Life lessons come from unlikely group of Soldiers

In the three years I have been a serving my country, I have crossed paths with many people I learned valuable lessons from. I worked with seasoned noncommissioned officers who taught me the right way to care for Soldiers and tactical ways to approach situations. I have met various sergeants major who mentored me and placed me in situations that have boosted my confidence as an Army journalist and a Soldier.

These things have undoubtedly helped me as an NCO and will be of great value as my career progresses.

However, not to take away from the great Soldiers and leaders mentioned above, I recently met a group of six warriors who taught me things I will carry throughout my life, whether I'm a Soldier or not.

Capt. Sam Brown, 1st Lt. Jim Kirchner, Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Olson, Sgt. 1st Class Mike Schlitz and Sgt. Bill Congleton arrived in Baghdad Dec. 28, 2009, as a part of the third installment of Operation Proper Exit. The five Soldiers chose to return to Iraq after being severely injured on their deployments. Their mission, so to speak, was to find the emotional closure they needed. My mission was to document it.

It was a week I will not forget.

It was emotional from the start. The wounded warriors were welcomed into the Al Faw Palace by a mix of troops from every service and of every rank- privates up to three-star generals. On stage, Brown, who had suffered third degree burns to 30 percent of his body when he was struck by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar, Afghanistan, was reunited with his wife, Capt. Amy Brown, who is deployed to the northern part of Iraq.

Seeing them embrace each other on stage was one of those moments where the only word you can find is "Aww." It was deeply touching. Fresh off an ugly, bitter divorce, seeing the relationship and love between the two of them throughout the trip was enough to make me think that true love may, in fact, be possible. First lesson learned: Don't give up hope or doubt anything is possible.

The next day was the start of our visits to troops throughout Iraq and my chance at watching some of the Soldiers see buddies they served with when they were injured. Congleton, now retired after an IED blast took his leg below the knee, was first to see his old battle buddies in the Oregon National Guard. I saw how nervous he was as we sat in the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on our way to a camp near the Jordanian and Syrian borders.

Once we arrived, he was already devising plans on how to sneak back into his old unit, unnoticed, and stay with his guys for the remainder of their deployment. Watching him think of all the ways he would be able to accomplish this was humorous in itself, but it was when I learned my second lesson. I will also be connected to those I have served with, and I will always be a Soldier no matter where life takes me.

This lesson was reiterated when Schlitz was reunited with his Soldiers the next day. Schlitz has third degree burns over 85 percent of his body and lost both hands after being struck by an IED; he lost three of his Soldiers in the attack that day. During our trip, I was able to talk to his former platoon sergeant. It was then I realized that his outgoing and off-the-wall personality was how he has always been.

I have interviewed Soldiers who said they wished they were happier before but, after a serious injury, had changed their outlook on life. This wasn't the case for Schlitz. He remained the same person, regardless of the new challenges and struggles he has faced after his injuries. After my interview, I took away lesson number three - be true to yourself, always.

While most of the warriors were very outspoken from our first meeting, Kirchner seemed to be quieter than the others. As the days went on, he slowly opened up. It wasn't until after he visited the spot where he was struck by a mortar that I understand Kirchner was taking time to process everything and reflect.

I couldn't begin to imagine the emotions going through his head as he stood in the exact spot he was injured. Eventually he told stories, cracked jokes and opened up. My fourth lesson came during his last night in Iraq - take the time to make things right within yourself. It is OK to take a step back and spend some time alone.

While my first encounter with the majority of the warriors came during their trip in December, I had the privilege of meeting Olson in October 2009, when he returned to Iraq for the first time since a rocket propelled grenade took his entire right leg in 2003. I was amazed by him from the start simply because his injury, a right hip disarticulation, accounts for a very small percentage of all amputees.

After his trip in October, Olson and I stayed in contact via phone and internet until he returned again in December as a mentor. Despite having troubles walking, he was always making sure the other Soldiers were OK and, to my surprise, making sure I was OK as well. He is the type of NCO that takes care of his Soldiers and he is also the type of person who cares about everyone. With a personality sometimes resembling that of my 11-year old brother's, Olson has helped me always find the humor in things and opened my eyes to the true value of a kind word. As we remain friends, I will always be reminded of the lessons I learned from him.

On Jan. 3, it was time for the warriors to return to the United States after their weeklong trip. It was harder than I imagined saying my goodbyes to them but I was comforted by Schlitz, who said that our paths may cross again.

Unbeknownst to them, I have taken away something so invaluable that I will forever remember the six Soldiers of Operation Proper Exit III.

Related Links:

Operation Proper Exit helps injured combat vets heal emotional wounds