David Rozell-Wounded Warrior (This is what a hero looks like)

Capt. David Rozelle Amputee who returned to active duty

Here's what usually happens when a soldier is injured so badly that he loses a limb--he receives a medal, a lot of rehab, and a prosthetic limb, and then retires from active duty. While Capt. David Rozelle, whose right foot was torn off in an anti-tank mine explosion in Iraq, did get the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart, he had no intention of retiring.

Earlier this year the 33-year-old athlete from Texas returned to active duty in Iraq. In doing so, he became the first amputee in recent military history to resume a dangerous command on the same battlefield. Returning to duty was one of many goals that the remarkable Rozelle had set for himself along the way.

One of his first goals was to walk out of the hospital on his prosthetic foot in time for his son's birth. He did that and was there on August 5, 2003 when son Forrest was born. Next on the list? Return to playing sports, something he avidly pursued before his injury. Rozelle bravely spent hours in physical therapy so that by December 2003, he could ski on two legs down the Colorado mountains near his home. He became a national spokesman for Disabled Sports USA.

"There are times I definitely feel disabled, (but) getting back to skiing was getting back to life," Rozelle told USA Today. Next up? Being declared "fit for duty," which meant he could return to his life as an Army captain. By March 2004, he'd received that declaration. "This is who I am," he said. "A cavalryman. I love this job." Within days of the first anniversary of losing his foot, he was back in charge of the 3rd Armored Cavalry's headquarters unit in Fort Carson, Colorado.

In 2005 Rozelle has continued to astonish everyone. He competed in his tenth triathlon, published a memoir called "Back in Action: An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude," and in March he left for active combat duty in Iraq.

To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, click here.

One man who never has to worry about getting Athlete's Foot.

A heart warming story, G-man. Simply stepping on a land mine doesn't qualify as heroic by my standard. A hero by the classical definition is someone that puts their own life in jeopardy to aid another in a dangerous or deadly situation. Going to Iraq and getting your foot blown off doesn't qualify. Even if you're dumb enough to go back for more.

....WOW......

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magicjay38 said:
A heart warming story, G-man. Simply stepping on a land mine doesn't qualify as heroic by my standard. A hero by the classical definition is someone that puts their own life in jeopardy to aid another in a dangerous or deadly situation. Going to Iraq and getting your foot blown off doesn't qualify. Even if you're dumb enough to go back for more.

what article did you read? The one I just read, the one that Gman posted, said nothing about him stepping on the landmine. For all you know, he was in a jeep or some other vehicle when that happened.

That does happen you know

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the G-man said:
While Capt. David Rozelle, whose right foot was torn off in an anti-tank mine explosion in Iraq,

I'm guessing that magicjay inferred that Rozelle stepped on the mine.

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magicjay38 said:A hero by the classical definition is someone that puts their own life in jeopardy to aid another in a dangerous or deadly situation. Going to Iraq and getting your foot blown off doesn't qualify. Even if you're dumb enough to go back for more.

If you look at the Greeks, Romans, Native Americans, English, Scandinavians, Arabs, Christians, Jews and even the French, most of their heroes throughout history have been soldiers who fought for their country/people. Odyssus, Caesar, King Arthur, King David, Gilgamesh and Beowulf are a few examples and I'm you can find others if you would ever take the time to read a book. A soldier who triumphs dispite a crippling wound would make any of these "classic" cultures weep for joy.

Here, here! God Bless America and Merry Christmas!

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Killconey said:
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magicjay38 said:A hero by the classical definition is someone that puts their own life in jeopardy to aid another in a dangerous or deadly situation. Going to Iraq and getting your foot blown off doesn't qualify. Even if you're dumb enough to go back for more.

If you look at the Greeks, Romans, Native Americans, English, Scandinavians, Arabs, Christians, Jews and even the French, most of their heroes throughout history have been soldiers who fought for their country/people. Odyssus, Caesar, King Arthur, King David, Gilgamesh and Beowulf are a few examples and I'm you can find others if you would ever take the time to read a book. A soldier who triumphs dispite a crippling wound would make any of these "classic" cultures weep for joy.

The concept of heroic I speak of is from The Hero with a Thousand Faces -- by Joseph Campbell. It's frequently used in college courses on mythology.

