Tag: Wounded warriors

KISS

May 11, 2005 – near Al Qaim, Iraq

When the roadside bomb exploded, tossing the 26 ton vehicle 10 feet in to the air, my son, marine combat correspondent Cpl. Aaron Mankin’s first reaction was to gasp, inhaling smoke, heat and debris.  In addition to the damage to his lungs, Aaron suffered second and third degree burns on his hands, arms and face.  He had his goggles on, which saved his eyes and forehead.

Six weeks later – Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX

Aaron’s voice was barely a harsh whisper after the intense heat of the explosion had seared his vocal cords.  The one word he would whisper to me over and over was “kiss.”  I would never hesitate, knowing I almost lost the chance to ever kiss him again.

Once he was moved out of the Intensive Care Burn Unit and onto the main burn ward, visitors were free to come into the rooms after obtaining permission from the patients.

One visitor Aaron agreed to see was an army general with his son, who was also in uniform, and two of the general’s staff members.  They entered the room when I had stepped out, and I was unaware of their presence until I walked back in.  Aaron’s back was to me when I returned, and I stood just inside the door, listening and not wanting to interrupt.

When he became aware of my presence, Aaron raised his arm, motioning for me to come to his side.  He looked up  as I came close and whispered, “Kiss.”  I leaned down and did as he asked before being introduced to the others in the room.

The general and his group quickly said their good-byes, and as he walked up to me, I noticed tears in his eyes. He hugged me with the desperation of a father, not a general, who had just seen the reality of what his own son might face one day…

Are you ready for what you may one day face?

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A Parent Beyond Measure

The youngest of my four children, Aaron Mankin, is a grown man, single father of two small children, nationally known public speaker, and a medically retired marine who will always have to deal with the effects of war.  He has come to accept the scars he wears as badges of honor.  But the hidden scars are the nightmares he will deal with, in one form or another, for the rest of his life, and he does this with humor, humility and honor…

The difficulty of being a single father has been, at times, overwhelming.  But Aaron has risen to the needs of his children, and put his needs somewhere in the background.  His two children are loved and cared for so deeply; they always come first.

The parent he has become is beyond measure, and I’m so very proud of him.

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Why I Write

In writing this book, A Mother’s Side of War, my hope was, and is, to raise awareness of the personal aspects of what our countries wounded endure throughout their recovery.  And to show the reader, how when one serves, so does their family.

When an  injured warrior returns home, they are not the only one who has been wounded, outwardly or within.

The blast that ripped through my sons AAV, setting him on fire and changing the course of his life, tore through mine, and all those who love him, as well.

We have all been wounded…We have all been changed…

 

Wounded

When my son, Marine Cpl. Aaron P. Mankin, was wounded while serving in Iraq, the marine families around me were the ones I depended on the most.  I had so much to learn in a matter of days, and continue to learn as the years pass.  All along our journey of recovery, there have been others to guide, advise, and support.  For those who are behind me in their timeline of recovery with their service member, I feel I have a duty—we all have a duty—to reach out and try to make their journey a little easier.

Caregivers

We watch our service member from the day they sign their lives over to protect.  Every move they make while serving this country is followed by all who know and love them.  For every single warrior who returns home wounded, seen or unseen, there is a multitude of family, friends and communities who are forever changed.

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