Sgt. T.J. Edwards, U.S.M.C.

An open letter from Sgt Edwards...

My experience after I was wounded in Iraq.
Two years ago my life almost came to an end in Iraq. The date of December 9th, 2006 will be forever etched into my memory. That was the day when a roadside bomb exploded violently under my Up-Armored Humvee.

It was the day when we lost Lieutenant Nathan Krissoff; a great Marine Officer. It was the day when Recon Marines; Lt. Phil Mayr and Sgt. Joshua Pappas; had to stop, drop and roll to put out the flames that had engulfed the two of them.

It was the day that Cpl. Bryan Benevides the Recon Marine who was our “Gunner” on that mission, was catapulted so far out of the top of the Up-Armored Humvee, that he landed 40 meters away! Many lives were changed forever after that terrible night. It has been a difficult road to travel for all us who walked away from that roadside bomb; two years ago.

After I was injured, I spent two months in the Intensive Care Unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. I don’t remember the first month because I was burned so badly that the doctors had to medically induce me into a coma. I awoke up a month later and the pain that pulsated throughout my body was off the charts.

I later found out that I had been burned on 45% of my body with 3rd degree burns.
Without going into graphic detail, the only skin on my body that wasn’t burned or skin graphed, was my left forearm.

The showers where the nurses cleaned my wounds were the worst. At one time, I broke down crying in the shower because the pain was just too much.  I was injured in December and my wounds didn’t heal until five months later in May of the follow year.

At one point in time I wanted to give up and not take another step.

Thankfully, I had a great support system of family, friends and my Marine brothers that wouldn’t allow that.

None of them was going to let me quit. During that time of my life, I grabbed a hold of their shoulders and I let them carry me. Ever so slowly the pain went away and my burn garments eventually came off. Then an amazing thing happened...
I decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon and I wanted to run the full 26.2 miles!

I heard about “Team Semper Fi”. Which was a team consisting of other injured Marines. These injured Marines raised money for other wounded Marines and their families by competing in marathon’s and triathlon’s all over the states. By doing so, this raised the awareness about the “Injured Marine Semper fi Fund”.

“Team Semper Fi” was scheduled to compete in the upcoming Marine Corps Marathon so I decided to join their ranks.

I officially joined the team and was later flown out with them to run the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon in 2007. I was nervous but I was determined to finish the full marathon... no matter what.

I did finish that race and it was such an emotional moment for me because I had achieved a major goal of mine.

That was last year and since then I have completed a total of three marathons and one triathlon. The last marathon that I did was the 33rd Marine Corps Marathon in 2008 with “Team Semper Fi”.

I actually ran the full 26.2 miles in “Boots and Utes” and I staggered past the finish line, fireman’s carrying a Marine on my back! It was by far my most proudest moment since I was wounded.

I remember the day that I walked for the first time again after I was severely burned. I was like a baby learning how to walk again for the first time. The nurses had to hold me up with a belt so that I wouldn’t fall down. Now, two years later, my successes have been anything but typical of what normal burn patients are expected to be able to do.

It wasn’t easy but I felt compelled to run to prove something to myself and, more so, to show other service members that have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, that we can rebuild ourselves given enough time.

I proved many doctors wrong about what I was capable of doing after I was injured.

I want every service member who has been battered by war, to dig deep and pull out of themselves the will power to achieve any goal they want to!

If I can be burned over nearly 50% of my body and complete three marathons and one triathlon, along with overcoming the mental anguish of losing six of my brothers in combat, then anybody can overcome their tragic circumstances, and come out a winner on the other side.

It just takes time and effort and the will power to never quit.