OFF THE WIRE
By MARK WALKER mlwalker@nctimes.com
Marine Lt. Cameron West in his truck, which has been retrofitted so he can drive it by using his left foot to accelerate and brake. West is returning to work at Camp Pendleton this week after having spent the last nine months recovering from injuries suffered in an October roadside bombing in Afghanistan. JAMIE LYTLE | jlytle@nctimes.com
Editor's Note: This is an update to a comprehensive Feb. 27 profile and visual package on the story of Camp Pendleton Marine Lt. Cameron West.
Nine months after a roadside bomb tore off his leg and two fingers and peppered his body with shrapnel, Camp Pendleton Marine Lt. Cameron West is returning to duty.
"I'll always be a wounded warrior, but the best thing is being able to go back to work," the 25-year-old Oceanside resident said Thursday. "It's going to be one of the defining moments about what's ahead for me."
West's days as a combat infantry platoon leader ended Oct. 15, less than three weeks after his unit arrived in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
While on patrol in the province's deadly Sangin district, where hundreds of Camp Pendleton Marines have been killed or injured in recent months, his radioman stepped on the bomb, which killed him and wounded West and three other men.
West's injuries included shrapnel in his head, and a shard that left him partly blind in his right eye.
West is one of more than 200 Marines from the base's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment wounded during the deployment that got under way in the early fall and ended in April.
In its seven months in Afghanistan, the roughly 950-man battalion had 25 of its troops killed and more than a dozen rendered amputees by roadside bombs.
The unit's high number of casualties made it the most bloodied battalion in the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
That carnage prompted Marine Corps officials to order extra mental health screening and take the unusual step of keeping the unit together for the first 90 days it was back in the U.S.
West's road to recovery has taken him through a military hospital in Germany, the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., and the Naval Medical Center's Comprehensive Combat Casualty Care Unit in San Diego.
The San Diego center is where he has spent most of his time, undergoing therapy for his wounds and being fitted with a prosthetic leg.
On Wednesday, he picked up his third and possibly final prosthetic. It's known as an X2, manufactured by Otto Bock, with a microprocessor in the knee for enhanced stability and a more natural gait.
"It's fantastic," said West, whose nickname "Big Country" stems from his upbringing and outdoor lifestyle in Georgia.
With his therapy reduced from four or five days a week to two or three, West will put his officer's uniform back on this week and go to work as the executive officer for a company that trains Marine recruits in small-arms proficiency.
"It's going to feel good to be back around Marines," he said. "Just because you get taken out of the fight for a while doesn't mean you have to be taken out forever."
In the months since he was injured, West had forged close bonds with other wounded Marines and sailors treated at the Combat Casualty Care Unit.
He's taken part in numerous Wounded Warrior events, and in October will head to Washington, D.C., where he and 14 other amputees have entered the annual Marine Corps Marathon. West will ride a hand cycle.
West's parents, Artis and Sheryl, said seeing their son transition from wounded Marine to limited active-duty status is gratifying. Since his son was hurt, Artis West has helped coordinate all the medical appointments and served as his driver.
"This is what I have been living for since he was wounded," he said. "As a father, it's really gratifying to now see him walk out of here in uniform and getting back to doing what he wants."
Sheryl West, a registered nurse, said seeing her only son resume his military career is a blessing.
"I'm very excited for him," she said. "It's going to help him focus on being a Marine rather than a wounded warrior. While he hasn't totally disconnected from that, he needs some more balance in his life. It's time."
West is able to return to work as an amputee because the Marine Corps has a policy that allows its wounded to return to active duty in an appropriate role, depending on their injuries.
"The Marine Corps has been great throughout this," West said, adding that several other amputees from the 3/5 are working toward getting back to active duty.
"This group might be the largest of any to date to take up the commandant on his offer to allow us to stay in," he said. "A lot of the guys are really happy that they are going to be able to do that."
