many parents don't have their sons and daughters with them because of this war."

Comments

Posted by kmlctb on November 24, 2007 at 7:48 a.m. (Suggest removal) I was saddened to learn that the father lost his job for missing work to be with his son. He should know - he is protected by a FEDERAL law, the Family Medical Leave Act - which makes it illegal for him to be fired if he takes off work to be with a sick or injured family member. His personnel office should have the paperwork - otherwise, it is available on-line. He may even have grounds to sue his employer - and the employer is at the very least - VERY unpatriotic. If anyone reading this knows this family - tell them about this. Sine the wife works for a law firm - they should be able to assist her - or at least guide her in the right direction. Posted by rosie on November 24, 2007 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal) FMLA is not required of all employers. Best of my knowledge, only those employers with 50 or more employees are required to comply. That doesn't excuse the lack of patriotism, however. Wish they'd named the former employer - I'd be sure not to utilize them for anything. Posted by jaycleo on November 25, 2007 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal) can we please bring all these men and women home now! forget iraq...let them kill and mame thier own people ...we need to get out now ...we are going to have a whole generation of disabled and mentally disturbed kids comming back...the numbers arent good...What is war good for? Absolutely Nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posted by StevenSchafer on February 20, 2008 at 11 p.m. (Suggest removal) Great Story! I encourage the posters to keep their eye on the ball! I certainly hope this article was more about about human compassion, a mayor, her husband, his rotary club, an elected official and how in a 2 day period we were able to get a laptop in the hands of a wounded soldier, as opposed to an employer who demonstrated their true colors. The best way to overcome a wrong is by doing good.***The Rotary Club of Jupiter Tequesta is a group of business and civic leaders who place service above self! We're always looking for new members. To learn more please log on to http:///www.jupiterrotary.com Although we got a great deal on this computer...we could use your support! All donations are tax deductable. Please log on to our site for a donation form. Steven Schafer, President Elect. The Rotary Club of Jupiter Tequesta