November 23, 2011 - Ed Matayka: I think she's got a good opinion. (laughs)
Ed and Karen Matayka were single and in their early 20s, when they met 12 years ago in San Antonio, Texas-- home to the Alamo, the birthplace of Texas liberty, the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio and one of the premiere military hospitals in the country, Brooke Army Medical Center or BAM-C. The Mataykas both studied medicine there, eventually fell in love and became medics in the Vermont National Guard.
Now, they find themselves back at BAM-C, where Ed is learning to walk again.
"I won't be walking on my legs, but I will be walking on legs," he said.
In July of last year, Ed's military vehicle hit a massive roadside bomb during a convoy in Afghanistan. "I'm starting to get back to the new normal," he said. "And the new normal isn't just for wounded soldiers; it's for every soldier that deploys. When you come home, things are always different."
Some 185 Vermont National Guard soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan. Those injuries range from minor to the most severe. And that number is expected to grow as more of our soldiers come forward with post-traumatic stress disorder. Right now, 105 of our soldiers are still getting treatment, either at home, or at hospitals like BAM-C.
For privacy reasons, the Guard won't specifically say how many of those 185 were seriously wounded like Ed.
"The complications in his case are more extreme," physical therapist Marie Black said. read more>>>
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