Marine calls home to say he lost both legs in explosion in Afghanistan

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Pasco County Marine calls home to say he lost both legs in explosion in Afghanistan



Lance Cpl. Justin Gaertner takes position after coming under fire in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in 2009.

Pasco County Marine calls home to say he lost both legs in explosion in Afghanistan

By Drew Harwell, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, December 1, 2010

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/pasco-county-marine-calls-home-to-say-he-lost-both-legs-in-explosion-in/1137361

TRINITY — The call came at 1:28 p.m. Friday, the caller ID cryptically reading, "U.S. Government — Honolulu."

Larry Dalla Betta, just getting home from a youth football game, answered in the kitchen.

"Is this Larry?" an operator asked. Dalla Betta said yes. Then he heard another voice, speaking from half a world away, sudden, strained:

"Dad, I've been hit. I've lost both my legs."

"Where are you?" Dalla Betta asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Afghanistan," his son said. "I can't talk. They're taking me to Germany. I can contact you in 24 hours."

Dalla Betta began to talk. The line went dead.

He screamed. "Justin! Justin!" He started to cry. Justin's siblings Larry Jr., 11, and Nicole, 5, started to cry, too.

Two months ago, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Gaertner touched down in Afghanistan, into the Helmand Province, a war zone of Taliban insurgent strongholds.

[hlthe2b]

1. God, how wrenching is that....?

:cry: How helpless it makes one feel.

[NuclearDem]

2. Just this past summer we had one of our Offutt guys mangled badly in an accident

He was barely able to talk, and since I happened to be one of his few friends that wasn't deployed, my First Sergeant called me into his office...he wanted me to tell my friend's wife what had happened.

I swear to God, I'll never forget the look on her face... I died inside that night.

Fuck this war. I'm tired of being sad, and I'm tired of the people I love being hurt :cry:

[Goldstein1984]

3. My wife and I were afraid of any unrecognized caller while our son

was deployed in Iraq.

Wars exist because the people who start them and the people who benefit from them are not the ones who pay the price of war.

Bush and Obama have many similarities where the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are concerned, but probably the most significant one is that none of their children will be enlisting and serving.

War is easy for the rich and powerful. Obama and Bush only have to write letters to the survivors of soldiers. They don't have to receive them.

[newfie11]

4. tell me again why the HELL we are there

The massive numbers of broken (mentally and physically) people coming back is horrific. I wonder down the road if our government will decide they cost to much to support for a lifetime and change the laws.

This is insane to do this to our people!

[Obamanaut]

5. More discussion at this earlier thread ->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9675822