Standing Strong

By all appearances, when 25-year-old Corp. John Joss wears his ACUs he seems to be like every other soldier. When Joss walks you notice a minor limp but nothing that would make you ask, "Hey, what's up with your leg?" Joss's disposition and mannerisms stand out as confident and amiable. After a tour in Iraq cut short, Joss is now assigned to 1st Platoon, D Company in the Warrior Transition Battalion.

This is his story.

Before joining the Army, Joss worked at a paint body shop as a mechanic. It wasn't long before hard times hit, and Joss found himself having a difficult time paying for college. He made a decision that he thought was his only option - enlist in the Army.

Joss knew his life would be different, and he often asked his father for advice. His father, who had served in the Air Force for 20 years, told him, "What you've seen in the movies (about the military) is pretty close, but you're still going to be shocked when you get there."

Joss's father was right. Going through infantry basic training was a life of its own - unparallel to the basic and advanced individual training of most other MOSs. Before Joss left basic, the drill sergeant made it clear: "Within a year you're all going to see combat." Those words stuck with Joss as he arrived at Fort Lewis, settling in at 1-2 Cavalry Regiment as attached infantry. Serving as an 11C, or mortarman, he still honed his infantry skills.

"When we first got there we didn't have anything, but we did have rubber ducks. We did a lot of PT," he recalled.

As time went on and equipment came, everyone in the unit trained hard for the pending tour.

It wasn't long before the prediction of the drill sergeant would come about on Easter Sunday 2007. Joss spent time with his wife, Carina, before leaving that day. He assured her that he would be fine and that he would keep in touch as much as he could. His marriage was solid; he knew his marriage would survive the tour. His family was proud of him, but of course Joss's mother was torn up about it, and his father was worried. Joss calmly boarded the bus and then made his way to the bird. He was deploying to the unpredictable combat zone of Iraq.

When Joss's unit arrived in country, they went right to work - often doing missions that lasted up to 23 hours.

"We were on constant missions. We would do a week straight of 22-hour missions. We would come back in, refit, get a little rest, and then be right back out doing another 23-hour mission. We were run ragged. We were in the hottest place in Iraq at that time - Taji." Taji is a rural region approximately 60 miles north of the city of Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate.

During this hectic schedule Joss wasn't able to phone to his wife. The time he tried he found that non-infantry folks seemed to take over the phones, leaving him frustrated. He knew his time was limited, so often he would just rack out.

May 31, 2007

Joss's platoon had just returned from another exhausting 22-hour mission, and his command nicely rewarded them with the opportunity to get some rest. The platoon was relieved, appreciating the command's idea. Just when everyone was getting some peace and quiet, the word came: The commander of another unit requested the infantry to help with a convoy. The task was to convoy down to a patrol base and then come back, convoying that same route a total of four times.

"We weren't too thrilled about it, simply because it just wasn't right making a trip down the same road over and over again," Joss said with a deadpan look.

The first trip Joss's platoon took went down without a hitch; it was early so there wasn't much activity. But eventually, the enemy was on to them and had plans for this convoy that would take the same route back. Before leaving to make their way back, Joss talked to a medic. "I remember talking to a medic named Mac. I told him, 'You better be on your game, because we are going to get hurt today,'" he said. Joss knew something was going to happen - not to him necessarily, but something. They jumped in the back of the Stryker and made their way down the road. Joss and his buddies sat in the troop compartment and talked; some fell asleep. "I looked over at Pvt. Sung and told him, 'I feel like we are going to get hurt.' Sung, with a dip in his mouth, just shrugged his shoulders."

Thump

"I knew what it was instantly - that someone was trying to kill us. The first thing was the ringing in my ears. I felt like I was tumbling in the Stryker for ten minutes. The Stryker went on to its four tires, but we didn't flip. The hatches were blown off as well as the back door. A 2,700-pound mortar system busted loose and started to toss around. After everything stopped, I was pinned. The guy in front of me, Clark, was moaning. I looked down, and I could see blood mixing with oil in the truck. Everyone in the truck needed medical assistance immediately.

"Just when I thought everything was over, the medical vehicle was coming to help, and a secondary went off," Joss said.

That blast caused shrapnel to fly and land in Joss's body. Joss was pinned, leaving his right leg to be crushed from the mid-shin down. His leg folded upward and back toward his body, and a 22-inch bolt pierced his ankle, instantly shattering it. After more than an hour, they couldn't get the mortar system off Joss. The medics thought of amputating his leg, but decided not to. Instead, they called in a wrecker to put chains on the system. While they pulled the system off, it slipped and landed back on his leg, causing Joss more pain.

Joss eventually got out and on the bird that awaited him. As the chopper made its way to the hospital, it made a turn, and blood from the guy on the top rack splashed down on Joss's face, making him think that his buddy was dead. Thankfully, he wasn't.

Joss was flown to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas for multiple surgeries to save his right foot and ankle, which were successful. However, during this time Joss had complications and had to be resuscitated twice. In September 2007, he returned to Fort Lewis to recover. After only eight hours of being back home in Washington, Joss received a phone call that his dad had been killed in a car accident.

Becoming slightly emotional, Joss confessed, "It was really, really tough. Me and my dad were close. Being on my crutches at his funeral was terrible. I was just having a real rough time."

In October 2007, doctors decided to amputate Joss's right leg below the knee because of ongoing complications.

Joss plans on staying in the Army. The only medical problem he deals with now is nerve issues. "I am required to wear my full uniform while here. Doing that really hurts my leg. I'd rather wear PTs and an athletic shoe, because it would really relieve my pain, but it is not allowed."

Joss laughed. "I also have the phantom foot - It really feels like it is still there."

Every day Joss deals with his new life. Not every day is good, but most are. Joss is a great example for those soldiers whose paths he crosses. Joss's courage, strength and never-quit attitude shine through.