The Casualty Care Unit is treating 78 amputees, including 28 injured this year. Another 192 such as West are being treated as outpatients.
The 90-day "hold in place" that the Marine Corps ordered for West's battalion when it returned to Camp Pendleton ended earlier this month.
Extensive mental health screening has not revealed any significant problems for those troops, according to Navy Cmdr. Charles Benson, the psychiatrist for the base's 1st Marine Division that includes the 3/5 troops.
"We can honestly say we didn't find any major mental health issues," Benson said. "Overall, what we have seen is those troops are doing well and there's been no large uptick or red flags in problems."
Benson acknowledged that post-traumatic stress disorder can take months or years to manifest, and said health officials will conduct another screening in September as part of the post-deployment health reassessment process.
The extra attention and counseling made available to the 3/5 troops is being studied to see whether it should serve as a standard for how to treat future battalions that experience heavy combat and losses.
"We'll be evaluating what we've learned and how to apply those lessons," he said.
Among West's recent lessons is learning to drive using his left foot to accelerate. His 1995 Chevy pickup with 185,000 miles was recently refitted so the accelerator is left of the brake pedal.
He will drive the truck to work this week, and he no longer needs his dad to drive him to his medical appointments.
Those appointments include more therapy on his right hand, where he lost two fingers, and laser treatment for the extensive scar tissue that snakes up his arms and left leg.
West said the laser surgery will help loosen the scar tissue and return the skin to a more natural color.
"I don't care so much about what it looks like, but it helps me with my range of motion, and that's really good."
A surgery planned on his right eye in the fall aims to restore sight.
As he moves ahead, West said the next few months will determine whether he stays in the Marine Corps.
"I look at it like the world is kind of my oyster right now," he said. "Everybody has their issues, whether it be a wounded Marine, a guy out of work trying to support a family or somebody fighting cancer. I'm going to be OK."
And while he's thrilled with his new prosthetic, West says there's a new, waterproof model coming soon.
"Can you imagine being able to jump into a pool with this on or walk right into the ocean?" he said, pointing to his prosthetic. "Now that would be pretty cool."
Nine months after a roadside bomb tore off his leg and two fingers and peppered his body with shrapnel, Camp Pendleton Marine Lt. Cameron West is returning to duty.
"I'll always be a wounded warrior, but the best thing is being able to go back to work," the 25-year-old Oceanside resident said Thursday. "It's going to be one of the defining moments about what's ahead for me."
West's days as a combat infantry platoon leader ended Oct. 15, less than three weeks after his unit arrived in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
While on patrol in the province's deadly Sangin district, where hundreds of Camp Pendleton Marines have been killed or injured in recent months, his radioman stepped on the bomb, which killed him and wounded West and three other men.
West's injuries included shrapnel in his head, and a shard that left him partly blind in his right eye.
West is one of more than 200 Marines from the base's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment wounded during the deployment that got under way in the early fall and ended in April.
In its seven months in Afghanistan, the roughly 950-man battalion had 25 of its troops killed and more than a dozen rendered amputees by roadside bombs.
The unit's high number of casualties made it the most bloodied battalion in the 10-year war in Afghanistan.
That carnage prompted Marine Corps officials to order extra mental health screening and take the unusual step of keeping the unit together for the first 90 days it was back in the U.S.
West's road to recovery has taken him through a military hospital in Germany, the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., and the Naval Medical Center's Comprehensive Combat Casualty Care Unit in San Diego.
The San Diego center is where he has spent most of his time, undergoing therapy for his wounds and being fitted with a prosthetic leg.
On Wednesday, he picked up his third and possibly final prosthetic. It's known as an X2, manufactured by Otto Bock, with a microprocessor in the knee for enhanced stability and a more natural gait.
"It's fantastic," said West, whose nickname "Big Country" stems from his upbringing and outdoor lifestyle in Georgia.
With his therapy reduced from four or five days a week to two or three, West will put his officer's uniform back on this week and go to work as the executive officer for a company that trains Marine recruits in small-arms proficiency.