Simply getting your foot blown off is not heroic. If it happened as he went to out in a fire fight to rescue a wounded commrade, that's heroic. Leading a charge into battle, that's heroic, too.

Stepping on a mine or rolling a Humvee, that's an accident.

Going back for more, that's careerism. The guys 32 and only a Captain? Should't he have hit Major by now?

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Going back for more, that's careerism. The guys 32 and only a Captain? Should't he have hit Major by now?

I defer to someone who's actually been in the military on most of those points, vis a vis "careerism." Perhaps Wednesday or someone else will back you up.

However, do you really think it necessary to impugn the man's intelligence and/or character with insinuations related to the fact he's "only a Captain [and not a] Major"?

i'd kinda havta agree with magicjay, at least on the basic notion of the "hero" label.

"great guy"? absolutely. "inspiration"? better fucking believe it. but "hero" connotes a little more than what i read about in this article (to me, anyway) and its a phrase we're pretty much throwing around at random, lately.

for example, the "heroes" that died in the NYC terrorist attacks.

to me, the people that ran out of the building; not hereos. the people that ran back in, heroes.

i'm not saying anything negative about those i'd deem "not heroes." im sure many were fantastic people, beloved family members, town leaders, etc, etc. i'm not in any way critiquing their character or persona or actions or decisions, and i absolutely mean no offense by my statements. i simply wouldn't refer to them as "heroes," any more than i'd refer to them as "fishermen." to me, it was simply a mislabel.

then again, speaking ill, even if just clarification, of the recently deceased is a real dicky move.

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Rob Kamphausen said:
then again, speaking ill, even if just clarification, of the recently deceased is a real dicky move.

I agree. Although he had a point, he could have stated it with more tact.

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Rob Kamphausen said:the people that ran back in, heroes.

Wouldn't you say that losing your foot and volunteering to return to war in a foreign country is, in fact, basically "running back in"?

i guess.

its not a splitting hairs kinda thing. i can't really specify what qualifications would officially register you as a hero or not.

in this specific case, if you're forcing my hand, i think i'd much more readily qualify this guy as "inspirational" before "heroic." not that a hero-argument couldn't be made, and not that i couldn't even be swayed by said argument, but... i think the former much more adequately describes what i've read, versus the latter.

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the G-man said:
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Going back for more, that's careerism. The guys 32 and only a Captain? Should't he have hit Major by now?

I defer to someone who's actually been in the military on most of those points, vis a vis "careerism." Perhaps Wednesday or someone else will back you up.

Depends. We don't know how old he is when he joined. He could have been 26, or even older if he received a waiver.

I'd say this guy isn't necessarily a hero for going back on active duty. There are many people who rejoin because, simply, they fear the alternatives. Not to say anything bad about those who choose to return for that reason, one of them is a very good friend of mine, but that decision didn't make him a hero in my eyes or his. Plain and simple, as with any other career or job, there are going to be those who simply don't feel they fit in anywhere else. Doubly so for military personnel, strippers, and priests.

At the same time, I don't think this makes him any less a hero. Or an idiot. Or flawed.

It really depends, in my mind, on his reason for going back. If he went back because he wants to defend truth, justice, and the American way for all of us, despite his disability, I'd call him a hero. I'd want to shake his hand. If he rejoined because he was only a few years away from a retirement check, or because he wanted national attention, or because he figured they'd never send someone with a prosthetic limb back on the front lines, I'd call him smart but not a hero.

It's the thought that counts.

Almost makes me want to call the guy on the phone and ask him so we can get this resolved.

Totally agree on the 'hero' question. Not heroic to me.

If I wanted to read into the article and get something out of it to stick up my ass with a hair, I would say he's making it more difficult for those people who are injured in war and do not go back. Suddenly their contributions mean less since they weren't willing to repeat their actions.

Or maybe I'd say, he has a son. Shouldn't he stay home with his wife(?) and son? His boy will need a daddy. He already escaped death once, is he trying for suicide by military?

But I don't want a hair up my ass. He likes killing people for what I consider bullshit. He overcame an affliction. Good stregnth of character in that.

I'm done.

Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldier's shouldn't be allowed to have children?

