John is based at
This is a diagram of the east end of the camp is used
by pilots. The “Helicopter Touchdown
Point” is indicated at the small green box near the center of the diagram.
I have indicated the HLZ with a red dot in the
satellite photo.
This is a Chinook.
The powerful engines and rotors can lift 54,000 pounds, but it weighs
only half that.
A year ago, Master Sergeant Pedro Medina ran into a
building near the HLZ to take shelter from incoming mortar rounds. To escape those same rounds, a Chinook left
the HLZ and overflew that same building.
The building collapsed and Pedro was made a
quadriplegic. He could not use his arms nor his legs. If a
mosquito landed on his cheek, he had to wait for a nurse to shoo it away. That was his life.
Then, after six weeks, he could move a finger. Sometimes in such cases the nerves can
reconnect. Over the following months he
made much progress.
At the cell phone lot of
In addition to serving 17 years as a soldier, Pedro
has been a
Ron has also been a cop for 11 years, after
soldiering for 23 years. This was his
second PGR mission.
Tim, Ron and I eventually found our way to the
“loading dock”.
We found 22 others waiting.
We moved inside.
Philip Cline joined the Chicago Police the year of
the Tet Offensive.
He worked in the Narcotics Section and the Organized Crime
Division. The year of 9/11, he became
Chief of Detectives. He became Chief of
Police (“Superintendent”) the year of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After 3.5 years as head of 11 thousand LEOs – 4 years ago – he entered honorable retirement.
He was there, shaking our hands.
This is what Pedro would see as he first emerged
from the sterile area.
And this was our first sight of him.
Chief Cline made sure he was wearing a CPD cover.
Dave and Brenda…
Presented Pedro with an Illinois PGR challenge
coin.
His sister faced the media with him.
And then we returned to the loading dock.
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