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RICHARD (BUZZ) ROBERTSON (MINNIE KNYCH's NEPHEW) |
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Wounded Iraq soldier is guest speaker at Memorial Day ceremonyContributed story "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." ~ George Orwell. To his family and friends, SFC Richard Robertson is a gentle, thoughtful and intelligent man, affectionately nicknamed, Buzz. To enemies of the United States, he is a fierce and feared warrior. In July 2005 SFC Robertson was deployed with a Special Operations unit out of Fort Bragg, NC. He left North Carolina for his fourth tour in the Middle East. On that trip his life and his family's lives changed forever. George Orwell was right. Karl Mueller, commander of American Legion post 163 in Friday Harbor is very excited about SFC Richard Robertson, the invited speaker for the Memorial Day ceremony. "I want these young soldiers to have a better reception for their homecoming that we got after Vietnam. We were spit on and called 'Baby Killers'. Nobody who has served his country honorably deserves that." And, this young veteran of the Iraq war, SFC Richard Robertson has quite a story to tell. SFC Richard Robertson will give his Memorial Day remarks from a wheel chair. "He may sit in a wheel chair, but he stands as tall as anyone in my book," says his aunt, Minnie Knych. And for his part, Karl Mueller has worked to make sure that SFC Robertson's welcome home is a good one. When he heard that Robertson was seriously wounded in Iraq, Mueller organized a fundraiser at Post 163 for the young man's family. The $6000 raised in Friday Harbor was used by Robertson to have the family car outfitted with hand controls and to have doorways widened in their home to accommodate his wheel chair. From 2000 to 2003 Robertson was an Army recruiter stationed in Mount Vernon. During that time, he often visited San Juan Island to stay with Jim and Minnie Knych, his aunt and uncle. He visited the American Legion Post here and later joined that post. Later in one of his early deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom, he sent back an American Flag to the Friday Harbor American Legion that had flown over his base camp in Iraq. On the evening of Thursday August 25th the armored vehicle Buzz (SFC Richard C. Robertson) was driving hit a mine. Buzz's injuries were the worst of the surviving soldiers. His mother, Frances Inman's description of the extent of his injuries is a nightmare that every soldier's mother fears. Buzz was on a ventilator when he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on August 28th. He had 8 bags hanging from two IV poles. He had an art line to monitor his blood pressure (spinal injuries cause your blood pressure to drop) He had a central line and several other lines, tubes and drains. All of his upper front teeth were chipped and broken. He had a large wound on his left shoulder. His right shoulder was bruised from collar bone to his waist. His left knee had a drain and several staples in it. He had seventeen staples in his right elbow in three places. He had several scrapes, burns and bruises from his right eye lid to his ankle. He was wearing a large cervical collar and couldn't move his head. The doctor taking care of him told us he had no idea how Buzz had survived the injuries he sustained. " I'll never forget when I got to see him the first time. He somehow produced a big smile around all the tubes and broken teeth, and then he winked and gave me thumbs up. I had to leave the room." His mother still gets tears in her eyes describing the sight. During his three weeks in intensive care, it soon became apparent to his doctor that the reason Buzz survived those injuries was his strong spirit. He had two more surgeries on his abdomen and liver to remove shrapnel. Over time his abdomen healed and his liver started to rejuvenate. With those life threatening surgeries behind him, it was time for spinal surgery to stabilize his spinal cord. His back was broken in three places. He now has titanium rods from his neck to his waist to stabilize the crushed vertebrae. But there was another hurdle to overcome. For several weeks, he ran a low grade fever because of a fungus that set up in one of his shrapnel wounds. More surgery was needed to clean out the wound. Between the time he was injured and the time he left Walter Reed, Buzz received eight pints of whole blood. "I feel like a whole new man," he quips today. His mother sums it up this way. "I know that my son's attitude, courage and sense of humor played a big part in his recovery. He's told me if he had it all to do over again....he would. In case you haven't guessed...I couldn't be more proud of my son. He's my hero more now than ever." The story has a happy ending. Just shortly before Thanksgiving 2005, SFC Richard Robertson was allowed to go home to North Carolina to spend the holidays with his wife and daughter. As of this writing, he is still on active duty with the U.S. Army. He is contemplating whether to stay on duty at a desk job for his unit or to seek employment in the security field. His experience in Special Operations has earned him a top security clearance which has made him a target for recruiters in the defense industry. But he is still weighing the options. "The Army has