"It's going to feel good to be back around Marines," he said. "Just because you get taken out of the fight for a while doesn't mean you have to be taken out forever."
In the months since he was injured, West had forged close bonds with other wounded Marines and sailors treated at the Combat Casualty Care Unit.
He's taken part in numerous Wounded Warrior events, and in October will head to Washington, D.C., where he and 14 other amputees have entered the annual Marine Corps Marathon. West will ride a hand cycle.
West's parents, Artis and Sheryl, said seeing their son transition from wounded Marine to limited active-duty status is gratifying. Since his son was hurt, Artis West has helped coordinate all the medical appointments and served as his driver.
"This is what I have been living for since he was wounded," he said. "As a father, it's really gratifying to now see him walk out of here in uniform and getting back to doing what he wants."
Sheryl West, a registered nurse, said seeing her only son resume his military career is a blessing.
"I'm very excited for him," she said. "It's going to help him focus on being a Marine rather than a wounded warrior. While he hasn't totally disconnected from that, he needs some more balance in his life. It's time."
West is able to return to work as an amputee because the Marine Corps has a policy that allows its wounded to return to active duty in an appropriate role, depending on their injuries.
"The Marine Corps has been great throughout this," West said, adding that several other amputees from the 3/5 are working toward getting back to active duty.
"This group might be the largest of any to date to take up the commandant on his offer to allow us to stay in," he said. "A lot of the guys are really happy that they are going to be able to do that."
The Casualty Care Unit is treating 78 amputees, including 28 injured this year. Another 192 such as West are being treated as outpatients.
The 90-day "hold in place" that the Marine Corps ordered for West's battalion when it returned to Camp Pendleton ended earlier this month.
Extensive mental health screening has not revealed any significant problems for those troops, according to Navy Cmdr. Charles Benson, the psychiatrist for the base's 1st Marine Division that includes the 3/5 troops.
"We can honestly say we didn't find any major mental health issues," Benson said. "Overall, what we have seen is those troops are doing well and there's been no large uptick or red flags in problems."
Benson acknowledged that post-traumatic stress disorder can take months or years to manifest, and said health officials will conduct another screening in September as part of the post-deployment health reassessment process.
The extra attention and counseling made available to the 3/5 troops is being studied to see whether it should serve as a standard for how to treat future battalions that experience heavy combat and losses.
"We'll be evaluating what we've learned and how to apply those lessons," he said.
Among West's recent lessons is learning to drive using his left foot to accelerate. His 1995 Chevy pickup with 185,000 miles was recently refitted so the accelerator is left of the brake pedal.
He will drive the truck to work this week, and he no longer needs his dad to drive him to his medical appointments.
Those appointments include more therapy on his right hand, where he lost two fingers, and laser treatment for the extensive scar tissue that snakes up his arms and left leg.
West said the laser surgery will help loosen the scar tissue and return the skin to a more natural color.
"I don't care so much about what it looks like, but it helps me with my range of motion, and that's really good."
A surgery planned on his right eye in the fall aims to restore sight.
As he moves ahead, West said the next few months will determine whether he stays in the Marine Corps.
"I look at it like the world is kind of my oyster right now," he said. "Everybody has their issues, whether it be a wounded Marine, a guy out of work trying to support a family or somebody fighting cancer. I'm going to be OK."
And while he's thrilled with his new prosthetic, West says there's a new, waterproof model coming soon.
"Can you imagine being able to jump into a pool with this on or walk right into the ocean?" he said, pointing to his prosthetic. "Now that would be pretty cool."
Call staff writer Mark Walker at 760-901-4080.
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/article_e283f8a0-d927-545c-bf20-d73a8cf1c4f0.html#ixzz1Thqhu4zw
Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/military/article_e283f8a0-d927-545c-bf20-d73a8cf1c4f0.html#ixzz1Thqhu4zw
