This is a first hand account of the day that Travis was injured. It is from his 1st Sgt. Whinney. He is a wonderful guy. I just thought it would be interesting reading!
On 15 January 2007 at around 0230 a convoy left our facilities on Kandahar Air Field on a Logistics/resupply and recovery mission. Just west of the city of Kandahar, Afghanistan the largest vehicle in the column was singled out by insurgents as the best vehicle to blow up. They had laid a triple stack, remote operated, pressure plate IED in the middle of the road. 10-12 vehicles had already passed over the triggering device when it blew up under the driver’s seat of the M984 HEMMT wrecker at around 0330 hours. SGT Wood was driving the Wrecker to recover a destroyed Canadian vehicle.
SGT Travis Wood of Guernsey, Wyoming and SPC Wayne Schamel of Torrington, Wyoming were in the wrecker. The blast totally destroyed the cab and front axles of the vehicle. Both doors were blown open (yes they were combat locked from the inside) and SPC Schamel remembers hearing SGT Wood yelling for help. He yelled for SPC Schamel by name to come help him get the rest of the way out of the wrecker that was now engulfed in flames. SGT Wood was lying on the road and his feet were still in the wrecker. I know that some of you may be familiar enough with a HEMMT wrecker to realize that the door of that vehicle is normally 4 feet from the ground. It would, normally be pretty hard to have your feet inside the door and your back and shoulders on the ground. Well, after 3 anti tank mines go off under the driver’s side front tire, the cab pretty much comes to rest on the ground. The axles, tires and wheels were gone.
Schamel picked himself up and ran to the other side of the vehicle and pulled Wood to safety on the side of the road. Just after he did that he realized that he too was quite injured, blood running down his face from a large incision above his eye. He collapsed along side Wood and received assistance from the medics and CLS (Combat Lifesaver) guys.
I heard a knock on my door around 0345 or so and received information that there had been an incident with our convoy. I got dressed and made my way to the TOC (Tactical Operation Center) where I could view the FBCB2 (Blue Force Tracker, a GPS tracking system) and see what was going on. When I got there I was briefed of what had happened and who was involved and who was injured and waiting for med-evac to KAF (Kandahar Airfield.) We watched the vehicles on the screen of the Blue Force Tracker and saw the bird heading their way. When the helicopter got there I made my way to the hospital on KAF. I knew they would be there quickly.
Schamel and Wood showed up there and it seemed that they were not too seriously injured. I was able to go in and see Schamel within an hour or so. He was messed up and had a slew of stitches, some in his forehead, face, and his legs. He was black and blue and his face was swollen. I talked with him and took his picture with a digital camera so he could see what he looked like. Not too bad considering.
Wood on the other hand was headed toward a very dangerous situation. He was bleeding internally and needed to be opened up. His pelvis was shattered and actually had protruded from his right buttock. Imagine a compound fracture of the pelvis. We thought all was well or at least stabilized around 0600 or so and left the hospital and headed to work. Shortly before lunch I got a call from the Battalion Executive Officer. She asked that the Commander and I meet her at her vehicle out front; we needed to get up to the hospital ASAP.
When we got there an Army doctor pulled us aside and informed us that things had gotten worse and they couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. He said he wasn’t sure they were going to be able to save SGT Wood. He was not giving up and promised me he wouldn’t but we needed every available drop of A positive blood we could get. The call went out and Soldiers, Airmen, civilians, Canadian, Australian, you name it flocked to the hospital to donate blood.
Like a miracle the bleeding slowed and they were able to stabilize him at around 1900 that evening. He still was very close to death. The doctors at KAF credit all the donors for saving his life thus far. The fresh, whole blood saved him. He was to be shipped out the next morning on a CCATT (critical care air transport team), basically a (C17 cargo airplane) hospital in the air, with an ICU team of doctors and nurses. He was headed to Landstuhl, Germany and maybe later Walter Reed.
SGT Wood left Germany on the 18th and was transported to Walter Reed in DC. After 79 surgeries and over 7 months in a hospital bed, never taking a step, he is now able to walk with the assistance of just a cane. The problem? He, his wife, Stephanie and 3 year old daughter, Maddie are still in DC. It looks like they will be there for the duration of his rehab.
SGT Wood’s Military career is over. He has a long way to go and will probably be undergoing rehab for 2 more years. He has more surgeries already scheduled and who knows how many after that.
An organization called Operation Home Front has provided the Woods with an apartment very close to Walter Reed. The Woods haven’t had a normal life, with a normal home with a bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. for nearly 2 years. Stephanie and Maddie have been there since the first day SGT Wood got there. They have been staying in a room provided on Walter Reed. It’s a motel room, that’s all. I’ve been there, I’ve seen it. It’s great, a fantastic free room within walking distance of the hospital, but not for 20 months, not while raising a toddler. Now they’ve got a real apartment….
Travis Wood is a good kid. His wife, Steph, is a rock. What a great girl. She has managed to handle all the stress and suffering and still raise a 3 year old girl, all while being thousands of miles from home and family. They are now 25 years old. Travis was planning a long fruitful career with the Wyoming Army Guard as a mechanic. Now those plans are changed. He is trying to finish college and is hoping to find a career in teaching music or possibly in computer networking.
Wayne Schamel came home with the rest of us in June of 2007. He suffered traumatic brain injuries in the blast. He also has suffered with a great deal of guilt. He continues to seek assistance from the VA center in Cheyenne. He has returned to his old Guard unit in Torrington but his life also changed that day.
