Paralyzed Vt. GI gets star-spangled welcome home
HYDE PARK, VT. — For Pfc. Andrew Parker, it was a bittersweet homecoming: He was hailed as a hero, feted with a star-spangled parade and showered with gifts at a welcome home ceremony.
He had to watch it all from a wheelchair.
Parker, a 21-year-old U.S. Army cavalry scout, was paralyzed last November when a roadside bomb blew up the vehicle he was driving on patrol in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, after months of rehabilitation in Veterans Administration hospitals and a community fundraising effort that added wheelchair-accessible accommodations to his parents’ house, the wounded warrior came home.
Many called him a hero, toasting his sacrifice or giving him gifts — a key to the town, a check for $100,000, a lifetime pass to the adaptive ski program at Smugglers’ Notch ski resort and full scholarship offers from Norwich University and Johnson State College, among other things.
Riding in his wheelchair in the back of a flatbed truck, a smiling Parker took in the flag-waving well wishers and the hand-lettered signs — “For your sacrifice and our freedom” and “Thank you, Andrew” among them — on a six-mile parade to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7779.
“To welcome him like this, it means a lot,” said organizer Diane Marcoux-Laclair, 54. “It means a lot. ‘Cause he’s paid a big price.”
In the bombing, Parker was thrown from the vehicle and landed on his head, breaking his neck. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He has movement in his arms but his hands are severely injured.
His injury triggered an outpouring of support in his small northern Vermont hometown.
Marcoux-Laclair — Parker’s former kindergarten teacher — and others began soliciting donations and in-kind services so his parents could renovate their modest ranch house, turning a garage into a new living space with a wheelchair ramp, special shower, bed and living area.
All told, the work cost about $100,000.
“It would’ve been a heckuva’ lot tougher without all this support,” said his father, Greg Barnes.
The American Legion, VFW, Norwich University, Disabled American Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart and numerous others participated in the parade.
“I cried the whole way,” said his mother, Winnie Barnes. “Tears of joy.”
The process was greeted by a phalanx of honor guards lining the entrance to the VFW post, where Parker was hoisted onto a stage and sat quietly as more than two dozen speakers, including Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas.
Parker, an aspiring teacher who acquaintances say is a man of few words, never spoke during the ceremony, except when a flustered speaker said she hadn’t expected to be called up to the podium. “They didn’t tell me I was going to be up here, either,” he cracked, drawing a laugh from the crowd.
Asked about all the accolades after, he said: “It was awesome.”
Parker, who plans to attend college and wants to be a history teacher, is already planning his next moves. One of them is getting out of the wheelchair.
“His spirit throughout all of this has been amazing. He’s bound and determined he’s going to get through this. He’s looked at me straight in the eye and told me ‘I’m going to walk again,’” said Marcoux-Laclair.
Related News
Roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan kills US service memberSeptember 22nd, 2009 Bomb in Afghanistan kills US service memberKABUL — Military officials say a roadside bomb has killed an American service member in southern Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO troops have increased operations in recent months to offset Taliban violence.
Polish soldier dies of wounds sustained in Afghanistan in MaySeptember 9th, 2009 Polish soldier injured in Afghanistan diesWARSAW, Poland — The Polish army says a soldier injured in Afghanistan in May has died of his wounds at a hospital in Poland. Pfc. Artur Pyc was injured May 22 in Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province when a roadside bomb exploded under the mine-resistant armored vehicle he was driving.
US military: Roadside bomb hits patrol in southern Baghdad, killing 1 American soldierSeptember 8th, 2009 US military: Bomb kills US soldier in BaghdadBAGHDAD — The U.S. military says a roadside bomb has struck a patrol in southern Baghdad, killing 1 American soldier.
British soldier killed by roadside bomb while on foot patrol in southern AfghanistanAugust 9th, 2009 British soldier on patrol killed in AfghanistanKABUL —Britain's Ministry of Defense says one of its soldiers has been killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan. The soldier died Saturday during a foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand.
3 US troops killed in bomb blasts in southern Afghanistan; French soldier killed in clashAugust 1st, 2009 3 US troops, 1 French soldier die in AfghanistanKABUL — A U.S. military spokesman says three American troops have been killed in two blasts in southern Afghanistan.
4 US soldiers killed in a roadside bombing in northern AfghanistanJuly 6th, 2009 4 US soldier killed in AfghanistanKABUL — A roadside bomb in northern Afghanistan killed four American soldiers Monday, while a suicide attack in the south killed two civilians, officials said. The bombing in the northern Kunduz province targeted an American military convoy, said Kunduz Gov.
Four foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan bombingJune 29th, 2009 KABUL - Four foreign soldiers were killed Monday in a roadside bombing outside Kabul, said a spokesman for the government of Maidan Wardak province. Shahidullah Shahid said the troopers died when their convoy was hit by a roadside bomb in the Jalrez district, about 40 km west of Kabul.
Rising casualties bring chaos to US military hospital in AfghanistanJune 25th, 2009 Rising toll at US military hospital in AfghanistanBAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — The urgent call came in: Roadside bombs had ripped through two Humvees and wounded eight or nine U.S. soldiers. Medevac helicopters immediately hit the air to ferry the soldiers to the main U.S.
US military says American soldier killed by roadside bomb southeast of BaghdadJune 16th, 2009 US: American soldier killed in IraqBAGHDAD — The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad.
US military says American soldier killed by roadside bomb in IraqJune 13th, 2009 US mil: American soldier killed by bomb in IraqBAGHDAD — The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
NATO says roadside bombs increa by 80 percent in Afghanistan, remain top killer of troopsJune 5th, 2009 Use of roadside bombs surges in AfghanistanWASHINGTON — Insurgent use of roadside bombs in Afghanistan has surged 80 percent this year, remaining the No. l killer of foreign troops, a NATO official said Thursday.
US and Afghan officials: US soldier killed by roadside bomb in eastern AfghanistanJune 4th, 2009 US soldier killed in AfghanistanKABUL — An American soldier was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb hit a U.S. military vehicle in eastern Afghanistan, U.S.
NATO says roadside bombs surge by 80 percent in Afghanistan, remain top killer of troopsJune 4th, 2009 Number of roadside bombs surge in AfghanistanWASHINGTON — Insurgent use of roadside bombs in Afghanistan has surged 80 percent this year, remaining the No. 1 killer of foreign troops, a NATO official said Thursday.
Roadside bomb kills US soldier in Baghdad, American military saysJune 2nd, 2009 US: roadside bomb kills American soldier in IraqBAGHDAD — The U.S. military says an American soldier has died in a roadside bombing in Baghdad.
British soldier killed in AfghanistanMarch 15th, 2009 British soldier killed in AfghanistanLONDON — Britain's defense ministry says a soldier has been killed while on patrol in southern Afghanistan. The ministry said the soldier, from 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh, died Sunday in an explosion.
Loading ...