Monday, March 12, 2007
Wounded vet returns home to wed - photo essay
Marine Sergeant Ty Ziegel already had his life planned out, he would marry his girlfriend Renee Kline upon returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq.
But one fateful day a suicide bomber hit his truck, tearing apart his body and making him among the 20,000 soldiers that have been wounded in Iraq. He was blind in one eye, had a shattered skull, and most of his skin was burned off. Renee lived with Ty at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas for a year and a half, sharing Ty's every hope and fear. Their relationship became stronger than ever, and Ty and Renee moved back to their hometown in Illinois in July 2006, and got married in shortly thereafter.
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[Related article: The face of war - Salon
Photojournalist Nina Berman discusses her award-winning portrait of disfigured Iraq vet Ty Ziegel and his fiancée, Renee, on their wedding day -- and what was really going on behind the lens.
...
I asked Ty, what do little kids say? Do little kids get scared?
Ty would just laugh -- he's got a great sense of humor. Kids would say, "What happened to your ears?" and he'd say, "The bad guys took 'em." They'd say, "What happened to your nose?" and he'd say, "The bad guys took it." I guess he tried to make some little game out of it to deal with it. ]
Marine Sergeant Ty Ziegel already had his life planned out, he would marry his girlfriend Renee Kline upon returning from his second tour of duty in Iraq.
But one fateful day a suicide bomber hit his truck, tearing apart his body and making him among the 20,000 soldiers that have been wounded in Iraq. He was blind in one eye, had a shattered skull, and most of his skin was burned off. Renee lived with Ty at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas for a year and a half, sharing Ty's every hope and fear. Their relationship became stronger than ever, and Ty and Renee moved back to their hometown in Illinois in July 2006, and got married in shortly thereafter.
***
[Related article: The face of war - Salon
Photojournalist Nina Berman discusses her award-winning portrait of disfigured Iraq vet Ty Ziegel and his fiancée, Renee, on their wedding day -- and what was really going on behind the lens.
...
I asked Ty, what do little kids say? Do little kids get scared?
Ty would just laugh -- he's got a great sense of humor. Kids would say, "What happened to your ears?" and he'd say, "The bad guys took 'em." They'd say, "What happened to your nose?" and he'd say, "The bad guys took it." I guess he tried to make some little game out of it to deal with it. ]
Labels: war
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