Jake was the turret gunner in one of those super duper military trucks that are more like a tank than a truck.
His vehicle was the last in the convoy. At about 2:00 a.m., the convoy was traveling on a dirt road. The vehicles are somewhat spread out. A remotely detonated bomb exploded below the truck Jake was in. The bomb had been planted in the road three or four years previous. It was about 4' under the surface of the road. It was a 100 lb bomb that left a crater 13' wide, 14' long, and 4' deep. It threw the truck about 50 feet.
Both of Jake's legs sustained some type of injury in the incident. His left leg had a compound fracture in which the bone breaks and penetrates the skin. That leg is currently in a "halo," which I guess is designed to hold it from moving.
It is a little unclear what's going on with his right leg. At first he told us it was broken. Today he said the doctors say it was dislocated at the knee. Jake said it couldn't have been dislocated and must be broken yet, they have only splinted the leg. He got some kind of wound on his leg, like a deep puncture wound. I'm not clear on what this was from, but they are treating it similar to how they treated Grandma Sessions leg when she had that bad accident at Camp Joseph. Essentially, they are leaving the wound open and letting it heal from the inside out. I guess there's a pump and such with tubes that go into the wound so it won't build up fluids. The doctors clean the wound every 72 hours to ensure any gunk or debris that works its way to the edge of the wound is taken out.
We talked to Jake today and he said he is experiencing zero pain. The first couple of days were difficult because the pain medicine didn't take away the pain and made him sick to his stomach. they've now found a pain medicine that he says has completely eliminated the pain, but makes him a bit groggy. He must be feeling a bit better because he told us he's been hitting on the nurse :-)
We are feeling very blessed. We are grateful that Jake's life was spared. We know his days have been prolonged upon the land.
He should be headed state side on Tuesday. I believe he'll be relocated to a hospital in Washington D.C. where the military doctors treat injured soldiers. Not sure how long he'll be in the hospital. My guess is that the wound in his right leg will take a while to heal and will require special techniques. I also assume that once his legs come out of the "cast," they will be weak and he'll need physical therapy. I don't know how much of these things will be done at the hospital and how much will be done here at home. I seriously doubt he will heal and regain enough strength to return to Afghanistan before his assignment is over.
Both of Jake's legs sustained some type of injury in the incident. His left leg had a compound fracture in which the bone breaks and penetrates the skin. That leg is currently in a "halo," which I guess is designed to hold it from moving.
It is a little unclear what's going on with his right leg. At first he told us it was broken. Today he said the doctors say it was dislocated at the knee. Jake said it couldn't have been dislocated and must be broken yet, they have only splinted the leg. He got some kind of wound on his leg, like a deep puncture wound. I'm not clear on what this was from, but they are treating it similar to how they treated Grandma Sessions leg when she had that bad accident at Camp Joseph. Essentially, they are leaving the wound open and letting it heal from the inside out. I guess there's a pump and such with tubes that go into the wound so it won't build up fluids. The doctors clean the wound every 72 hours to ensure any gunk or debris that works its way to the edge of the wound is taken out.
We talked to Jake today and he said he is experiencing zero pain. The first couple of days were difficult because the pain medicine didn't take away the pain and made him sick to his stomach. they've now found a pain medicine that he says has completely eliminated the pain, but makes him a bit groggy. He must be feeling a bit better because he told us he's been hitting on the nurse :-)
We are feeling very blessed. We are grateful that Jake's life was spared. We know his days have been prolonged upon the land.
He should be headed state side on Tuesday. I believe he'll be relocated to a hospital in Washington D.C. where the military doctors treat injured soldiers. Not sure how long he'll be in the hospital. My guess is that the wound in his right leg will take a while to heal and will require special techniques. I also assume that once his legs come out of the "cast," they will be weak and he'll need physical therapy. I don't know how much of these things will be done at the hospital and how much will be done here at home. I seriously doubt he will heal and regain enough strength to return to Afghanistan before his assignment is over.
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