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the G-man said:
Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldier's shouldn't be allowed to have children?

they shouldn't do it because its not fair to the child.
so far, however, only the republicans want to limit family life.

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the G-man said:
Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldier's shouldn't be allowed to have children?

I think what this guy is doing is very impressive, even inspiring. It takes a lot of courage to go back to a place where your life was nearly taken so you can do what you feel is right. If we can shower our praise on an injured football player who gets back on the field to help his team win the big game, I don't see how we can't appreciate a maimed soldier going back to the front lines to help his country. If you don't at least respect his courage and level of conviction, I think there's a little room to doubt your sense of humanity.

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the G-man said:
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the G-man said:
Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldier's shouldn't be allowed to have children?

I'm saying he's done his duty. Maybe that wouldn't have any influance on you decision but it would mine. His first goal was to be self-mobilized by his son's birth. I figured that ment baby had some special meaning.

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Uschi said
I do not support the troops.

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the G-man said:
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Uschi said
I do not support the troops.

Do you have a point? I'm not pro-war.

Looking from a soldier's perspective (oh gosh! I do know, respect, and am friends with soldiers!!!) I would think he might have more lean towards not going overseas if his child really ment that much.

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the G-man said:
Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldiers shouldn't be allowed to have children?

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the G-man said:
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the G-man said:
Since any soldier risks death in the military, are you saying that soldiers shouldn't be allowed to have children?

Are you fucking broken? Someone smack G-Man so he stops skipping.

Is this your way of avoiding my question, Uschi?

Seems like you're putting everyone on the spot without bothering to answer the question yourself. What's YOUR response to the question, G-Man?

And so you know my side, I don't think it's up to me to decide whether a soldier should or shouldn't have children. It's their responsibility, not mine. I only hope they make the right decision regarding their family and the risks they have to endure.

I can see merit in the notion of requiring soldiers to forgo children during their tours. But I also think its completely impractical.

However, I don't see how you can call a soldier, or a police officer, or a fire fighter, or any other dangerous profession, less heroic simply because he or she has children.

If anything, the fact that someone risks his life when he has something to live for like kids makes that person more heroic.

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the G-man said:
However, I don't see how you can call a soldier, or a police officer, or a fire fighter, or any other dangerous profession, less heroic simply because he or she has children.

Are you talking to Uschi or me?

I was using "you" in the general sense, as in "I don't see how a person can call a soldier..."

OK, G-Man. Just checking...

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Uschi said:

Are you fucking broken? Someone smack Gay-Man so he stopps skipping.

Watch it Uschi! He's not one of ours!

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the G-man said:
I can see merit in the notion of requiring soldiers to forgo children during their tours. But I also think its completely impractical.

However, I don't see how you can call a soldier, or a police officer, or a fire fighter, or any other dangerous profession, less heroic simply because he or she has children.

If anything, the fact that someone risks his life when he has something to live for like kids makes that person more heroic.

Life is risky. The unexpected happens to people everyday. You can't live your life worrying about somthing that might happen. Love your spouse, love your children and buy some life insurance. Members of the armed forces have as much right reproduce as anyone else.

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the G-man said:
Is this your way of avoiding my question, Uschi?

If you went to even an American public school like I did you can read. I already gave my response.

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Uschi said:
If I wanted to read into the article and get something out of it to stick up my ass with a hair ... maybe I'd say, he has a son. Shouldn't he stay home with his wife(?) and son? His boy will need a daddy. He already escaped death once ... he's done his duty. Maybe that wouldn't have any influance on you decision but it would mine. His first goal was to be self-mobilized by his son's birth. I figured that ment baby had some special meaning ... might have more lean towards not going overseas if his child really ment that much.

i.e. Soldiers can have kids, no prob on my end. But war is pretty fucking notorious for getting people un-alive. I personally would have a hard time throwing myself at insurgants when I had a kid in the back seat. I see blips on the news all the damn time about dads and moms sending video greetings to their families and kids. I see stories all the time about kids who don't have their parents while growing up because of, say, an anti-tank mine. If he's already done his thing I find it irresponsable for him to go back.

By the way, I agreed with not seeing the guy as a hero. I did not expand on that line of thought as my sentiments had been expressed previously in the thread and I didn't WANT to be redundant. By putting in a paragraph break I thought I was showing how I was changing topics. My bad G-Man. My bad.

