The Nightmarish Choice That Some Of Our Severely Wounded Vets Must Make

Photo: Sgt. Chris Champion was wounded when a mine exploded, blowing off his lower left leg. Champion, with Company C, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo., was patrolling in Afghanistan's Arghandab Valley. Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes

Some Soldiers Prefer Amputations To Damaged Limbs -- USA Today

WASHINGTON — Army 1st Sgt. William "Mike" Leonard found himself mourning the left leg that he had agonized for months about keeping. It was in December, just weeks before he would have doctors cut it off.

"There were a couple of nights," the company sergeant recalls, "where I sat in the shower and just kind of had some tears about losing it."

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Update: Some soldiers prefer amputations rather than damaged limbs -- Stars And Stripes

My Comment: I cannot even imagine what these soldiers must go through. My father who fought in World War II told me once that being severely injured (not killed) was his biggest fear during the war. That if he was to lose his limbs or sight .... death (for him) was preferable than living. Fortunately for me .... that did not happen to him (but he was wounded on a number of occasions), but I could tell by the tone in his voice that being severely wounded .... that was his nightmare. For soldiers like Army 1st Sgt. William "Mike" Leonard (and so many others) .... they are living that nightmare.