Wounded soldiers return to battlefield for healing
SEATTLE -- A Washington soldier who lost a leg in Iraq is now back in that country at his own request.
"A lot of us had to leave Iraq not under our own power, when we weren't ready," said SFC John Olson.
Now Olson is back in Iraq under his own power through Operation Proper Exit. The program injured soldiers get over the trauma of being wounded in battle and being rushed away from their comrades.
Olson's last deployment to Iraq ended with an ambush and an explosion when a rocket propelled grenade took his leg.
"A lot of people remember going out on patrol and the next thing they know, there were in the hospital," he said.
The Spokane native spent 18 months in the Army hospital, and received a Purple Heart form President George W. Bush.
But even after his wounds healed, Olson said longed to go back to Iraq, from which unfinished business called.
"We're back in Iraq on our two feet, granted one of them might be artificial, but we're back and we're walking around in uniform with other soldiers," he said.
The hope of Operation Proper Exit, Olson said, is that returning to the battlefield for seven days might reassure the soldiers that their losses have been worth it.
Operation Proper Exit was started by a small foundation called Troops First, but was quickly embraced by the military. The first trip was kept secret because no one knew how the soldiers would handle their return.
Olson has made three such trips now. He's done so well he now counsels other wounded warriors "about my rehab and about how the military is taking care of my family," he said.
"And I get to be a part of other soldiers and their closure and their emotional responses to everything. And we feed off of each other."
The pilgrimage back to the war zone is something soldiers have done through the ages, but this is the first time wounded soldiers have been allowed back while the fight is still on.
"We show the insurgents that you can knock me down, but you can't keep me down," said Olson. "Now we can leave Iraq under our own power."
"A lot of us had to leave Iraq not under our own power, when we weren't ready," said SFC John Olson.
Now Olson is back in Iraq under his own power through Operation Proper Exit. The program injured soldiers get over the trauma of being wounded in battle and being rushed away from their comrades.
Olson's last deployment to Iraq ended with an ambush and an explosion when a rocket propelled grenade took his leg.
"A lot of people remember going out on patrol and the next thing they know, there were in the hospital," he said.
The Spokane native spent 18 months in the Army hospital, and received a Purple Heart form President George W. Bush.
But even after his wounds healed, Olson said longed to go back to Iraq, from which unfinished business called.
"We're back in Iraq on our two feet, granted one of them might be artificial, but we're back and we're walking around in uniform with other soldiers," he said.
The hope of Operation Proper Exit, Olson said, is that returning to the battlefield for seven days might reassure the soldiers that their losses have been worth it.
Operation Proper Exit was started by a small foundation called Troops First, but was quickly embraced by the military. The first trip was kept secret because no one knew how the soldiers would handle their return.
Olson has made three such trips now. He's done so well he now counsels other wounded warriors "about my rehab and about how the military is taking care of my family," he said.
"And I get to be a part of other soldiers and their closure and their emotional responses to everything. And we feed off of each other."
The pilgrimage back to the war zone is something soldiers have done through the ages, but this is the first time wounded soldiers have been allowed back while the fight is still on.
"We show the insurgents that you can knock me down, but you can't keep me down," said Olson. "Now we can leave Iraq under our own power."