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magicjay38 said:
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Uschi said:

Are you fucking broken? Someone smack Gay-Man so he stopps skipping.

Watch it Uschi! He's not one of ours!

Sorry. I'll go rectify that. It was totally uncalled for on my part.

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Uschi said:
I see stories all the time about kids who don't have their parents while growing up because of, say, an anti-tank mine. If he's already done his thing I find it irresponsable for him to go back.

Then you'd have to find it irresponsible for all soldiers to do their duty. The fact of the matter is all soldiers face the risk of death and maiming. But simply because they know it's what lies ahead, that doesn't mean they should go back home.

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By the way, I agreed with not seeing the guy as a hero.

Why not exactly? He put himself in the way of danger for the sake of the bigger objective of the occupation. If you really wanna get right down to it, all of the soldiers are heroes for continuing to go through Iraq with that kind of danger. His example just stands out more since he's willing to go back. He knew something along the lines of an anti-tank mine would be put in his path, and yet he trudged through it anyway. Saying that-that doesn't take balls is rather insensitive.

Dear Jesus,

I'm sorry.

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Pariah said:
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Uschi said:
I see stories all the time about kids who don't have their parents while growing up because of, say, an anti-tank mine. If he's already done his thing I find it irresponsable for him to go back.

Then you'd have to find it irresponsible for all soldiers to do their duty. The fact of the matter is all soldiers face the risk of death and maiming. But simply because they know it's what lies ahead, that doesn't mean they should go back home.

No, he did his duty. He served, got wounded, gets to go home. That puts a different spin on it.

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By the way, I agreed with not seeing the guy as a hero.

Why not exactly? He put himself in the way of danger for the sake of the bigger objective of the occupation. If you really wanna get right down to it, all of the soldiers are heroes for continuing to go through Iraq with that kind of danger. His example just stands out more since he's willing to go back. He knew something along the lines of an anti-tank mine would be put in his path, and yet he trudged through it anyway. Saying that-that doesn't take balls is rather insensitive.

I don't think social stupidity equates heroism. And I didn't say it doesn't take balls to go fight in war.

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Uschi said:
No, he did his duty. He served, got wounded, gets to go home. That puts a different spin on it.

No it doesn't. He has the option to continue serving. Serving in the military isn't simply a means to end, which is what you're making it sound like.

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I don't think social stupidity equates heroism. And I didn't say it doesn't take balls to go fight in war.

Social stupidity? So all of the soldiers in Iraq suffer from the "social stupidity" of facing danger, and thus they should leave rather than stay and fight? No Policeman should be on the street? No Fire-Fighters should be on call?

In my mind the situations are completely different. I think participating in war is stupid (not mental stupidity, social). This isn't the point though and I don't wish to persue this line of discussion further.

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Captain Sammitch said:
I think what this guy is doing is very impressive, even inspiring. It takes a lot of courage to go back to a place where your life was nearly taken so you can do what you feel is right. If we can shower our praise on an injured football player who gets back on the field to help his team win the big game, I don't see how we can't appreciate a maimed soldier going back to the front lines to help his country. If you don't at least respect his courage and level of conviction, I think there's a little room to doubt your sense of humanity.

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Uschi said:
In my mind the situations are completely different. I think participating in war is stupid (not mental stupidity, social).

So a person who decides to take a bullet for an innocent is brave, but someone who gets in the line of fire for the sake of the entire's country's interests and security is stupid?

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This isn't the point though and I don't wish to persue this line of discussion further.

Or maybe it is the point and you don't want to admit it. You're hatred of war makes you irrational towards the subject.

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magicjay38 said:
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Uschi said:

Are you fucking broken? Someone smack Gay-Man so he stopps skipping.

Watch it Uschi! He's not one of ours!

I wonder if it makes the gay communities collective skin crawl everytime you refer to it as ours.

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wannabuyamonkey said:
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magicjay38 said:
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Uschi said:

Are you fucking broken? Someone smack Gay-Man so he stopps skipping.

Watch it Uschi! He's not one of ours!

I wonder if it makes the gay communities collective skin crawl everytime you refer to it as ours.

Like the opinion of a cuckolded bastard should bother me?

Have a banana!