been my life, I don't want to rush into any decisions to leave if I can still serve from a wheel chair," says Robertson. "If people don't take anything else away from this Memorial Day ceremony," says Karl Mueller, "I hope they will realize the courage and dedication of today's service men." There are many stories of courage in relation to this soldier. "I'm an Army brat myself. I always knew the risks," says his wife, Sarah. "Buzz and I had discussed what could happen. When the Army sent officers to inform me about his injury, all I thought was, 'He's alive!' That's what kept me going though the time he was in the hospital." (Three of the soldiers in his unit were killed on the operation.) Any weeping that Sara did for her husband's suffering was done in private. With the help of the Army, she moved into a hotel within walking distance of Walter Reed Hospital and spent every day with her husband. Their three-year-old daughter, Ashleigh went to stay with one of her Aunties. The face Buzz saw everyday during his recuperation was the smiling and optimistic face of his life partner. Sarah showed up at the hospital daily to attend physical and occupational therapy with him and to open and read the thousands of cards and letters from well wishers. There was always mail. There were even some visitors from Friday Harbor. Glenn and Bobbi Gullickson, who have a daughter in the military stopped in at Walter Reed to visit Buzz. "We went to offer him some words of comfort and encouragement," says Bobbi, "but we left feeling uplifted by his spirit." The Gullicksons discovered they share a common passion with the Robertsons - They're all 'parrot heads' Jimmy Buffet fans and plan to attend a concert together some time in the future. "Buzz has always wanted to be a soldier," says his Aunt Minnie. "I recall a conversation we had when he was 9 years old. I asked what he wanted to do when he grew up. His reply was I'm going to be in the Army. When I suggested that he may want to explore all the branches of service, Buzz wrinkled his brow and stated very definitely, 'No, I'll be a soldier in the Army.'" Indeed he held to that dream. Buzz earned early entry into the Army by attending basic training between his junior and senior years in high school. Immediately upon graduation from high school he entered the Army. Buzz met his wife, Sarah, while stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. They have been married 14 years and have a four-year old daughter, Ashleigh. Ashleigh refers to the time before his injuries as "before Daddy got his chair". She tells people her dad was "blown up by a volcano while on a 'business' trip". Her dad says, "Yeah, I guess that pretty much sums it up." The Robertsons will be arriving in Friday Harbor on the Saturday before Memorial Day. Let's give this hero a welcome home! Please join your friends and neighbors at the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony at the newly renovated Memorial Park on Monday, May 29, 2006. The parade begins at 10 AM. The Buzz ReportContributed story and photo
posted 10/07/05
Now the doctors are going to check for malaria and possible other causes of the fevers. THE GOOD NEWS. When Buzz was told that the skin graft operation would be postponed, he said, "Well, help me dress so I can go to physical therapy." However that was not to be. After he was dressed, he and several other wheel chair patients were told that a special guest was coming to present their purple hearts ribbons. They were wheeled down to a recreation room and waited. Buzz was grumbling to himself because he does not like to miss physical therapy. He goes twice a day when allowed. Then… in walked PRESIDENT AND Mrs. BUSH! President Bush took time with each man to speak briefly and shake hands and salute when he awarded the medals. When he came to Buzz, he said, "So SFC Robertson, what about those legs?" Buzz replied, "Well sir, I started out as a paratrooper and now I’m a paraplegic." They shared a laugh. Buzz was so elated, he could have floated back to his room without the wheel chair. What a distinct honor! Buzz reports that he was very impressed with the President’s concern for each soldier and his great sense of humor. As for the skin grafts, we don’t know when those will be done. It all depends on when the fever subsides. So he will be at Walter Reed for at least another week. If you have lost his mailing address, it is:
His birthday was Oct. 2. He’s 37 years old now. Islander's nephew injured in Iraqposted 09/06/05
He serves in Special Operations out of Fort Bragg. His unit was in an up-armored Humvee when they hit a mine near the border of Syria. Several of the men died in the attack. Knych said, Robertson's wife and baby daughter are visiting him daily - and his mother, Knych's sister, has been with him all week and will stay in Washington DC until they operate on his spine. She said, "I would like to encourage islanders to let him know that we, as a nation, are grateful for his service and wish him well. Please send him a cheerful get well or thank you card. Thank him for his service. Let him know your thoughts and prayers are with him. He was coming close to 20 years of service in the Army and is a very dedicated and patriotic young man." Cards and letters can be sent to:
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